Markdown is for humans (and LLMs). JSON is for code. When your pipeline needs to programmatically navigate a converted document — pull every H2, list every table, count code blocks — JSON output is the right shape. We emit a structured tree where each PDF maps to a JSON object.
The output schema
{ metadata: { title, author, pages }, sections: [{ heading, level, content, subsections, tables, lists }, ...] }. Each section is a recursive node — sections nest inside sections by heading depth. Tables are emitted as 2D arrays of cell text. Lists are arrays of items. Code blocks carry their language tag.
Use cases
Building a pipeline that needs to extract specific sections programmatically (e.g. "every Methodology section across 500 papers"). Feeding structured data to a downstream model that expects JSON. Building a CMS importer that maps PDF structure to your own schema. Comparing document structures across versions.
Frequently asked questions
What does the JSON output schema look like?
Top-level: { metadata, sections }. Each section: { heading, level, content, subsections, tables, lists, code_blocks }. The full schema is documented in the API reference; the structure is recursive so deeply-nested PDF content maps cleanly.
Are tables represented as arrays in JSON?
Yes — tables come through as 2D arrays of cell text, with a separate headers field for the first row when detected. Cell formatting (bold, italic) is dropped in JSON output; if you need it, request Markdown instead.
How is metadata extracted?
Title, author, creation date, page count, and any embedded keywords are pulled from the PDF's metadata block when present. Falls back to inferring title from the first H1 in the document if metadata is empty.
Can I get JSON via the API?
Yes — pass ?format=json on the API endpoint, or set Accept: application/json with the appropriate parameter. Same auth flow as the Markdown endpoint.
When should I use JSON vs Markdown output?
JSON when your consumer is code that needs to navigate the structure programmatically. Markdown when your consumer is an LLM (cheaper tokens, better comprehension) or a human (readable). They're the same content, different shapes.
Your AI doesn't read PDFs directly. It first has to extract the text, decode the layout, ignore the metadata — before it can even start answering. A Markdown file removes all of those steps. Your AI reads it instantly. So you get faster responses, more accurate results, and zero information lost along the way.
Size-wise, it's 100 to 500 times lighter for the same content. A 15 MB PDF becomes a 30 KB .md file. So your AI knowledge base can hold hundreds of documents instead of a handful.
MDisBetter brings 19 free tools together for that — documents, videos, audio, web pages and prompts.
How does it work?
Drop a PDF, a video, an audio file or a URL. MDisBetter extracts the content and gives you a clean Markdown file. So you can send it to your AI, add it to your project files, or store it in your knowledge base — without losing anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert a PDF to Markdown for free?
Upload your PDF to MDisBetter, click Convert, and get structured Markdown in seconds. No signup, no installation — it works directly in your browser. The free plan includes 50 credits per month.
Why is Markdown better than PDF for AI?
Markdown reduces token usage by up to 95% compared to PDF. AI models like ChatGPT and Claude process Markdown far more efficiently because it contains only content structure — no fonts, no layout data, no binary overhead.
What file types can MDisBetter convert?
MDisBetter converts PDF, Word (.docx), plain text, YouTube videos (transcript), audio files (MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, WEBM), and any web page URL to clean Markdown.
Is MDisBetter free?
Yes, free to start. The free plan includes 50 credits per month. All processing happens securely — your files are never stored.
Can I extract a YouTube transcript as Markdown?
Yes. Paste the YouTube video URL, click Convert, and get the full transcript structured as Markdown with headings and timestamps. Perfect for feeding video content to AI tools.
PDF → Markdown
Faithful and structured conversion of your documents
Text to MD, EPUB to MD, MD to PDF, MD Cleaner, Merger, Chunker, Token Counter, Context Builder
Free
—
Word to MD
0.5 credit
per page
Excel to MD
0.5 credit
per conversion
Single URL Scrape
0.5 credit
per call
Site Crawl
1 credit
per page
Translate
1 credit
per 10 000 chars (min 1, free re-translation on cache hit)
Prompt Optimizer
1 credit
per call
System Prompt Generator
1 credit
per call
Audio to MD
2 credits
per minute
Video to MD
2 credits
per minute
YouTube to MD
2 credits
per minute
Image OCR
4 credits
per image (0 on cache hit)
PDF to MD
4 credits
per page
PPTX to MD
4 credits
per slide
Questions
Yes! You get 50 credits every month to use any tool. Basic tools like MD Cleaner or Token Counter cost just 0.5 credit per use. When you run out, credits reset the next month or you can upgrade for more.
Wait for your monthly reset or upgrade to a higher plan. Credits renew on your billing date each month.
Yes, cancel anytime with one click. No questions asked. You keep access until the end of your billing period.
Pro gives you 30,000 credits for $29 — that's 30x more credits than Starter for just 3x the price. Every credit costs less, so you get far more value per dollar.