If you have searched "PDF to Markdown," you have met a confusing wall of options: a browser tool here, a Python library there, a GPU-hungry research project somewhere else. They are not interchangeable. The right choice depends on what your PDF looks like and where your files are allowed to go.
This is an honest breakdown of the four tools people actually reach for — pdf2md.pro, Marker, Microsoft MarkItDown, and MinerU — including where our own tool is not the right answer.
The short version
| Tool | Runs where | Best for | Cost | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pdf2md.pro | Your browser (client-side, PDF.js) | Fast, private conversion of text-based PDFs; batch jobs; anyone who wants zero install | Free | None — open a tab |
| Marker | Your machine / GPU (Python) | Complex layouts, tables, equations, scanned docs, academic papers | Free (compute cost) | Python + models + GPU recommended |
| MarkItDown | Your machine (Python) | Converting many formats (Office, images, audio) to Markdown in a pipeline | Free | Python / pip |
| MinerU | Your machine / GPU (Python) | High-fidelity extraction of scientific PDFs, formulas, reading order | Free (compute cost) | Python + models |
Rule of thumb: if your PDF is text-based (exported from Word, Google Docs, a CMS, or a report generator) and you want it now without uploading it anywhere, use pdf2md.pro. If your PDF is a scanned image, a dense academic paper, or full of tables and equations, reach for Marker or MinerU. If you are building a document pipeline across formats, use MarkItDown as a library.
pdf2md.pro — private, instant, zero-install
pdf2md.pro runs entirely in your browser using PDF.js. Your file is parsed on your own machine and never uploaded to any server — there is no backend to send it to. That has three consequences:
- Privacy by architecture. Contracts, medical records, internal docs — nothing leaves your device. This isn't a policy promise; there is literally no upload endpoint. It even works offline after the page loads.
- No setup, no account. Open the tab, drag your PDF, copy the Markdown or download the
.md. Batch up to 50 files and export a ZIP. - Instant for text PDFs. Heading, list, bold/italic, and link detection run via layout heuristics, so a clean text PDF converts in seconds.
Where it stops: because it is client-side and does not run heavy ML/OCR, pdf2md.pro is not built for scanned (image-only) PDFs, complex multi-column tables, or math-heavy academic layouts. For those, keep reading.
Marker — best-in-class accuracy for hard PDFs
Marker is the tool the LLM/RAG community reaches for when quality matters most. It uses a pipeline of models (including OCR) to reconstruct reading order, tables, and equations with impressive fidelity, and outputs clean Markdown or JSON.
The trade-off is operational cost: it is a Python project, benefits heavily from a GPU, and you download and run models locally. Great for a batch of research papers on your own hardware; overkill for pasting a one-page memo into your notes.
Choose Marker when: accuracy on complex or scanned documents is non-negotiable and you are comfortable running Python.
Microsoft MarkItDown — the multi-format converter
MarkItDown is a lightweight Python library from Microsoft that converts a wide range of inputs — PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images, even audio — into Markdown for LLM consumption. For PDFs specifically it uses a text extractor (not layout ML), so it is fast and simple but less accurate on complex PDF layouts than Marker or MinerU.
Choose MarkItDown when: you are building a pipeline that has to ingest many file types and you want one consistent Markdown output, as code rather than a UI.
MinerU — scientific-grade extraction
MinerU targets high-fidelity extraction from scientific and technical PDFs: formulas, tables, and correct reading order across multi-column layouts. Like Marker, it is a local Python/ML tool with a compute cost, and it shines on exactly the documents where a browser heuristic tool would struggle.
Choose MinerU when: you process academic or technical papers at volume and need formula/table fidelity.
So which one?
- "I just need this PDF as Markdown, now, and I don't want to upload it." → pdf2md.pro.
- "It's a scanned document / dense paper / lots of tables." → Marker or MinerU.
- "I'm converting Word + PDF + PowerPoint in a script." → MarkItDown.
The tools are complements, not competitors. Many people use pdf2md.pro for the 90% of everyday text PDFs where speed and privacy win, and keep a local Marker/MinerU setup for the occasional hard document.
FAQ
Is pdf2md.pro really private? Yes — conversion happens in your browser via PDF.js. There is no upload; files never reach a server. It works offline after the page loads.
Does pdf2md.pro handle scanned PDFs? No. Scanned/image-only PDFs need OCR, which is where Marker and MinerU excel. pdf2md.pro targets text-based PDFs.
Do I need to install anything to use pdf2md.pro? No. It runs in any modern browser with no account or installation. Marker, MarkItDown, and MinerU are Python tools that run on your own machine.
Which is most accurate? For complex, scanned, or academic PDFs, Marker and MinerU lead. For clean text PDFs, pdf2md.pro produces clean Markdown instantly without the setup.
Want the fastest, most private option for everyday PDFs? Convert a PDF to Markdown now at pdf2md.pro — nothing to install, nothing uploaded.
