---
title: "Extend AI"
type: "AI Tool"
url: "https://aidemos.com/tools/extend-ai"
description: "A capable PDF-to-markdown API for mixed and scanned documents that keeps structure and most visuals, but stumbles on the hardest table headers."
category: "text"
website: "https://www.extend.ai/?via=aidemos"
authors:
  - "Mahreen Fathima"
published: "2026-06-12T05:56:34.527Z"
updated: "2026-06-17T08:51:26.311Z"
---

# Extend AI

A capable PDF-to-markdown API for mixed and scanned documents that keeps structure and most visuals, but stumbles on the hardest table headers.

`Tested on 3 PDF types` · `Scanned OCR` · `Chart captions` · `Complex tables`

**Website:** [Visit Extend AI](https://www.extend.ai/?via=aidemos)

> **Strong structure preservation, mixed results on complex tables**
>
> Extend AI handled all three tested PDFs through a fully automated API flow and returned downloadable markdown. In the report, it consistently preserved section hierarchy, readable prose flow, scanned-page OCR, and chart/logo content through structured figure blocks with captions. Its main weakness was table fidelity at the hardest edge cases: compound and multilevel headers could collapse, and vertical notes placed between columns were merged into nearby cells instead of being preserved cleanly.

## Demo Recording

[Video: Extend AI demo recording](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-extend-ai-tool-demo-1.mp4)
*Video — Walkthrough of using Extend AI to process a PDF and retrieve markdown output.*

## Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

### Document hierarchy preservation

**Verdict:** Extend AI consistently kept headings, section boundaries, and paragraph flow understandable across native, hybrid, and scanned pages.

Extend AI reflowed full document pages into readable markdown-style text while preserving section titles, bullets, and nearby body content. This was exercised on a Target annual report page, a Sumitomo financial notes page, and a scanned two-column research page.

**Input:**

![landing-ai-target-annual-report-growth-story-page.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-target-annual-report-growth-story-page.png)
*Image: landing-ai-target-annual-report-growth-story-page.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-target-annual-report-extracted-text-page.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-target-annual-report-extracted-text-page.png)
*Image: extend-ai-target-annual-report-extracted-text-page.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-sumitomo-heavy-industries-additional-notes-page-1.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-sumitomo-heavy-industries-additional-notes-page-1.png)
*Image: extend-ai-sumitomo-heavy-industries-additional-notes-page-1.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-hierarchy-extracted-notes-page.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-hierarchy-extracted-notes-page.png)
*Image: extend-ai-hierarchy-extracted-notes-page.png*

**Input:**

![landing-ai-scanned-two-column-text-study-area.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-scanned-two-column-text-study-area.png)
*Image: landing-ai-scanned-two-column-text-study-area.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-study-area-section.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-study-area-section.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-study-area-section.png*

**Bottom line:** Hierarchy and reading order were a clear strength in this report, including on scanned and multi-column pages.

### Table extraction

**Verdict:** Extend AI handled many tables well, but header relationships weakened on the most complex layouts.

Extend AI extracted financial and research tables into structured text layouts that usually preserved rows, columns, and numeric values. The same capability was also stress-tested on harder cases with grouped headers, multirow structure, and vertical annotations between columns, where accuracy dropped.

**Input:**

![landing-ai-target-annual-report-financial-summary-table-2.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-target-annual-report-financial-summary-table-2.png)
*Image: landing-ai-target-annual-report-financial-summary-table-2.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-target-annual-report-parsed-financial-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-target-annual-report-parsed-financial-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-target-annual-report-parsed-financial-table.png*

**Input:**

![landing-ai-segment-results-table-2025-first-quarter.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-segment-results-table-2025-first-quarter.png)
*Image: landing-ai-segment-results-table-2025-first-quarter.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-orders-received-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-orders-received-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-orders-received-table.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-financial-segment-reporting-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-financial-segment-reporting-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-financial-segment-reporting-table.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-segment-reporting-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-segment-reporting-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-segment-reporting-table.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-scanned-stand-structure-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-scanned-stand-structure-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-scanned-stand-structure-table.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-stand-structure-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-stand-structure-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-stand-structure-table.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-scanned-table-tree-mortality-multirow.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-scanned-table-tree-mortality-multirow.png)
*Image: extend-ai-scanned-table-tree-mortality-multirow.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-tree-mortality-multirow-table.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-tree-mortality-multirow-table.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-tree-mortality-multirow-table.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-scanned-table-mountain-pine-beetle-mortality.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-scanned-table-mountain-pine-beetle-mortality.png)
*Image: extend-ai-scanned-table-mountain-pine-beetle-mortality.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-table-text-between-columns.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-table-text-between-columns.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-table-text-between-columns.png*

**Bottom line:** Reliable on many standard financial and scanned tables, but not trustworthy for perfect preservation of compound headers, multirow grouping, or between-column annotations.

### Visual element captioning

**Verdict:** Extend AI preserved charts and logos as structured figure blocks with descriptions, but usually translated visuals into text instead of keeping the original visual form inline.

Extend AI kept non-text visuals by converting them into figure-style elements with extracted labels and generated captions. This was tested on a waterfall chart, a scanned bar chart, and a logo from the hybrid earnings report.

**Input:**

![extend-ai-sg-and-a-rate-waterfall-chart.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-sg-and-a-rate-waterfall-chart.png)
*Image: extend-ai-sg-and-a-rate-waterfall-chart.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-sg-and-a-waterfall-extracted-text.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-sg-and-a-waterfall-extracted-text.png)
*Image: extend-ai-sg-and-a-waterfall-extracted-text.png*

**Input:**

![landing-ai-tree-mortality-by-year-and-cut-bar-chart-1.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-tree-mortality-by-year-and-cut-bar-chart-1.png)
*Image: landing-ai-tree-mortality-by-year-and-cut-bar-chart-1.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-chart-tree-cutting-methods.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-chart-tree-cutting-methods.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-chart-tree-cutting-methods.png*

**Input:**

```
Target logo embedded in the hybrid earnings report.
```

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-logo-figure-target-bullseye.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-logo-figure-target-bullseye.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-logo-figure-target-bullseye.png*

**Bottom line:** Good if you want charts and logos retained in markdown as descriptive elements; weaker if you need the original visual presentation preserved inline.

### OCR for signatures, stamps, and faint markings

**Verdict:** Extend AI successfully captured low-visibility non-body-text elements that many parsers skip.

Beyond standard body text, Extend AI extracted scanned signature blocks, a blurry audit-firm stamp, and faint handwritten markings from the research paper title page.

**Input:**

![extend-ai-target-annual-report-signature-block.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-target-annual-report-signature-block.png)
*Image: extend-ai-target-annual-report-signature-block.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-signature-block-brian-c-cornell.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-signature-block-brian-c-cornell.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-signature-block-brian-c-cornell.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-blurred-ernst-young-stamp.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-blurred-ernst-young-stamp.png)
*Image: extend-ai-blurred-ernst-young-stamp.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-ernst-young-stamp-page-number.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-ernst-young-stamp-page-number.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-ernst-young-stamp-page-number.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-usda-forest-service-research-note-cover-handwritten.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-usda-forest-service-research-note-cover-handwritten.png)
*Image: extend-ai-usda-forest-service-research-note-cover-handwritten.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-handwriting-ocr-output.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-handwriting-ocr-output.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-handwriting-ocr-output.png*

**Bottom line:** A notable strength: Extend AI kept signatures, stamps, and faint markings in the extracted output instead of silently omitting them.

### API-based markdown export

**Verdict:** The tested workflow was fully automated and ended in downloadable markdown output.

Across all three tested documents, Extend AI accepted PDF uploads, processed them without manual correction, and returned markdown files. The report also shows a Developers area with API key creation, supporting programmatic use.

**Input:**

[File: llamaparse-hybrid-earnings-pdf-1.pdf](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/llamaparse-hybrid-earnings-pdf-1.pdf)

**Output:**

[File: extend-ai-extendai-hybrid-earnings-pdf-output-6.md](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-extendai-hybrid-earnings-pdf-output-6.md)

**Input:**

[File: llamaparse-sumitomo-financial-pdf-1.pdf](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/llamaparse-sumitomo-financial-pdf-1.pdf)

**Output:**

[File: extend-ai-extendai-financialpdf-output-5.md](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-extendai-financialpdf-output-5.md)

**Input:**

```
Need to create credentials for programmatic API use.
```

**Output:**

![extend-ai-extendai-developers-api-keys-empty-state.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-extendai-developers-api-keys-empty-state.png)
*Image: extend-ai-extendai-developers-api-keys-empty-state.png*

**Bottom line:** The report supports Extend AI as a real hosted API workflow: upload PDF, process automatically, and retrieve markdown output.

### Document structure reconstruction

**Verdict:** Strong across hybrid, table-heavy, and scanned PDFs.

Converts mixed PDF pages into readable markdown-like text with headings, paragraphs, and section flow largely intact. This was exercised on a Target annual report narrative page, a Sumitomo Heavy Industries notes page, and a scanned two-column research-paper section.

**Input:**

![landing-ai-target-annual-report-growth-story-page.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-target-annual-report-growth-story-page.png)
*Image: landing-ai-target-annual-report-growth-story-page.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-target-annual-report-extracted-text-page.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-target-annual-report-extracted-text-page.png)
*Image: extend-ai-target-annual-report-extracted-text-page.png*

**Input:**

![extend-ai-sumitomo-heavy-industries-additional-notes-page-1.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-sumitomo-heavy-industries-additional-notes-page-1.png)
*Image: extend-ai-sumitomo-heavy-industries-additional-notes-page-1.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-hierarchy-extracted-notes-page.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-hierarchy-extracted-notes-page.png)
*Image: extend-ai-hierarchy-extracted-notes-page.png*

**Input:**

![landing-ai-scanned-two-column-text-study-area.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-scanned-two-column-text-study-area.png)
*Image: landing-ai-scanned-two-column-text-study-area.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-parsed-study-area-section.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-parsed-study-area-section.png)
*Image: extend-ai-parsed-study-area-section.png*

**Bottom line:** If your top priority is getting readable markdown with section hierarchy preserved across mixed PDFs, this was one of Extend AI's strongest behaviors in the test.

### Chart and figure retention

**Verdict:** Good at semantic retention, weaker at preserving original visual presentation.

Retains charts and some visual elements by converting them into figure-style markup with extracted labels, values, and generated captions. This was exercised on annual-report charts, a scanned research chart, and a logo element.

**Input:**

![hybrid_earningspdf_sga_chart.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/hybrid_earningspdf_sga_chart.png)
*Image: hybrid_earningspdf_sga_chart.png*

**Output:**

![extend-ai-sg-and-a-waterfall-extracted-text.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extend-ai-sg-and-a-waterfall-extracted-text.png)
*Image: extend-ai-sg-and-a-waterfall-extracted-text.png*

**Input:**

![landing-ai-tree-mortality-by-year-and-cut-bar-chart-1.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/landing-ai-tree-mortality-by-year-and-cut-bar-chart-1.png)
*Image: landing-ai-tree-mortality-by-year-and-cut-bar-chart-1.png*

**Output:**

![extendai_hybridearningspdf_parsed_waterfall_chart.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/extendai_hybridearningspdf_parsed_waterfall_chart.png)
*Image: extendai_hybridearningspdf_parsed_waterfall_chart.png*

**Input:**

![hybrid_earningspdf_target_logo.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/hybrid_earningspdf_target_logo.png)
*Image: hybrid_earningspdf_target_logo.png*

**Output:**

![hybrid_earningspdf_parsed_logo.png](https://d3epheqghktydj.cloudfront.net/hybrid_earningspdf_parsed_logo.png)
*Image: hybrid_earningspdf_parsed_logo.png*

**Bottom line:** Extend AI does not drop charts and logos, but it preserves them mainly as structured descriptions and extracted values rather than original visuals embedded in reading context.

## Pricing & Access

Plans as of June 2026

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pay As You Go (Tested) (tested) | Free to start | Includes 10,000 free credits, then usage-based pricing. Access to all APIs, Studio, OCR, workflows, and evaluation tools. |
| Scale | $500/month | Includes 50,000 credits per month, higher rate limits, volume discounts, Slack support, and compliance options. |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Includes self-hosted deployment, SSO/SAML, RBAC, custom models, dedicated support, and enterprise agreements. |

*Pricing as of June 2026*

## Is This Right For You?

A side-by-side guide based on our hands-on testing.

**✓ Use This If**
- You need a hosted API that can turn mixed PDFs with native text, scanned pages, tables, charts, and signatures into downloadable markdown.
- You care most about keeping document hierarchy and readable section flow across long or mixed-format PDFs.
- You want charts, logos, and other visuals represented in markdown as structured captions instead of being dropped entirely.
- You can tolerate some cleanup on the hardest tables, especially multilevel headers or annotations placed between columns.

**✕ Skip This If**
- You need perfect preservation of compound or multilevel table headers with no semantic flattening.
- You need charts preserved visually, not translated into text-first figure blocks and captions.
- You need every embedded image to stay in its exact original page context rather than be extracted as a separate descriptive reference.

## Track Record of Usecases

Ranking and Usecase

| Rank | Use Case | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| #1 | Best AI APIs to Convert Complex PDFs into Clean Markdown | A capable PDF-to-markdown API for mixed and scanned documents that keeps structure and most visuals, but stumbles on the hardest table headers. |

## Related Pages

- [Best AI APIs to Convert Complex PDFs into Clean Markdown](https://aidemos.com/best/pdf-to-markdown-apis) — Ranking
- [Best AI Tools for Parsing Resumes via API (2026)](https://aidemos.com/best/resume-parsing-api) — Ranking

## Related Reads

- **Best AI Tools to Convert Complex PDFs into Clean Markdown with an API** — Ranking
- [Best AI Tools for Parsing Resumes via API (2026)](https://aidemos.com/best/resume-parsing-api) — Ranking

## Classification

- **Type:** text
- **Built for:** Founders

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can Extend AI convert mixed digital and scanned PDFs into markdown via API?**

Yes. In this report it accepted an 84-page hybrid earnings report, an 18-page table-heavy financial report, and a scanned research paper, and returned downloadable markdown files for each through a fully automated flow.

**Q: Does Extend AI preserve reading order and heading structure?**

Mostly yes. It kept section hierarchy and readable flow on a Target annual report page, a Sumitomo 'Additional Notes' page, and a scanned two-column 'STUDY AREA' page from the research paper.

**Q: How good is Extend AI at extracting complex tables?**

It did well on several standard financial and scanned tables, preserving rows, columns, and many numeric values. Its weaker cases were compound headers, multilevel header relationships, and scanned tables with vertical annotations between columns, where structure and context degraded.

**Q: How does Extend AI handle charts in markdown output?**

It keeps chart content as structured figure blocks with extracted labels and generated captions. This preserved the meaning of charts like the SG&A waterfall and the tree-mortality bar chart, but it did not keep the original visual chart design itself.

**Q: Can Extend AI read signatures, stamps, or faint page markings?**

Yes. It extracted a Brian C. Cornell signature block with title and date, captured the Ernst & Young stamp text and page number from a blurry image, and preserved faint handwritten markings on a scanned title page as a described figure block.

**Q: Does Extend AI expose API keys for developers?**

Yes. The tested UI includes a Developers section with an API Keys tab and a 'Create new key' button, along with documentation and request-log areas.

## Similar Tools

AI tools similar to Extend AI:

- [LlamaParse](https://aidemos.com/tools/llamaparse) — LlamaParse Review: AI Resume Parser & Schema Extraction Tested (2026)
- [Landing AI](https://aidemos.com/tools/landing-ai) — A capable PDF-to-markdown API for complex financial and scanned PDFs, with strong table and chart extraction but inconsistent heading semantics.
- [Mistral AI](https://aidemos.com/tools/mistral-ai) — A strong hosted PDF-to-markdown API for mixed and scanned documents, with solid OCR, table recovery, and asset export but uneven structural fidelity.
- [Nutrient.io](https://aidemos.com/tools/nutrient-io) — A developer-first PDF-to-markdown API that handles straightforward OCR and hierarchy well, but loses fidelity on complex tables, charts, and handwritten visual content.
- [Upstage AI](https://aidemos.com/tools/upstage-ai) — Solid on native financial tables, but unreliable for multi-column and scanned-document structure in markdown conversion.