Head to head
OpenDataLoader PDF vs unpdf
Same fixture, different extraction paths. These results describe this adapter configuration and this small test set.
| Capability | OpenDataLoader PDF | unpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Output | markdown | text |
| OCR | builtin | none |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Parser charge | No parser API fee | No parser API fee |
When to test OpenDataLoader PDF
Inspect how reading order, tables and page boundaries survive conversion.
A declared table capability is not a guarantee that every fixture will retain its cell layout.
When to test unpdf
Measure whether simple extraction is sufficient for documents with straightforward text.
Text output does not promise Markdown tables. Missing pipe tables is not an extractor malfunction.
Measured fixture results
How these checks workCaptured 2026-09-12 · darwin/arm64 · Node v22.21.1. Median of up to three sequential local samples. Timings will vary on other machines.
| Fixture / parser | Status | Median | Aligned cells | Reading order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenDataLoader PDFtext-layer.pdf | ok | 182.0 ms | Not scored | Not scored |
| unpdftext-layer.pdf | ok | 2.0 ms | Not scored | Not scored |
| OpenDataLoader PDFtables.pdf | ok | 180.0 ms | 0/9 (0%) | Not scored |
| unpdftables.pdf | ok | 1.0 ms | 0/9 (0%) | Not scored |
| OpenDataLoader PDFragged-table.pdf | ok | 185.0 ms | 0/20 (0%) | Not scored |
| unpdfragged-table.pdf | ok | 1.0 ms | 0/20 (0%) | Not scored |
| OpenDataLoader PDFmulti-column.pdf | ok | 196.0 ms | Not scored | Changed · 40/40 lines |
| unpdfmulti-column.pdf | ok | 1.0 ms | Not scored | Changed · 40/40 lines |
OpenDataLoader PDF · text-layer.pdf · raw output
Samples: 332.0 ms, 182.0 ms, 178.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> # Quarterly Report Revenue grew 12% year over year.
unpdf · text-layer.pdf · raw output
Samples: 2.0 ms, 2.0 ms, 1.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> Quarterly Report Revenue grew 12% year over year.
OpenDataLoader PDF · tables.pdf · raw output
Samples: 207.0 ms, 180.0 ms, 180.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> # Financial Summary Region Q1 Q2 Q3 North 120 145 160 South 98 102 115 East 210 198 225
unpdf · tables.pdf · raw output
Samples: 2.0 ms, 1.0 ms, 1.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> Financial Summary Region Q1 Q2 Q3 North 120 145 160 South 98 102 115 East 210 198 225
OpenDataLoader PDF · ragged-table.pdf · raw output
Samples: 186.0 ms, 185.0 ms, 183.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> # Q3 Results by Region Region Manager Q1 Q2 Q3 Notes North Alice Chen 120 145 160 strong South 98 102 115 East Bob Lee 210 198 225 recovering West Dana 88 99 pending
unpdf · ragged-table.pdf · raw output
Samples: 2.0 ms, 1.0 ms, 1.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> Q3 Results by Region Region Manager Q1 Q2 Q3 Notes North Alice Chen 120 145 160 strong South 98 102 115 East Bob Lee 210 198 225 recovering West Dana 88 99 pending
OpenDataLoader PDF · multi-column.pdf · raw output
Samples: 197.0 ms, 196.0 ms, 192.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> # On Reading Order - Left column line 1. Right column line 1. - Left column line 2. Right column line 2. - Left column line 3. Right column line 3. - Left column line 4. Right column line 4. - Left column line 5. Right column line 5. - Left column line 6. Right column line 6. - Left column line 7. Right column line 7. - Left column line 8. Right column line 8. - Left column line 9. Right column line 9. - Left column line 10. Right column line 10. - Left column line 11. Right column line 11. - Left column line 12. Right column line 12. - Left column line 13. Right column line 13. - Left column line 14. Right column line 14. - Left column line 15. Right column line 15. - Left column line 16. Right column line 16. - Left column line 17. Right column line 17. - Left column line 18. Right column line 18. - Left column line 19. Right column line 19. - Left column line 20. Right column line 20.
unpdf · multi-column.pdf · raw output
Samples: 1.0 ms, 2.0 ms, 1.0 ms
<!-- Page 1 --> On Reading Order Left column line 1. Right column line 1. Left column line 2. Right column line 2. Left column line 3. Right column line 3. Left column line 4. Right column line 4. Left column line 5. Right column line 5. Left column line 6. Right column line 6. Left column line 7. Right column line 7. Left column line 8. Right column line 8. Left column line 9. Right column line 9. Left column line 10. Right column line 10. Left column line 11. Right column line 11. Left column line 12. Right column line 12. Left column line 13. Right column line 13. Left column line 14. Right column line 14. Left column line 15. Right column line 15. Left column line 16. Right column line 16. Left column line 17. Right column line 17. Left column line 18. Right column line 18. Left column line 19. Right column line 19. Left column line 20. Right column line 20.