PDF to Excel conversion: Your final information to the very best instruments

In an excellent world, the info we have to analyze could be out there in ready-to-use format. On the planet we stay in, although, a whole lot of invaluable information is locked inside Transportable Doc Format (PDF) paperwork. How you can extract that information from PDFs into an Excel spreadsheet? You have got a variety of PDF to Excel converters to select from.

There’s software program from main distributors like Microsoft and Adobe, task-specific cloud providers together with PDFTables and Cometdocs, providers from general-purpose cloud suppliers resembling Amazon, and even free open-source choices.

Which is the “finest” PDF to Excel converter? As with the “finest laptop,” the reply will depend on your particular circumstances.

3 inquiries to ask when selecting a PDF to Excel converter

There are a number of vital issues when deciding on a PDF converter.

1. Was my PDF generated by an software or is it a scanned picture? There are two sorts of PDF recordsdata. One is generated by an software like Microsoft Phrase; the opposite comes from a scanned or different picture file. You’ll be able to inform which one you’ve gotten by attempting to focus on some textual content within the doc. If a click on and drag works to focus on textual content, your PDF is app-generated. If it doesn’t, you’ve acquired a scan. Not all PDF conversion instruments work on scanned PDFs.

2. How complicated is the info construction? Virtually each device will work effectively on a easy one-page desk. Issues get extra sophisticated if tables are unfold over a number of pages, desk cells are merged, or some information inside a desk cell wraps over a number of traces.

3. Do I’ve a big quantity of recordsdata that want batch file conversions or automation? Our greatest-performing device on app-generated PDFs might not be your best option for you if you wish to automate frequent batch conversions.

As well as, as with all software program alternative, you could determine how a lot you worth efficiency versus value and ease of use.

How we examined the converter instruments

That will help you discover what’s finest for your duties, we examined seven PDF to Excel conversion instruments utilizing 4 totally different PDF recordsdata starting from easy to nightmare. You’ll see how all of the instruments carry out in every situation — and discover out the strengths and weaknesses of every one.

PDF to Excel converters we examined

Listed here are the instruments we examined, beginning with our total finest performers (however do not forget that “finest” relies upon partially on the precise supply doc). All these instruments did fairly effectively on no less than a few of our duties, so rankings vary from “Glorious” to “Good.”

Adobe Acrobat Export PDF subscription

Because the creator of the Transportable Doc Format normal, you’d anticipate Adobe to do effectively in parsing PDFs — and it does. A full-featured conversion subscription is considerably dear, however there’s additionally a cheap $2/month plan (annual subscription required) that features a vast variety of PDF to Excel conversions. (You’ll be able to output Microsoft Phrase recordsdata with this device as effectively).

The Excel conversions embody any textual content on pages which have each textual content and tables. This could be a profit for those who’d wish to hold that context or a disadvantage for those who simply need information for extra evaluation.

Ranking: Glorious — our hands-down winner for non-scanned PDFs.

Price: $24/yr

Professionals: Excellent outcomes; preserves a lot of the unique formatting; offers effectively with tables spanning a number of pages; limitless conversions of recordsdata as much as 100MB; inexpensive for frequent customers.

Cons: No built-in scripting/automation workflow; costly for those who solely convert just a few paperwork a yr.

Backside line: If you happen to don’t must script or automate a whole lot of conversions and don’t thoughts paying $24 per yr, it is a nice alternative.

Amazon AWS Textract

For an AWS cloud service, Textract is surprisingly simple to make use of. Whilst you actually can undergo the standard multi-step AWS setup and coding course of for Textract, Amazon additionally provides a drag-and-drop internet demo that permits you to obtain outcomes as zipped CSVs. You simply want to join a (free) Amazon AWS account.

Ranking: Glorious — this was our greatest choice for a sophisticated scanned PDF.

Price: 1.5 cents per web page (100 pages per 30 days free on your first three months at AWS)

Professionals: Most suitable choice examined for a sophisticated scanned PDF; carried out extraordinarily effectively on all of the app-generated PDFs; provides a alternative of viewing outcomes with merged or unmerged cell format; simple to make use of; inexpensive.

Cons: Uploaded recordsdata are restricted to 10 pages at a time. For many who wish to automate, utilizing this API is extra sophisticated than another choices.

Backside line: A superb alternative for those who don’t thoughts the AWS setup and both handbook add or coding with a fancy API.

Tabula

If you happen to’re searching for free and open supply, give Tabula a strive. In contrast to some free choices from the Python world, Tabula is straightforward each to put in and to make use of. And it has each a command-line and a browser interface, making it equally helpful for batch conversions and point-and-click use.

Tabula did very effectively on PDFs of low or reasonable complexity, though it did have a problem with the complicated one (as did most of the paid platforms). Tabula requires a separate Java set up on Home windows and Linux.

Ranking: Superb — and you may’t beat the value.

Price: Free

Professionals: Free; simple to put in; has each a GUI and scripting choices; means that you can manually change what areas of the web page must be analyzed for tables; can save outcomes as a CSV, TSV, JSON, or script; provides two totally different information extraction strategies.

Cons: Wanted some handbook information cleanup on complicated formatting; works on app-generated PDFs solely.

Backside line: A sensible choice if value, ease of use, and automation choices are excessive in your checklist of desired options and your PDFs aren’t scanned.

PDFTables

A key benefit to this service is automation. Its API is effectively documented and helps every little thing from Home windows PowerShell and VBA (Workplace Visible Fundamental for Purposes) to programming languages like Java, C++, PHP, Python, and R.

PDFTables carried out effectively on many of the app-generated PDF tables, even understanding {that a} two-column header could be finest as a single-column header row. It did have some issue with information in columns that had been principally empty but in addition had some information in cells unfold over two traces. And whereas it choked on the scanned nightmare PDF, no less than it didn’t cost me for that.

Ranking: Superb total; glorious on automation.

Price: 50 pages free at signup — together with API use. After that it’s $40 for as much as 1,000 pages, and your credit are solely good for a yr.

Professionals: Superb API; higher efficiency on the reasonably complicated PDF than a number of of its paid rivals.

Cons: Dear, particularly for those who use greater than the 50 free pages however lower than 1,000 web page conversions in a yr. Doesn’t work on scanned PDFs.

Backside line: Performs effectively and is straightforward to make use of each on the internet and thru scripting and programming. If you happen to don’t want a sublime API, nevertheless, it’s possible you’ll want a cheaper choice.

PDFtoExcel.com

This can be a freemium platform with paid choices. It proved to be the lone free alternative that was in a position to deal with our scanned nightmare PDF.

Ranking: Good.

Price: Free within the cloud, $5/month or $49/yr premium cloud for batch conversions and quicker service, desktop software program $35 for 30-day use or $150 lifetime.

Professionals: Loads of functionality for the free choice; works on scanned PDFs; inexpensive.

Cons: No API or cloud automation (we didn’t take a look at the desktop software program); paid choice required for batch conversions; break up single-row multi-line information into a number of rows.

Backside line: Good steadiness of value and options. This was most compelling for complicated scanned PDFs, however others did higher when cell information ran throughout a number of traces.

Cometdocs

This web-based service is notable for a number of file format conversions: Along with producing Excel, it could possibly obtain outcomes as Phrase, PowerPoint, AutoCAD, HTML, OpenOffice, and others. Free accounts can convert as much as 5 recordsdata per week (30MB every); paid customers get a vast variety of conversions (2GB/day information restrict).

Cometdocs is a supporter of public service journalism; the service provides free premium accounts to Investigative Reporters & Editors members (disclosure: I’ve one).

Ranking: Good.

Price: 5 free conversions/week; in any other case $10/month, $70/yr or $130 “lifetime.”

Professional: Works on scanned PDFs; a number of enter and output codecs; usually good outcomes; did extraordinarily effectively on a 2-page PDF with complicated desk format.

Cons: Not as strong on complicated scanned PDFs as another choices; break up one row’s multi-line information into a number of rows; no clear script/automation choice.

Backside line: Notably compelling for those who’re fascinated with a number of format exports and never simply Excel.

Microsoft Excel

Many individuals don’t know that Excel can import PDFs instantly — however provided that you’ve acquired a Microsoft 365 or Workplace 365 subscription on Home windows. It was a sensible choice for the easy file however acquired extra cumbersome to make use of as PDF complexity rose. It’s additionally prone to be complicated to individuals who aren’t conversant in Excel’s Energy Question / Get & Rework interface.

How you can import a PDF instantly into Excel: Within the Ribbon toolbar, go to Information > Get Information > From File > From PDF and choose your file. For a single desk, you’ll probably have one option to import. Choose it and it is best to see a preview of the desk and an choice to both load it or remodel the info earlier than loading. Click on Load and the desk will pop into your Excel sheet.

For a single desk on one web page, it is a fast and fairly easy alternative. If in case you have a number of tables in a multi-page PDF, this additionally works effectively — so long as every desk is confined to at least one web page. Issues get a bit extra complicated for those who’ve acquired one desk over a number of PDF pages, although, and also you’ll want information of Energy Question instructions.

It’s considerably unfair to match Energy Question information transformation with the opposite instruments, for the reason that outcomes of any of those different PDF to Excel converters may be imported into Excel for Energy Question wrangling.

Ranking: Good.

Price: Included in a Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 Home windows subscription.

Professional: You don’t have to depart Excel to take care of the file; a whole lot of built-in information wrangling out there for individuals who know Energy Question.

Cons: Advanced to make use of in contrast with most others on all however the easiest of PDFs; doesn’t work on scanned PDFs; requires a Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 subscription on Home windows.

Backside line: If you happen to’ve already acquired Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 on Home windows and also you’ve acquired a easy conversion process, Excel is value a strive. If you happen to already know Energy Question, undoubtedly take into account this for extra PDF conversions! (If you happen to don’t, Energy Question is a superb ability to study for Excel customers normally.) In case your PDF is tougher and also you don’t already use Energy Question / Get & Rework, although, you’re most likely higher off with another choice.

PDF to Excel take a look at outcomes

Right here’s how the seven instruments fared in our 4 conversion exams:

1. Easy PDF to Excel problem

Our “easy” process was a single-page app-generated PDF pulled from web page 5 of a Boston housing report. It contained one desk and a few textual content, however column headers and two information cells did embody wrapped textual content over two traces.

All of the platforms we examined dealt with this one effectively. Nonetheless, a number of broke up the multi-line textual content into a number of rows. The difficulty was simple to identify and repair on this instance, however this difficulty could possibly be tough in bigger recordsdata. For this simple one-pager, although, the PDF to Excel converters that weren’t in first or second place nonetheless had superb outcomes. All had been value utilizing for any such conversion.

First place: Tie — Adobe and AWS Textract. With Adobe, no information cleanup was wanted. The column headers even had the colour formatting of the unique. Adobe’s conversion included textual content (with beautiful formatting), which is beneficial if you wish to hold written explanations along with the info in Excel. You’d must delete the textual content manually if you’d like information solely, however that’s easy sufficient.

AWS Textract transformed information solely. No information cleanup was wanted.

Shut second: Excel. Information solely. Excel didn’t break wrapped textual content into two rows, nevertheless it did seem to run textual content collectively with no area with multi-line rows. The information was really right, although, once you checked out it within the components bar — it simply regarded unsuitable within the total spreadsheet. This was simply mounted by formatting cells with “wrap textual content.” Nonetheless, not everybody may know to try this when taking a look at their spreadsheet.

Others:

PDFTables: returned information and textual content. Identical points as Excel with showing to maintain wrapped textual content in a single line with no area between phrases. This was additionally simply mounted by wrapping textual content, for those who knew to take action. This consequence additionally would want cleanup of a few phrases from a brand that appeared under the info. Explanatory textual content exterior the emblem had no issues, although.

Tabula: information solely. Cut up multi-line cells into a number of rows.

Cometdocs: information and textual content. Cut up multi-line cells into a number of rows. Surrounding textual content was correct, together with brand textual content.

PDFtoExcel.com: comparable efficiency to Cometdocs.

2. Reasonable PDF to Excel problem

Our reasonable PDF problem was a single app-generated desk spanning a number of PDF pages, through the Boston-area Metropolitan Water Sources Authority information monitoring wastewater for Covid-19 traces.

First place: Adobe. One of many few to acknowledge that every one the pages had been the identical desk, so there have been no clean rows between pages. Headers had been in a single row and areas between phrases within the column names had been maintained. Information construction was glorious, together with protecting the multi-line wrap as is. It even reproduced background and textual content colours. The 11-page size wasn’t an issue.

Second: AWS Textract. Header row was right. Every web page got here again as a separate desk, though it could be simple sufficient to mix them. The one unusual difficulty: There have been apostrophes added firstly of the cells — probably on account of how I break up the PDF, since I wanted to create a file with solely 10 pages. Nonetheless, these apostrophes had been simple to see and take away with a single search and substitute, for the reason that information didn’t embody any phrases with apostrophes. It was simpler to get the precise information I wanted than with Tabula, however extra cumbersome to get the total information set.

Shut third: Tabula. No clean rows between pages, information within the right columns, wrapped cells stayed in a single row. Sadly, whereas the wrapped information appeared correctly once you regarded on the cell contents within the components bar, as soon as once more the info appeared to merge collectively within the full spreadsheet — and this wasn’t as simply mounted by formatting with textual content wrapping as with Excel and PDFTables within the easy PDF.

For instance, this was the content material of 1 cell because it appeared within the components bar:

B.1.1.7

76%

However within the total spreadsheet, that very same cell regarded like

B.1.1.776%

I used to be in a position to get that to show correctly at occasions by growing the row peak manually, however this was an added step that most individuals wouldn’t know to do, and it didn’t appear to work on a regular basis.

Others:

PDFtoExcel.com: a number of issues. The primary few pages had been superb apart from multi-row headers, however information over two traces in single cells broke into two rows within the information, producing clean rows elsewhere that will should be mounted. As well as, columns had been shifted to the precise in a single part. This would want cleanup.

PDFTables: a number of issues. All the info got here in superb for many of the pages, however towards the top, just a few cells that ought to have been in column J acquired merged with column I in ways in which could be harder to repair than PDFtoExcel’s. For instance, this single cell:

Omicron

559 23%

Was presupposed to be 559 in a single cell and Omicron 23% within the subsequent cell.

Cometdocs: failed. Conversion failed on the total PDF and even the 10-page model I uploaded to AWS. It was in a position to convert a model with simply the primary 5 pages, however the full file ought to have been effectively under Cometdoc’s account limits.

Excel: it was attainable to get the info in a format I needed, nevertheless it required information manipulation in Energy Question in addition to wrapping textual content. That’s not a good comparability with different platforms that had been a single add or command. Nonetheless, outcomes had been finally glorious. If you happen to’re an Excel/Energy Question energy consumer, it is a sensible choice.

3. Advanced PDF to Excel problem

Native election outcomes are a few of my favourite examples of analysis-hostile public information. The app-generated PDF from Framingham, Mass. proven under was solely 3 pages however with desk formatting that was not designed for ease of knowledge import. Is there a PDF conversion device that may deal with it?

IDG

First place: Tie — Adobe and PDF to Excel. Adobe returned an Excel file in excellent format, full with unique cell colours.

Whereas PDFtoExcel.com’s spreadsheet didn’t have the beautiful formatting of Adobe, all the info got here in precisely, and it was usable as is.

Others:

AWS Textract: truthful. Outcomes got here again in 5 tables. In a single case, you’d want to repeat and paste them collectively manually and take a look at the unique to be sure you had been doing so appropriately.

PDFTables: poor. Information got here again, however some within the unsuitable columns, whether or not I attempted to obtain as a number of sheets or one sheet. This would want handbook checking and cleanup.

Tabula: poor. Related drawback as PDFTables with some information within the unsuitable columns, however no less than I didn’t need to pay for it. I attempted each the Stream and Lattice extraction strategies, and each had some wrong-column points (though the problems had been totally different).

Cometdocs: conversion failed.

4. Nightmare PDF to Excel problem

Our nightmare comes courtesy of a presentation at this yr’s Nationwide Institute for Pc Assisted Reporting convention, for example of knowledge that will be helpful for coaching college students — if it was in a format that could possibly be simply analyzed. It’s a multi-page scanned PDF with 4 months of knowledge from the federal Refugee Processing Heart on refugee arrivals by nation of origin and U.S. state of vacation spot.

This PDF’s challenges vary from multi-page tables to a number of merged columns. As well as, the desk on web page 1 proved to be considerably totally different than tables on the opposite pages, no less than by way of how a number of instruments had been in a position to deal with them, though they give the impression of being the identical.

I solely examined the primary 10 pages because of the AWS 10-page restrict, to be truthful to all of the instruments.

First place: AWS Textract. By far the very best of the group. That is the place subtle machine studying is a bonus. Outcomes are obtain as a zipped file of a number of CSVs, one for every web page. As a substitute of manually importing these recordsdata one after the other into Excel, although, you may go to Information > Get Information > From File > From Folder and choose the folder with these newly unzipped CSVs (with no few additional recordsdata, resembling one with metadata and one other with all of the textual content in textual content format).

I additionally needed to rename file table-10 to table-910, as a result of the import was placing table-10 proper after table-1 and earlier than table-2 (sorting the filenames alphabetically and never -9 after -10). Whereas I didn’t examine all the info, the rows I spot-checked had been all correct. This was the best technique to acquire all of the pages right into a single, usable spreadsheet.

Second: Tie — Cometdocs and PDFtoExcel.com. Cometdocs had unexplained “Grand” traces on every of the pages — a single row simply with “Grand” within the first column — however in any other case the info regarded superb. And it got here in a single file.

Together with textual content on every web page could possibly be a profit or disadvantage, relying in your wants. Context is beneficial, however combining the info into one desk would undoubtedly take extra work.

PDFtoExcel.com’s efficiency was much like Cometdocs — together with the additional “Grand” traces.

Others:

Adobe: truthful. Whereas a whole lot of the info was superb, outcomes merged some information on the primary web page and would want handbook checking and cleanup.

PDFTables: doesn’t work on scanned PDFs with out utilizing OCR software program first — though no less than it doesn’t cost account credit when tables aren’t detected.

Tabula: doesn’t work on scanned PDFs with out utilizing OCR software program first.

PDF conversion instruments we didn’t take a look at

There are a selection of different helpful instruments on the market that require a bit extra setup work or some important coding with the intention to flip your PDF into information you may analyze. If not one of the ones we examined give you the results you want, although, listed below are just a few others:

Excalibur: I acquired a tip about this one, an online interface constructed for the Camelot Python library. Nonetheless, it includes putting in a number of dependencies, and that set up could also be a turn-off for individuals who don’t have already got Python expertise (regardless that you don’t must run Python with the intention to use it).

Google Cloud Doc AI: Google Cloud’s Doc AI setup is considerably extra concerned than utilizing AWS Textract. Plus, whilst you can add a take a look at doc as much as 5 pages to see what’s extracted, I didn’t see an apparent technique to obtain the outcomes by way of the net interface as a CSV or Excel file — the one choice was JSON. You’d most likely want a programming language like Python or R to make use of this successfully.

Microsoft Azure Type Recognizer: That is additionally extra complicated to arrange than AWS Textract, however for those who’re already an Azure consumer, it is most likely value a glance. 500 free pages per 30 days.