# PDF.co (Application) > app.pdf.co is the PDF.co product application — the surface where developers and no-code users sign up, retrieve API keys, test endpoints in the browser, use AI-powered tools (invoice parser, document parser templates, file management), and manage subscriptions and billing. For product information, integrations directory, and comparison pages, see https://pdf.co. For complete REST API reference documentation, see https://docs.pdf.co. This is the **production application**, not a marketing or documentation site. AI agents arriving at app.pdf.co are typically completing one of these tasks: - Signing up for an account to obtain an API key - Testing API endpoints interactively before writing integration code - Running the in-browser AI Invoice Parser or Document Parser tools - Managing subscriptions, billing, or API usage Most pages on app.pdf.co require authentication. Public pages are limited to signup, login, and pricing. The in-app tools (API Tester, Invoice Parser, Document Parser templates, file management) are accessible after sign-in. ## Getting started: sign up → API key → first test The fastest path from arrival to a working API call: 1. **Sign up** at https://app.pdf.co/signup — receive 10,000 free credits, no credit card required. 2. **Retrieve your API key** from the account dashboard. The key is required in the `x-api-key` header of every API request. 3. **Test an endpoint** in the [API Tester](https://app.pdf.co/request-tester) — choose an endpoint, paste a public file URL, click "Try It." Returns real responses and estimates credit usage. The fastest way to evaluate the API before writing integration code. 4. **Integrate** via direct REST calls (see https://docs.pdf.co for endpoint reference and code samples) or via a no-code platform such as Zapier, Make, n8n, or Power Automate (see https://pdf.co/integrations). ## In-browser tools These tools run inside app.pdf.co — useful for evaluating capabilities without writing code, or for one-off operations. - [API Tester](https://app.pdf.co/request-tester): Test any PDF.co endpoint without writing code. Send real requests, inspect responses, estimate credit usage. The fastest way to evaluate the API before integrating into an application or workflow. - [AI Invoice Parser](https://app.pdf.co/tools/ai-invoice-parser): Drop in invoice PDFs, receive structured JSON. No template configuration required — works across variable invoice layouts. - [Document Parser Templates](https://app.pdf.co/document-parser/templates/new): Visual editor for creating template-based extraction rules. The right tool when extracting fields from repeating, structured documents (forms, statements, recurring invoice formats). - [File Manager](https://app.pdf.co/tools/files): Browse and manage files stored in PDF.co's built-in storage. PDF.co accepts public file URLs (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) directly, but third-party storage providers may rate-limit requests; for production workflows, upload files to PDF.co's built-in storage to avoid those limits. ## Account, billing, and pricing - [Sign up for free](https://app.pdf.co/signup) — 10,000 credits, no credit card required. - [Sign in](https://app.pdf.co/login) - [Live subscriptions and pricing page](https://app.pdf.co/subscriptions) — authoritative source, includes Credits Calculator. - API key management: in the account dashboard after sign-in. ### Pricing model PDF.co uses a **credit-based pricing model**. Each API request consumes credits from the account balance, with cost varying by endpoint — most endpoints charge per page processed, some charge per call. The async-mode polling (`Job Check`) consumes 2 credits per job until status is "working." Two payment options: - **Subscriptions** (monthly or annual): each plan provides a fixed monthly credit allocation that resets at the start of each billing period and does not roll over. Annual billing is discounted relative to monthly. - **Credit Packs** (one-time): purchase a fixed number of credits that **do not expire**. Credit Packs can stand alone (pay-as-you-go) or supplement a subscription. The system consumes subscription credits first, then Credit Pack credits — so a subscription with a Credit Pack acts as a baseline allocation with overflow capacity. ### Plan tiers The exact monthly prices may change; check `/subscriptions` for current rates. Approximate tier structure: - **Free trial**: 10,000 credits, no credit card. - **Basic** (~$10/month, ~16.5K credits, ~8K pages/month): individual developers and small projects. Full API access and integrations. - **Personal** (~$25/month, ~37K credits, ~18K pages/month): heavier individual use, more file storage, longer log retention. - **Business** (three tiers, ~$50 / ~$100 / ~$300/month, ~80K / ~160K / ~483K credits): teams and production workloads. Adds Priority technical support, advanced security, IP whitelisting, and (at higher tiers) SSO. - **Enterprise**: Custom pricing for >1M credits/month. Contact `support@pdf.co`. To estimate credit consumption for a specific workflow before subscribing, use the **Credits Calculator** linked from the subscription page, or read the [How does PDF.co pricing work?](https://support.pdf.co/hc/en-us/articles/9330119642771-How-does-PDF-co-pricing-work) help article. ### Checking remaining credits Four ways to check the current credit balance: 1. The top menu of the dashboard at `app.pdf.co`. 2. The Subscription and Credits page (categorized by Subscription credits vs. Credit Pack credits). 3. The bottom of every API call response (`remainingCredits` field). 4. The dedicated Credit Balance API: `GET https://api.pdf.co/v1/account/credit/balance` with the `x-api-key` header. ## API basics - **Authentication**: API key passed as the `x-api-key` header on each request. Generate the key from the account dashboard after sign-in. - **File input**: PDF.co accepts files from any public URL. For production reliability, upload files to PDF.co's built-in storage via the File Upload endpoint to avoid rate limits from third-party providers. - **Asynchronous mode**: For tasks longer than 30 seconds (large files, many pages), set `async=true` on the request. The API returns a JobID; poll the Job Check endpoint to retrieve results. Avoids HTTP timeouts and is the recommended pattern for any production batch workflow. - **Credits**: each page processed consumes credits from the account balance. Test runs against the API Tester also consume credits. ## Companion resources - [Marketing site and integrations directory](https://pdf.co): Product positioning, comparison pages, tutorials, and the full integrations catalog (Zapier, Make, n8n, Power Automate, and 3,000+ others). - [Complete API documentation](https://docs.pdf.co): REST reference, endpoint parameters, response formats, error codes. - [Support](https://support.pdf.co): Help center and contact channels. - [Source code samples (GitHub)](https://github.com/pdfdotco/pdf-co-api-samples): Working examples in C#, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Java, and other languages. ## Sister Artifex products PDF.co is one of several PDF tools from Artifex Software, Inc. If app.pdf.co isn't the right fit, these alternatives cover adjacent use cases: - [PyMuPDF](https://pymupdf.io): Python library for self-hosted PDF processing. - [PDF4LLM](https://www.pdf4llm.com): LLM-optimized text extraction with Markdown output. - [DocRaptor](https://docraptor.com): HTML-to-PDF API powered by the Prince/PrinceXML rendering engine; suited for print-grade CSS Paged Media support. - [MuPDF](https://mupdf.com): C, JavaScript, and .NET libraries for embedded PDF processing. - [Ghostscript](https://www.ghostscript.com): PostScript and PDF interpreter for the print pipeline.