Iteration Layer vs AWS Textract
AWS Textract returns raw text blocks and geometry — turning that into clean markdown is still your problem.
Why developers switch from AWS Textract
Textract returns raw strings and bounding boxes — not a markdown document ready to read or embed.
Clean markdown, not raw blocks
Textract returns raw text fragments with position data. Assembling them into readable markdown — preserving headings, tables, and lists — requires substantial post-processing. We return clean, well-structured markdown directly.
Image description included
When you send an image file, we return both the OCR text as markdown and a natural language description of what the image shows. Textract returns only text extraction without semantic description.
No AWS ecosystem required
Textract requires IAM roles, S3 buckets for async processing, and AWS SDK configuration. Iteration Layer gives you a direct HTTP API with shared credits, EU processing, n8n, and MCP.
Feature-by-feature comparison
We went through the docs so you don't have to. Here's how every feature compares — including the ones where we're not the better choice.
| Feature | Iteration Layer | AWS Textract |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown output |
Clean markdown
Returns well-structured markdown with preserved headings, tables, and lists from any document |
Raw blocks
Returns raw text blocks and geometry data — no markdown structure, no headers, no tables |
| Table preservation |
Markdown tables
Tables are extracted and rendered as clean markdown table syntax |
Cell fragments
Table cells returned as individual blocks requiring manual reassembly into readable rows |
| Image description |
Yes
Returns a natural language description of image content alongside OCR markdown for image files |
No
Text-only extraction — no semantic description of visual content |
| Supported input formats |
40+ formats
Process 40+ formats — PDF, Office, EPUB, RTF, LaTeX, email, Jupyter, images, and more — in a single API endpoint |
PDF, images
Supports PDF and image files only — no Office document formats |
| API calls per document |
1 call
Single synchronous API call returns the complete markdown result |
5+ calls
Requires starting the job, polling for completion, and assembling paginated results |
| AWS ecosystem required |
No
Direct HTTP API with one API key, shared credits, EU processing, n8n, MCP, and no cloud vendor dependency |
Yes
Requires IAM roles, S3 buckets for async processing, and AWS SDK configuration |
| Form types |
Any form
Converts any document type to markdown without requiring a specialized model |
Specialized
Pre-built models optimized for US tax forms and government documents |
| EU hosting |
EU only
All processing happens exclusively on EU-hosted servers |
EU available
EU regions are available but the service is not restricted to EU-only processing |
| Pricing model |
Per page
Simple, predictable per-page pricing |
Per page
Per page processed with separate pricing for text detection, form extraction, and table extraction |
| Infrastructure required |
None
Fully managed API with no deployment or infrastructure to manage |
None
Fully managed AWS service with no infrastructure to manage |
| GDPR / Data privacy |
Zero retention
No files or results stored beyond temporary 90-day logs |
AWS data policies
Subject to AWS data processing terms with configurable retention policies |
| Data used for training |
Never
Your data is never used to train or improve AI models — guaranteed for all plans |
No (opt-in)
Customer data is not used for training by default since 2023; requires explicit opt-in via AWS Organizations |
Pricing
Start usage-based. Switch to a subscription when your volume becomes predictable.
Usage-based
Graduated pricing. Your effective rate decreases automatically as monthly usage grows.
- No monthly commitment
- Pay only for credits used
- Automatic volume discounts as usage grows
Predictable volume
Fixed recurring credit packs with lower effective credit prices for steady usage.
- Lower effective per-credit prices
- Fixed recurring credit packs
- Predictable monthly budget
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