Iteration Layer vs Azure Document Intelligence
Azure Document Intelligence extracts fields from pre-built models — not general markdown from any document.
No credit card required — start with free trial credits
Why developers switch from Azure Document Intelligence
Azure outputs model-specific field values, not clean markdown — and requires model selection or training first.
Markdown from any document, no model needed
Azure requires choosing a pre-built model (invoice, receipt, ID) or training a custom one. We take any document — PDF, image, or Office file — and return clean markdown immediately, without model selection.
Image description included
When you send an image file, we return both OCR markdown and a natural language description of the image content. Azure returns structured field values tied to a specific document model, not a readable markdown representation.
No Azure subscription required
Azure Document Intelligence requires an Azure subscription, resource groups, and managed identity configuration. We are a plain HTTP API — one endpoint, one API key.
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 | Azure Document Intelligence |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown output |
Clean markdown
Returns well-structured markdown with preserved headings, tables, and lists from any document |
Field values
Returns structured field values tied to the selected model — not general markdown |
| Table preservation |
Markdown tables
Tables are extracted and rendered as clean markdown table syntax |
Model-dependent
Table extraction depends on which pre-built model is selected |
| Image description |
Yes
Returns a natural language description of image content alongside OCR markdown for image files |
No
No semantic description of visual content — model-specific field extraction only |
| Model selection required |
No
Automatically handles any document type — no model selection or training needed |
Yes
Must choose a pre-built model or train a custom one before processing a new document type |
| Supported input formats |
PDF, images, Office
Process PDFs, images, and common Office formats in a single API endpoint |
PDF, images, Office
Supports PDF, images, and Office document formats |
| Azure ecosystem required |
No
Plain HTTP API with one endpoint and one API key, no cloud vendor dependency |
Yes
Requires an Azure subscription, resource groups, and managed identity configuration |
| Azure integration |
Standalone
Independent API with no cloud ecosystem dependency |
Deep
Integrates with Cognitive Services, Logic Apps, and the broader Azure ecosystem |
| 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 with different rates per pre-built model and custom model training costs |
| Infrastructure required |
None
Fully managed API with no deployment or infrastructure to manage |
None
Fully managed Azure service with no infrastructure to manage |
| GDPR / Data privacy |
Zero retention
No files or results stored beyond temporary 90-day logs |
Azure data policies
Subject to Azure data processing terms with configurable retention policies |
Pricing
Start with free trial credits. No credit card required.
Developer
For individuals & small projects
-
1,000 credits / monthThat's either: 1,000 image transformations 500 document generations 500 image generations 500 sheet generations 200 document extractions (5-page docs) 200 markdown conversions (5-page docs)
-
All APIs included
-
Free trial credits per API
-
Email support
-
Budget caps per key
-
Optional auto top-up
Startup
Save 40%For growing teams
-
5,000 credits / monthThat's either: 5,000 image transformations 2,500 document generations 2,500 image generations 2,500 sheet generations 1,000 document extractions (5-page docs) 1,000 markdown conversions (5-page docs)
-
All APIs included
-
Free trial credits per API
-
Priority support
-
Budget caps per key
-
Optional auto top-up
Business
Save 47%For high-volume workloads
-
15,000 credits / monthThat's either: 15,000 image transformations 7,500 document generations 7,500 image generations 7,500 sheet generations 3,000 document extractions (5-page docs) 3,000 markdown conversions (5-page docs)
-
All APIs included
-
Free trial credits per API
-
Priority support
-
Budget caps per key
-
Optional auto top-up
Start building in minutes
Free trial credits included. No credit card required.