Iteration Layer vs Google Document AI
Google Document AI extracts entities from processor-specific models — not general markdown from any document.
No credit card required — start with free trial credits
Why developers switch from Google Document AI
Document AI requires a GCP project, processor selection, and S3-equivalent storage before you get any text out.
Markdown from any document, one call
Google Document AI requires choosing a processor, configuring it in the GCP console, and handling async upload for larger files. We take any document and return clean markdown in a single synchronous call.
Image description included
When you send an image file, we return both OCR markdown and a natural language description of the image. Document AI returns entity blocks from a configured processor — no readable markdown, no image description.
No GCP account required
Google Document AI requires a GCP project, service accounts, enabled APIs, and billing 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 | Google Document AI |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown output |
Clean markdown
Returns well-structured markdown with preserved headings, tables, and lists from any document |
Entity blocks
Returns extracted entities from the configured processor — not human-readable markdown |
| Image description |
Yes
Returns a natural language description of image content alongside OCR markdown for image files |
No
Processor-based entity extraction with no semantic image description |
| Processor setup required |
No
Automatically handles any document type — no processor selection or setup |
Yes
Must choose and configure a specific processor type in the GCP console for each document type |
| Supported input formats |
PDF, images, Office
Process PDFs, images, and common Office formats in a single API endpoint |
PDF, images
Supports PDF and image files, with GCS upload required for async processing above 15 pages |
| GCS bucket dependency |
No
Accepts files directly via URL or upload with no intermediate storage step |
For large files
Async processing for files over 15 pages requires uploading to a GCS bucket first |
| GCP integration |
Standalone
Independent API with no cloud ecosystem dependency |
Deep
Integrates with BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Cloud Workflows for complex pipelines |
| 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 separate pricing per processor type and GCS storage costs for async |
| Infrastructure required |
None
Fully managed API with no deployment or infrastructure to manage |
None
Fully managed GCP service with no infrastructure to manage |
| GDPR / Data privacy |
Zero retention
No files or results stored beyond temporary 90-day logs |
GCP data policies
Subject to Google Cloud data processing terms with configurable retention policies |
Pricing
Start with free trial credits. No credit card required.
Developer
For individuals & small projects
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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)
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All APIs included
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Free trial credits per API
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Email support
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Budget caps per key
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Optional auto top-up
Startup
Save 40%For growing teams
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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)
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All APIs included
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Free trial credits per API
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Priority support
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Budget caps per key
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Optional auto top-up
Business
Save 47%For high-volume workloads
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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)
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All APIs included
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Free trial credits per API
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Priority support
-
Budget caps per key
-
Optional auto top-up
Start building in minutes
Free trial credits included. No credit card required.