While AI tools have gained in popularity over recent years, PDF files have been problematic. Popular AI tools such as Google's Bard don't allow you to work with PDFs. So, what are the alternatives? If you want to be able to interact with a PDF document using AI, PopAi is one tool you might want to take a look at. We know you're busy, so we've created this PopAi review for you, so you can see how it performs. Read on to find out more.
Part 1: So, What Is PopAi Anyway?
PopAi is an AI-powered tool that can help with content creation, and also with reading and engaging with existing content. Users can upload documents in various formats, including PDFs.
1.1 Main features of PopAi
PopAi integrates with search engines to make sure its responses are current. It can read PDFs and generate summaries and charts to help you understand things better. PopAi can also help you produce presentation slides, or draft text for other purposes.
There are three options when it comes to using this tool. You can try it out using the free version, then, should you wish to upgrade there are two paid tiers.
A Better PopAi Alternative
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1.2 Which version do you need?
As you'd expect, there are some limitations on the free PopAi plan. The free plan has limits on the number of questions you can ask, and the number of uploads each day. The Monthly Pro plan offers a larger usage volume, and the Monthly Unlimited plan removes all limits in that regard.
The table below summarizes the main differences between the two plans.
Free | Monthly Pro | Monthly Unlimited | |
GPT-3.5 Questions | 10 / day | Large usage volume | Unlimited usage volume |
GPT-4 Questions | 2 / day | ||
Number of Uploads | 2 / day | ||
Pages per file | 50 | 2000 | Unlimited |
Chat with PDF/Doc | Limited use of pro features | Full access to PDF/DOC features | Unlimited access to PDF/DOc features |
Boost Mode | Enhanced answers via web searching and planning | Unlimited access to Boost Mode |
If you're looking for more than just an AI assistant, you should look at UPDF. This piece of software goes above and beyond, not just in allowing you to interact with your PDFs, but in helping you create them in the first place.
Jump to Part 2 to learn more about what UPDF can do, or just download it now and give it a test run.
1.3 Testing PopAi's performance
We make it our mission to try these tools out so you can see how they perform. To put PopAi through its paces we used a research paper on microplastics in European sea salts, which we downloaded in PDF from the CORE website.
Uploading is quick and easy, and PopAi automatically generates a summary of the text once it's uploaded.
It's then possible to interact with the document in various ways. For example, we selected an image containing several graphs, and asked PopAi to explain it:
When we conducted these tests, everything worked quickly and smoothly. It's important to note, though, that one of the drawbacks of the free plan can be limited accessibility during peak use times.
We asked PopAi for help creating a PowerPoint presentation based on the PDF, and it quickly generated a suggested breakdown of slides:
In short, you're able to interact with PopAi in the same way as you would any other AI tool. If you've played with ChatGPT, Bard, or similar, then you'll already be familiar with the basics. Since PopAi is based on GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, you're able to use it in similar ways.
We found it easy to carry out these tasks, although there's no help tool available on the site, and no obvious tutorial feature to help you get to grips with how to use it. It's also important to note that with PopAi you have to upload your document to their website. While they stress in their FAQs that your files are always secure, this may be a concern to some people.
Tip
Part 2: UPDF, a Versatile PopAi Alternative That Goes Above and Beyond
If you're looking for a tool that can do all of the above, and also handle all your PDF creation, editing, and reading needs, you'll want to look at UPDF.
UPDF's AI assistant - UPDF AI is the best PopAi alternative when it comes to summarizing PDFs, creating new documents, and editing and annotating existing files.
As you can see below, when we asked it to summarize the same document on microplastics as we used to test PopAi, it was able to generate a robust summary in just a couple of clicks. The UPDF summarizing feature is especially useful since it generates an abstract, providing a broad overview of the text, as well as a more detailed, bulleted summary.
Breaking things down in this way makes for a summary that's far easier to digest than other AI tools. It also makes it easy for you to skim-read and find relevant sections quickly.
You'll also notice the Help menu right at the top of the screen. This gives you various options for support with using UPDF, including a link to the User Guide which can walk you through how to get the most out of the AI tool.
In addition to providing easily digestible summaries of files, UPDF AI has a host of other tools to help you in your work. Let's take a look at some of these features to see how they could improve your workflow. Or you can just click on here to watch some videos about leveraging UPDF's AI assistant with simple tips and detailed steps to boost efficiency.
Translate
PopAi wasn't able to translate the microplastics document when asked.
For UPDF, though, translation presents no problems, as you can see in the video below:
UPDF supports translating PDFs into any language (including English to French, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, etc., and vice versa), and the translation process is fast and intuitive.
Explain
You can also use UPDF AI to explain the information in any PDF file. When you're presented with complex charts and graphs, or pages of terminology you're unfamiliar with, let UPDF help you out.
Simply highlight the text you'd like to explain and choose 'Explain' from the menu that appears.
Write
Most users also need to be able to produce content as well as consume it, and UPDF can help here too. Use the AI capabilities to help you generate ideas for new projects, and check your spelling and grammar.
The tool can also help you organize material into different formats, For example, when you need to create a PowerPoint presentation, use the AI assistant to help organize the main tenets of a document into the outline for a slide deck. You can then use the main PDF tool to create beautifully formatted slides that get your point across in style. Exporting to PowerPoint is simple - you can either copy and paste sections of your PDF directly into PowerPoint, or use the export feature to save the whole document in PPTX format.
Once you've used the AI tool to help you organize your thoughts, you can also use UPDF to help you create a polished presentation, all without leaving the software.
If this has left you curious to find out more about UPDF AI, why not download it now and see for yourself?
Part 3: Which Tool Is Right for You?
So, we've taken a brief look at both UPDF AI and PopAi, but which tool will be the best value for your needs? We've looked at the free and paid plans for both programs and compiled the data into a quick reference table for your convenience.
UPDF AI (Free) | AI Paid | PopAi Free | PopAi Monthly Pro | |
Price | $0 | $29 per quarter $79 per year on a sale >> | $0 | $118.80 / year |
Summarize | ||||
Translate | ||||
Explain | ||||
Rewrite | ||||
Chat | ||||
Create & Edit PDF Forms | ||||
OCR | Previewing Only | |||
Edit PDFs | ||||
Annotate PDFs | ||||
Digital Signing |
For an all-in-one PDF tool that will stay with you through the whole process, pick up UPDF AI today.
Rounding Off
As you can see, while PopAi offers useful facilities for interacting with existing PDFs, when it comes to content creation and editing, UPDF offers a much larger range of features. Of course, you can use PopAi and then transfer to a different piece of software for your PDF editing needs, but that adds another layer of friction to the process.
UPDF lets you read and engage with existing files, and then take that information and create new and exciting pieces of work, all without leaving the program.
Give it a try today and see what you think.