Extract Data from PDF to Excel: 5 Methods Compared
Converting PDF data to Excel doesn't have to be painful. We tested 5 popular methods and found the fastest, most accurate solution for invoice processing.
With 3,600+ monthly searches for "extract data from PDF to Excel," this is one of the most common data processing challenges. Whether you're processing invoices, bank statements, or reports, we'll show you the best method for your use case.
→ Quick Comparison
| Method | Speed | Accuracy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Copy-Paste | 5 min/page | 94% | Free |
| Adobe Export | 30 sec | 88% | $15/mo |
| Power Query | Instant | 75% | Free |
| Quixyl AI | 5 sec | 99.9% | $49/mo |
| Python Script | 10 sec | Varies | Free (DIY) |
Method 1: Manual Copy-Paste
The simplest method: open PDF, copy data, paste into Excel. Works for 1-5 documents but becomes impractical for high volumes.
Pros & Cons
✓ Pros:
- • Free
- • No software needed
- • Full control
✗ Cons:
- • Extremely slow (5 min/page)
- • Error-prone (94% accuracy)
- • Not scalable
Method 4: AI-Powered Extraction (Recommended)
Best Method for Invoice Processing
Quixyl combines AI accuracy with Excel-native export. Upload PDFs, get structured Excel files in 5 seconds with 99.9% accuracy. Perfect for invoices, receipts, and financial documents.
How It Works:
- 1. Upload PDF (single or batch of 100+)
- 2. AI extracts all fields automatically
- 3. Review confidence scores (95%+ = high accuracy)
- 4. Export to Excel with one click
✓ Why Choose AI Extraction?
- • 5 seconds per invoice vs 5 minutes manual
- • 99.9% accuracy with confidence scoring
- • Works with any vendor format (no templates)
- • Handles scanned PDFs and poor quality
- • Export to Excel, CSV, JSON or API
When to Use Each Method
Use Manual Copy-Paste If:
- • Processing 1-5 PDFs per month
- • Budget is $0
- • Simple tables with clear structure
Use AI Extraction (Quixyl) If:
- • Processing 10+ invoices/receipts per month
- • Need high accuracy (99.9%)
- • Want to save 40+ hours per month
- • Dealing with various vendor formats
Use Python Scripts If:
- • You have coding skills
- • Need custom processing logic
- • PDFs have consistent structure
Extract PDFs to Excel in 5 Seconds
Stop wasting hours on manual data entry. Try Quixyl's AI-powered PDF to Excel extraction free for 10 invoices.
- ✓ 99.9% accuracy with confidence scores
- ✓ Batch process 100+ PDFs at once
- ✓ Export to Excel, CSV, JSON
- ✓ No credit card required