# Foxit PDF Services API vs PDF.co API + MCP

> Foxit PDF Services API scores 48.3 (D) on agent readiness against PDF.co API + MCP's 37.9 (F), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. PDF.co API + MCP leads on schema & documentation. Both do pdf convert. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co.md (~1,950 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Foxit PDF Services API scores 48.3 (D) on agent readiness against PDF.co API + MCP's 37.9 (F), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. PDF.co API + MCP leads on schema & documentation. Both do pdf convert.

- Foxit PDF Services API: grade D, 48.3/100, rank #727 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/foxit-pdf-services.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/foxit-pdf-services.json
- PDF.co API + MCP: grade F, 37.9/100, rank #817 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pdf-co.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pdf-co.json

## Which one, for what

### Foxit PDF Services API (D)

Good for: An agent that needs conversion, page operations, protection, redaction, forms and OCR at a flat per-request price with free failures.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 47 against 20
- Security & auth, 40 against 23
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 20
- Transparency & trust, 63 against 51

Watch for: OAuth client credentials carry no scopes, so every application credential can convert, delete and download

### PDF.co API + MCP (F)

Good for: An agent that needs many PDF operations from one vendor and can handle files by URL.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 74 against 62

Watch for: No status page. status.pdf.co redirects to betterstack.com/uptime


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Foxit PDF Services API | PDF.co API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 47 | 20 | Foxit PDF Services API +27 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 74 | PDF.co API + MCP +12 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 49 | 49 | even |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 40 | 23 | Foxit PDF Services API +17 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 20 | Foxit PDF Services API +20 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 38 | 34 | Foxit PDF Services API +4 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 51 | Foxit PDF Services API +12 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **48.3 · D** | **37.9 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Foxit PDF Services API | PDF.co API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Foxit Software Incorporated | PDF.co (Artifex Software) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://na1.fusion.foxit.com/pdf-services` | `https://api.pdf.co/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP, stdio | HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the Foxit API Service Agreement. The MCP server is MIT per its package.json, with no licence file in the repository | MIT (MCP server) |
| Tools exposed | 42 | 38 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.foxitsoftware/foxit-pdf-api-mcp-server` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-07-13 | 2026-07-28 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-06-30 | 2026-03-24 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 12 stars, 47 npm/wk | 9 stars, 20 PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Foxit PDF Services API.** One credit per successful request, with failed calls, uploads, polling and downloads free, and a 500-credit yearly free plan. Access has no scopes, and the official MCP server reads and writes any local path. The status page has no component for the API, and no changelog was found.

**PDF.co API + MCP.** OpenAPI 3.0.1 document with structured error bodies for 400 to 454, plus llms.txt and Markdown docs. No status page. status.pdf.co redirects to betterstack.com/uptime.

## Before you call either

### Foxit PDF Services API

1. Exchange the client ID and secret at `https://na1.fusion.foxit.com/oauth/token` and cache the Bearer token. `expires_in` is about 24 hours and there is no refresh token
2. Upload first with `POST /pdf-services/api/documents/upload`, start the operation, poll `GET /pdf-services/api/tasks/{task-id}` until `COMPLETED`, then download `resultDocumentId`
3. Read the body of a 429. It means either the rate limit (15 a minute in sandbox, 100 in production) or `QUOTA_EXCEEDED` when credits run out
4. Keep uploads under 100 MB, and delete documents with `DELETE /pdf-services/api/documents/{document-id}` when done. Deletion is permanent
5. With the MCP server, pass only paths the task needs. `upload_document` reads any `file://` path and `download_document` writes to any absolute path

### PDF.co API + MCP

1. Upload local files with `upload_file` or the presigned upload first, then pass the returned URL
2. Read the `content` field, not `status`. The MCP server says `working` even when the API returned an error
3. Call `wait_job_completion` after each job. Every MCP call runs async and returns a job id
4. Download results within the hour. Output links expire after 60 minutes by default
5. Keep the key in `X_API_KEY` and leave the `api_key` argument empty

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Foxit PDF Services API or PDF.co API + MCP?

Foxit PDF Services API scores 48.3 (D) on agent readiness against PDF.co API + MCP's 37.9 (F), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. PDF.co API + MCP leads on schema & documentation.

### Do Foxit PDF Services API and PDF.co API + MCP need an API key?

Foxit PDF Services API uses an OAuth sign-in. PDF.co API + MCP needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Foxit PDF Services API and PDF.co API + MCP without installing anything?

Yes. Foxit PDF Services API has a hosted endpoint at https://na1.fusion.foxit.com/pdf-services and PDF.co API + MCP at https://api.pdf.co/v1.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "foxit-pdf-services", "b": "pdf-co"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare foxit-pdf-services pdf-co`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/foxit-pdf-services.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pdf-co.json

## Other comparisons with Foxit PDF Services API or PDF.co API + MCP

- [Foxit PDF Services API vs Nutrient DWS Processor API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-nutrient-dws-processor.md)
- [Nutrient DWS Processor API vs PDF.co API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nutrient-dws-processor-vs-pdf-co.md)