Question: Looking for a cost-effective way to automate data retrieval from PDFs, without requiring an OpenAI API Key.

If you're looking for a relatively cheap way to extract data from PDFs without an OpenAI API Key, PDF Parser is a good option. This AI-based tool pulls structured data out of PDFs and exports it as JSON with no human intervention. It has several pricing tiers, including Lite ($1 for 10 credits, $0.10 per document), Standard ($5 for 60 credits, $0.08 per document) and Premium ($25 for 500 credits, $0.05 per document). PDF Parser is good for real estate, accounting and academic settings, where it can cut down on errors and boost productivity.

Another option is ChatPDF, which lets you upload PDFs and ask questions that it'll answer and summarize. It can handle multi-file chats and include citations, so it's good for students, researchers and anyone else who wants to quickly get answers out of documents. ChatPDF works with PDFs in any language and answers in the same language, so it's good for people around the world.

If you like a more conversational interface, AskYourPDF uses ChatGPT. It's got a Chrome extension, conversation history and document management tools. AskYourPDF has a free tier and other pricing options, and it's designed to boost productivity by letting you quickly extract information from long PDFs.

PDFGPT.IO is another AI-based system that lets you ask questions of PDF documents to get immediate answers. It's got more advanced research tools and project management abilities, so it's good for a broader range of people. The system offers free trials and custom integration options, so it can be flexible and secure depending on your needs.