During exporting PDF tables, the simple copy-and-paste method will lose the original formatting. Thus, they have to enter data manually, which is time-consuming and prone to mistakes. No doubt, a PDF table extractor enhances productivity and efficiency. In this article, we came across 5 powerful PDF table extractors to help you select the most appropriate one.
1. Wondershare PDFelement Table Extractor
Rating: 
4.6 out of 5 stars
Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement is one of the world's leading PDF editing software that supports exporting tables from PDF files with zero data loss. The software exports tables from PDF files in two ways. The first is converting the PDF to Excel while keeping the original format. The other is liberating the table data into a CSV file for easy sharing of data between different programs.
Apart from the data liberation feature, Wondershare PDFelement also lets you create, convert, compress, split, and protect PDF files. Attributed to the user-friendly interface, this program is simple to use. In addition, the software works with different operating systems, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Andriod devices.
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 |
100% Secure
How to Use Wondershare PDFelement Table Extractor
Extracting tables from PDF files with the Wondershare PDF element software can be done using one of the two methods provided below:
Convert PDF to Excel
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 |100% Secure
Step 1 Launch PDFelement after the successful installation, and then open a PDF form.
Step 2 Once the file has been successfully added, click on the "Convert" button at the top toolbar. Select "To Excel" to export the table from the PDF file.
Extract Table Data from PDF to CSV
Step 1 Open the PDF file containing fillable forms. Click on "Form" in the top panel. A sub-menu will pop up underneath. Select "Extract Data".
Step 2 Next, you will be directed to a dialogue page labeled "Extract Mode". Select "Extract data from form fields in PDF" > "Apply". Wondershare PDFelement will automatically export the table from the PDF file, and then export the content in a CSV file.
Tips: "Extract data from PDF form fields" feature can only work with PDF interactive forms. If your PDF file contains a fillable form, follow the steps below to liberate data directly.
Pros
Exports content from a PDF file with no data loss.
Supports data liberation from PDF to Excel while keeping the original formatting.
Recognizes form fields with one click.
Extracts data from form fields automatically.
Supports data liberation from image-based PDF.
Cons
Free version with limited features.
2. Adobe Reader PDF Table Extractor
Rating: 
4.5 out of 5 stars
Adobe Reader is another easy-to-use PDF table extractor available on the internet. It helps you extract tables and data from PDF files without stress. The software is well customized and has an interactive user interface for easy navigation. It works with several operating systems, such as Windows and Mac OS.
How to Use Adobe Reader PDF Table Extractor
Here is the detailed instruction to export the table from PDF files using Adobe Reader:
Step 1 Download and install Adobe Reader on your computer. After the installation, open the PDF file using the Adobe Reader software.
Step 2 Select the table you want to liberate data from, right-click it, and choose "Export Selection As…"
Step 3 Choose the export type as Excel or CSV as needed.
Pros
Perfect for reading through PDF files.
Interactive user interface.
Could be used to fill out empty fields in PDF documents.
Simple to use.
Cons
Expensive plans.
3. Docsumo - Extract Tables From PDF Online
Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Docsumo is a great program designed to extract tables from PDF online. It works on all computer operating systems, whether Mac or Windows. Furthermore, this software exports the content embedded in a table with high efficiency.
Besides PDF documents, Docsumo can also extract the content from an image. The built-in OCR feature makes it possible to read through scanned documents.
How to Use Docsumo to Extract Tables From PDF Online
Follow the instructions given below to export tables from your PDF files:
Step 1 Visit the official website for Docsumo, and click "Table Extraction" under the "Tools" tab.
Step 2 In the pop-up window, click "Upload" to import a PDF file from your local drive. Better yet, you could drag and drop the PDF from the specified location into the Docsumo interface.
Step 3 Wait a while for the extraction to complete, and a preview of the exported content will pop up on your screen. Look through for errors.
Step 4 Should you find any errors, kindly make the necessary adjustments. If not, download the output document by clicking on "Download". Select your desired file format between JSON, Excel, and CSV.
Pros
Doesn't require download or installation.
Maintains your data quality.
Compatible with all computer and mobile operating systems.
Cons
Requires an internet connection for usage.
You may experience a delay due to user traffic.
4. PDFTables - Extract Tables From PDF Online
Rating: 
4 out of 5 stars
With PDFTables, you can extract tables from PDF online to handle actionable data conveniently. This top-rated cloud-based PDF table extractor is well-customized with lots of amazing PDF editing features.
The program not only supports extracting tables from a PDF file online, but also lets you convert PDF documents. PDFTable services are available both in free and premium versions. The free version enables you to liberate data from a maximum of 25 pages, while the premium grants you access to export data from 50+ pages.
How to Use PDFTables to Extract Tables From PDF Online
Go to PDFTable's official website, and then follow the instructions below to export tables from your PDF files:
Step 1 Click the green "Convert a PDF document!" button. Your local drive should pop up immediately.
Step 2 Select your preferred PDF file to extract tables from, and then click on "Open" to upload the file.
Step 3 Once the file is successfully uploaded, PDFTables will automatically export the content in Excel format. You can change the format by clicking on the drop-down menu beside the download icon. Once that's settled, click on "Download" to export the file.
Pros
No installation required.
Accessible via Windows, Mac, and mobile operating systems.
Cons
Free version supports limited features
Requires an internet connection.
The user interface is old-fashioned.
5. Tabula PDF Table Extractor
Rating: 
3.8 out of 5 stars
Tabula is an easy-to-use table data liberating tool. The program liberates data from PDF files and converts them into popular document formats like CSV and Excel.
This cross-platform tool works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Due to the easy-to-manage user interface, navigating around Tabula shouldn't be a problem, whether you are tech-literate or not.
How to Use Tabula PDF Table Extractor
Here are the instructions to export tables from PDF files using Tabular:
Step 1 Install a compatible version of Tabular software on your computer. Launch the tool and then upload the PDF file.
Step 2 Select the table you want to extract.
Step 3 Next, click on "Preview & Export Extracted Data" and Tabular will immediately act on your request. Wait for the extraction to complete, and preview the data to ensure there is no error.
Step 4 Click on "Export" to export data to a text file or a spreadsheet.
Pros
Tabula is user-friendly.
Free service.
Cons
Not suitable for liberating data from images.
Requires downloading Java to use this program.
Requires an internet connection.
It may be slow when handling large files.
FAQs about PDF Table Extractor
Which is the best PDF table extractor?
To select the right tool to extract table from PDF to Excel, you should choose a PDF table extractor that meets the following requirements:
- Equipped with OCR support for scanned/image-based tables.
- Table structure recognition, not just plain text extraction.
- Multiple export formats, including Excel/CSV.
- Support batch processing to save time in repetitive tasks.
- A desktop application for protect data security.
Here are several good recommendation for you.
- Adobe Acrobat: Strong layout recognition and table extraction as part of its export features.
- PDFelement: High-quality OCR to convert image-based PDFs into Excel/CSV. Batch processing supported.
- Tabula: Open-source tool for text-based PDFs, though it does not handle scanned images.
How to extract data from a PDF with AI?
You can use AI tools such as ChatGPT to extract data from PDF. It can read ChatGPT can read tables, invoices, forms, receipts, etc. in PDF format.
- Use the file-upload button and upload your PDF to ChatGPT.
- Tell ChatGPT what to extract by entering prompts such as "Extract all tables and convert them to CSV," "Summarize the financial data by month."
- ChatGPT will read the text, detect structure, recognize tables, and clean the data automatically.
- Finally, it can generate a output file in CSV or excel.
