The verdict: Both products are developer first. Pulse gives developers document processing primitives. Extend gives developers the complete ingestion stack, from the first API call through evaluation, review, and production operation.
Choose Pulse when its document pipelines, form tools, MCP and CLI interfaces, or private deployment options fit your stack. Choose Extend when long-array accuracy, processor evaluation, immutable versions, and an integrated review workflow are central requirements.
Both products provide APIs, SDKs, command line tools, webhooks, parsing, schema extraction, splitting, PDF form filling, workflow tools, and private deployment options.
LongArray-Extract measures complete extraction from long documents with repeated records. Extend MAX scored 99.2% aggregate accuracy. Pulse Effort scored 68.8%, and Pulse Auto scored 64.5%.
This result applies to the benchmark's long repeated-record workload.
Extend vs. Pulse at a glance
This table uses Extend's current pricing, Pulse's current docs, and Pulse's current pricing.
| Decision area |  |  Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Core product | Complete ingestion stack for Parse, Extract, Classify, Split, Edit, workflows, evaluation, and review | Document processing primitives for Extract, Schema, Tables, Split, and form workflows |
| Best fit | Developers building production agents that need accuracy controls, evaluation, and review in the ingestion stack | Developers building document pipelines that prioritize markdown, table, figure, grounding, and pipeline outputs |
| Input types | 35+ file types, including PDFs, images, spreadsheets, presentations, and scans | Major document and image formats. Current pricing lists all major formats and no page limits |
| Parsing output | Layout-aware markdown plus semantic blocks, reading order, and bounding boxes | Markdown, tables, figures, bounding boxes, and optional chunks |
| Complex layouts | 11 semantic block types: text, heading, section heading, figure, table, key-value, page number, barcode, formula, header, and footer | Layout-aware extraction with tables, figures, bounding boxes, chunks, chart conversion, and cross-page table merge |
| Schema-defined extraction | JSON Schema with nested objects, arrays, enums, field instructions, citations, confidence, and processor versioning | Saved schemas and presets with asynchronous extraction, batch jobs, and webhooks |
| Long repeated records | Extend MAX scored 99.2% on LongArray-Extract | Pulse Effort scored 68.8%, and Pulse Auto scored 64.5% |
| Tables | Structured table output, cell blocks, HTML output, and header continuation across pages | Table pipelines and cross-page table merging |
| Figures and charts | Figures are first-class blocks. Advanced chart extraction can convert chart content into structured tables | Extract returns figures and can convert chart content into tables |
| Citations and traceability | Extracted fields can carry confidence and citations to source regions | Bounding boxes and source-linked output provide document grounding. Verify field-level citation behavior for the selected pipeline |
| Packet splitting and classification | Split and Classify are versioned processors and workflow steps | Split is a named pipeline stage. Confirm classification requirements against current product support |
| Document editing | /edit fills PDF forms from instructions or a schema and returns the completed PDF | /form/fill fills PDF forms from instructions. /form/clear removes user-filled values |
| Evaluation and QA | Evaluation sets, processor versions, Composer, and tracked runs, plus Review Agent and an integrated review interface | Platform UI and saved configurations support iteration. No equivalent evaluation-set and correction workflow was located in reviewed public docs |
| SDKs and interfaces | REST API; Python, TypeScript, Java, and Go SDKs; the Extend CLI; webhooks; Studio and workflows; and the open-source Extend UI kit | REST, Python, TypeScript, platform UI, MCP, CLI, batch, and webhooks |
| Deployment | Cloud for all tiers. Self-hosted deployment on Enterprise | Cloud on Self Serve and Pro. VPC, on-prem, air-gapped, any-region, and BYOK options are listed for Enterprise |
| Enterprise readiness | Custom MSA/DPA/SLA, SSO/SAML, advanced RBAC, multiple workspaces, custom models and rate limits, dedicated support, deployed engineering, self-hosting, and BAA included on Enterprise | Enterprise lists SAML/OIDC/RBAC, VPC or air-gapped deployment, any-region and BYOK options, invoicing, a named account manager, 24/7 support, and custom volume pricing |
| Starting price | 10,000 free credits, then $0.0125 per additional credit | First 20,000 credits free, then $0.015 per credit on Self Serve |
LongArray-Extract: the direct accuracy comparison
LongArray-Extract is an Extend-published evaluation of 45 long production documents. It tests schemas that contain repeated records. Each PDF contributes one score, and failed or timed-out runs score zero.
| System | Aggregate accuracy | Completed PDFs | Mean latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extend MAX | 99.2% | 45 of 45 | 301 seconds |
| Pulse Effort | 68.8% | 45 of 45 | 324 seconds |
| Pulse Auto | 64.5% | 45 of 45 | 219 seconds |
Extend MAX leads Pulse Effort by 30.4 points and Pulse Auto by 34.7 points on this benchmark. These results apply to long repeated-record extraction. They do not establish a general parsing advantage because RealDoc-Bench did not test Pulse.
Extend's performance on open-source benchmarks
Extend also publishes open-source benchmarks for real-world parsing and document splitting.
| Benchmark | Scope | Extend result |
|---|---|---|
| RealDoc-Bench | 1,359 field-level questions over 581 production documents in four regulated industries | 95.7% field-level QA accuracy for Extend Parse 2.0 |
| Document splitting | Boundary detection in mixed-document PDFs | +8.3 to +28.4 F1 points over direct frontier-model use |
RealDoc-Bench is Extend-published and open-sourced. Its corpus contains production documents from financial services, real estate, logistics, and healthcare. These results describe Extend against the systems measured in each benchmark. Use LongArray-Extract for the direct Pulse result and a representative private corpus for other tasks.
Complex layouts and output structure
Both products go beyond plain OCR.
Extend Parse detects 11 semantic block types. They include text, headings, figures, tables, key-values, page numbers, barcodes, formulas, headers, and footers. Each block includes its source location, reading order, and bounding box. Advanced table parsing supports cell structure and cross-page header continuation. Chart extraction can convert chart content into structured tables.
Pulse documents markdown, tables, figures, bounding boxes, and chunks as extraction outputs. Its platform also documents cross-page table merging and chart conversion. Buyers should test table headers, merged cells, chart labels, numeric values, reading order, and source grounding.
Production quality operations
Extend centers its quality workflow on processor versions and evaluation sets. Teams can score changes against validated output. Review Agent flags likely errors. An integrated interface lets the customer's team inspect and correct results.
Pulse provides a platform UI, saved schemas, presets, batch execution, asynchronous jobs, and webhooks. Buyers should confirm the required evaluation, regression, review, correction, and rollback controls for the selected tier.
How implementation responsibility differs
Both products expose developer interfaces. The difference is how much of the production ingestion stack each application team must assemble.
A typical Pulse path
- Submit documents through API, SDK, UI, batch, or a pipeline.
- Configure extraction behavior and a saved schema or preset.
- Receive markdown, tables, figures, bounding boxes, chunks, or schema output.
- Chain Schema, Tables, or Split stages as required.
- Deliver results through webhooks or application code.
- Add the application's acceptance tests, escalation logic, and audit workflow.
A typical Extend path
- Split mixed packets and classify each document when needed.
- Parse into markdown and semantic blocks with reading order and source locations.
- Extract into a versioned schema with citations and confidence.
- Route likely errors through Review Agent and the platform review interface.
- Score processor changes against evaluation sets before promoting a version.
- Deliver validated output to the product, agent, database, or system of record.
Pricing and packaging
| Pricing dimension | Extend | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Free access | 10,000 credits with full product access | First 20,000 credits free on Self Serve |
| Pay as you go | $0.0125 per additional credit with no monthly platform fee | $0.015 per credit after the free allocation |
| Standard features | Parse, Extract, Classify, Split, Edit, Studio, evals, Composer, Review Agent, agentic OCR, and workflows | Major formats, bounding boxes, webhooks, multilingual OCR, no listed page limits, and up to 10 seats |
| Growth tier | Scale at $500 per month with 50,000 credits, $0.01 additional credits, volume discounts, higher limits, Slack support, custom retention agreements, and BAA add-on | Pro is custom-priced with volume discounts, higher limits, data residency, migration support, Slack or Teams support, BAA, ZDR, and unlimited seats |
| Enterprise tier | Self-hosting, custom agreements and SLA, SSO/SAML, advanced RBAC, multiple workspaces, custom models and limits, dedicated support, deployed engineering, and BAA included | On-prem, VPC, or air-gapped deployment. SAML/OIDC/RBAC, any-region and BYOK options, invoicing, a named account manager, 24/7 support, and custom volume pricing |
Pulse provides twice as many initial free credits. Extend lists a lower credit price and a $500 monthly Scale package. Credit use differs by operation and mode. Compare complete production jobs, not raw credit counts.
When to choose Pulse
- Pulse's markdown, table, figure, bounding-box, chunk, and chart-conversion outputs match the application's required representation.
- Its Python, TypeScript, MCP, CLI, batch, and webhook interfaces fit the development workflow.
- The current 20,000-credit free allocation provides a useful evaluation window for your document volume.
- Enterprise needs center on VPC, on-prem, air-gapped, any-region, BYOK, SAML/OIDC/RBAC, and a named account manager.
When to choose Extend
- Long repeated-record extraction is a core workload, and your corpus reproduces Extend's 99.2% LongArray-Extract result.
- You need Parse, Extract, Classify, Split, Edit, workflows, evaluation, and platform-enabled review in one system.
- Processor versions, evaluation sets, accuracy reports, source citations, confidence, and Review Agent are required production controls.
- Your team wants official SDKs, the Extend CLI, webhooks, and an open-source document UI kit alongside the REST API.
- You want pay as you go at $0.0125 per credit or the $500 Scale package.
- Enterprise requirements include self-hosting, custom models, multiple workspaces, advanced RBAC, custom agreements, deployed engineering, and a BAA.
What to test before choosing
- Use the same documents, schemas, prompts, and acceptance rules for both products.
- Include long arrays, multi-page tables, charts, handwriting, scans, mixed-document packets, and multilingual pages from production.
- Count expected rows before scoring values. Report omissions, duplicates, extra rows, failures, and retries separately.
- Compare standard and advanced modes, recording every non-default setting.
- Score table structure, chart values, reading order, citations, bounding boxes, and schema output as separate dimensions.
- Change schemas and parsing settings, then test regression detection, versioning, and rollback.
- Run the customer's reviewers through each platform and measure correction time, audit trail, and reuse of corrected output.
- Model the entire production cost, including mode multipliers, retries, batch processing, evaluations, review, and support.
Extend vs. Pulse: frequently asked questions
Is Extend more accurate than Pulse?
Yes, on LongArray-Extract. Extend MAX scored 99.2%, Pulse Effort scored 68.8%, and Pulse Auto scored 64.5%. This result supports the long repeated-record extraction claim. Test parsing separately on a representative private corpus.
What is the best Pulse alternative for document extraction?
Extend is a strong alternative for accuracy-critical production workflows. It combines schema extraction, splitting, classification, editing, evaluation, processor versions, source citations, confidence, Review Agent, and integrated review. Pulse remains a strong option when its output formats and deployment model fit the application.
Does Pulse support complex layouts?
Yes. Pulse documents table, figure, bounding-box, chunk, chart-conversion, and cross-page table capabilities. Extend exposes 11 semantic block types with reading order and source locations. Buyers should test both products on the layout failures that matter.
Which platform is more enterprise-ready?
Both publish enterprise controls. Pulse lists VPC, on-prem, air-gapped, any-region, BYOK, SAML, OIDC, RBAC, and 24/7 support. Extend lists self-hosting, custom agreements, SSO, SAML, advanced RBAC, multiple workspaces, custom models, and dedicated support. Buyers should confirm each required item in the proposed contract and architecture.
How do Extend and Pulse prices compare?
Pulse lists 20,000 free credits and $0.015 per credit after that. Extend lists 10,000 free credits and $0.0125 per additional credit. Scale costs $500 per month and includes 50,000 credits. Credit use differs by operation and mode. Buyers should run a representative batch before estimating annual cost.
