Can I upload a PDF to ChatGPT for free?

Yes. Free ChatGPT accounts can upload PDFs and other documents, with limits on file size, number of files and daily use that change over time. Check OpenAI's help page for the current figures. Pasting the text works with no limit beyond the chat's length.

What does Claude's free plan allow for documents?

Uploading PDFs, text and images into a chat, subject to a rolling message allowance that long documents use up quickly. Claude Pro at $20 raises the allowance and adds Projects, which keep files available across chats.

How do I know if an AI summary invented a figure?

Find each number in the summary in the original document. An invented or altered figure is usually plausible and tidy — $250 instead of $200, five days instead of ten — so a number that feels right is not a number that is right. The check is a minute per summary.

Is it worth paying $20 a month for document work?

If your documents are longer than you can paste, you handle several at once, or you do this most days — yes, and quickly. If you summarise a short document now and then, the free tier does it and the money is better kept.

Turn documents into notes, and what free plans allow — AI With PDFs

A note is different from a summary. A summary tells someone else what the document says; a note tells *you* what to do with it. It keeps the figures you will need, the deadlines you will hit, and the questions you still have. It is the version of the document you actually use.

Try it

A one-page working note for a hirer

I am hiring this hall for a birthday party on a Saturday, about 60 people, and I want to use the kitchen. Turn the terms below into a short working note for me with three headings: "What it will cost" (with the figures), "Deadlines and times I must not miss", and "Questions to ask the caretaker". Use only what the document says; if the document does not cover something, put it under the questions. Under 180 words.

Document:
Riverside Community Hall — Hire Terms (revised March 2026)

1. Bookings. The hall may be booked by residents and local groups for private and community events. A booking is confirmed only once the deposit has been received. A booking made fewer than 14 days before the event requires full payment at the time of booking.

2. Fees. The standard rate is $45 per hour for residents and $70 per hour for non-residents, with a minimum booking of three hours. Registered charities and school groups pay the resident rate. The kitchen may be hired for an additional flat fee of $60 per event.

3. Deposit. A refundable deposit of $200 is required for all bookings. The deposit is returned within ten working days after the event, provided the hall has been left clean, no damage has occurred and the keys have been returned.

4. Cancellation. Bookings cancelled more than 28 days before the event receive a full refund of any hire fees paid. Cancellations between 7 and 28 days before the event receive a 50 percent refund. Cancellations fewer than 7 days before the event receive no refund. The deposit is always returned in full on cancellation.

5. Hours and noise. Events must finish by 11 pm on Friday and Saturday and by 10 pm on other days. Amplified music must stop 30 minutes before the finish time. Hirers are responsible for the conduct of their guests.

6. Capacity. The main hall holds a maximum of 120 people standing or 80 seated. The committee room holds 20. These limits are set by the fire service and cannot be exceeded.

7. Cleaning and keys. Hirers must remove all rubbish, sweep the floors and wipe the kitchen surfaces. Keys are collected from the caretaker on the day of the event and must be returned by 10 am the following morning. A lost-key fee of $90 applies.

8. Contact. Booking enquiries: bookings@riversidehall.example. Caretaker: 0400 000 000, weekdays 9 am to 5 pm.

Three free runs a day on the site key. Add your own key for unlimited runs.

Did it work? The cost section should have $45 an hour (if you are a resident), the three-hour minimum, the $60 kitchen fee and the $200 deposit. If it computed a total, check it: three hours at $45 plus $60 is $195, plus the $200 deposit up front.
The questions heading is the useful one. The terms do not say whether you are a resident, whether 60 people seated fits the 80-seat limit with tables, or how to pay. A good note lists those instead of guessing at them.

Spot the invented figure

Two summaries of the same terms. One of them contains figures that are not in the document. Read the hire terms once more if you need to, then decide.

Which would you trust?

Which summary should you trust?

What free plans allow

The upload rules change often enough that any number printed here would be wrong within weeks. What does not change is the shape: every vendor lets free users upload something, and every paid tier lifts the same three limits — file size, files per chat, and how much of the document the model can hold at once.

Document work on free versus paid, described by shape rather than by numbers. Check the vendor page for today's figures.
Vendor	Free plan	Paid plan ($20 ChatGPT Plus / $20 Claude Pro / $19.99 Google AI Pro)
ChatGPT	Upload PDFs, documents and images, with a cap on files and size and a daily usage limit that tightens on the strongest models	Larger and more uploads, more daily use, stronger models, and data analysis that runs real calculations on spreadsheets
Claude	Upload PDFs, text and images into a chat; a rolling message allowance that long documents use up faster	Much higher allowance, Projects that keep files across chats, and the larger context that long documents need
Gemini	Upload files from device or Google Drive with limits on size and count	Bigger files, more of them, the stronger model, and deeper Drive and Docs integration
Any vendor, pasted text	Works everywhere for documents of a few pages	Same — pasting does not need a plan

Turn documents into notes, and what free plans allow

Spot the invented figure

What free plans allow

Lesson FAQ

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