Which AI is best for summarising long PDFs?

Claude and Gemini both handle long documents well. Gemini is the natural choice if the files are in Google Drive; Claude if you upload from elsewhere and want careful extraction. ChatGPT is fine for shorter files and mixed formats.

Can the free versions read uploaded files?

Yes, with limits on size and number that change often. Check each vendor's current page rather than relying on a number you read somewhere.

Is it safe to upload a work document?

Check your employer's policy first, and each vendor's data terms. Do not upload anything confidential to a personal free account without knowing where it goes.

I work with documents: summarise, extract, ask questions — Which AI Should I Use?

Document work is where the tools start to differ. What matters is how much text the tool can hold at once, whether it can read your files directly, and whether it will stay accurate across a long document instead of drifting.

Candidates for document work. Upload limits and file sizes on free tiers change often; check the vendor page for current numbers.
Tool	Free tier	Main paid plan	Good at for documents	One limitation
Claude	$0	Pro $20	Long documents, staying accurate across them, careful extraction	Fewer built-in integrations; you paste or upload
Gemini	$0	Google AI Pro $19.99	Files already in Google Drive, very long inputs, Docs and Gmail built in	Best experience needs a Google account and Google's apps
ChatGPT	$0	Plus $20	Mixed files (PDF, spreadsheets, images), quick summaries	Can drift on very long documents; check the details

A worked example: meeting notes into decisions

The prompt below takes real-looking committee notes and asks for a fixed shape: decisions, money and dates. That shape is the trick. Ask for "a summary" and you get a paragraph you still have to read. Ask for the three things you need and you get something you can act on.

Try it

Summarise these notes into decisions, money and dates

Read these meeting notes and give me exactly three short sections with the headings Decisions, Money and Dates. Use bullet points. Do not add anything that is not in the notes. Under 150 words total.

Board meeting notes, 9 September

Attendance: full board. Apologies: none.

The treasurer reported that membership fees are 14% below the same point last year, mainly because the early-bird discount was not advertised until July. The committee agreed to advertise it in May next year and to email lapsed members in October with a reduced rejoining fee of $35 (normally $50).

The hall roof repair quote came in at $8,400, higher than the $6,000 budgeted. Two further quotes will be sought before the November meeting. If none is under $7,000 the committee will apply for the council's small facilities grant, which closes 30 November.

The secretary raised the Christmas market: stall bookings open 1 October, and this year stalls will be $25 rather than free, to cover insurance. A volunteer roster is needed by 20 November.

Next meeting: 14 October, 7pm.

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Knowledge check

You ask for a summary of a long report and get a tidy paragraph. What is the quickest way to know whether to trust it?

I work with documents: summarise, extract, ask questions

A worked example: meeting notes into decisions

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