Comparison
Sidenote vs ChatPDF
Both let you ask a document questions. The difference is where you work. ChatPDF is a place you upload PDFs into. Sidenote is a browser extension that reads the page you already have open — PDF or not — and cites it. Here's an honest, feature-by-feature comparison.
The short answer
Should you use Sidenote or ChatPDF?
Plenty of people use both. They solve overlapping problems from different ends.
Compared honestly
Sidenote vs ChatPDF: feature by feature
CapabilitySidenoteChatPDF
Reads the page or PDF you already have openSidenoteYesChatPDFNo
Works on private Confluence, Notion & SharePoint pagesSidenoteYesChatPDFNo
Works on web articles & live web pagesSidenoteYesChatPDFNo
Upload your own PDFsSidenoteYesChatPDFYes
Citations scroll & highlight the exact passageSidenoteYesChatPDFPartial
Server-side citation check drops unsupported claimsSidenoteYesChatPDFPartial
One-click glossary of jargon & acronymsSidenoteYesChatPDFNo
Ask across many documents at onceSidenoteYesChatPDFPartial
Per-document Store / Discard retention controlSidenoteYesChatPDFNo
No-login free toolSidenoteNoChatPDFYes
Mobile appsSidenoteNoChatPDFYes
Flashcards & study extrasSidenoteNoChatPDFYes
Three rows go to ChatPDF, and we're not pretending otherwise — see Where ChatPDF wins below. The cross-document row is powered by Sidenote Collections.
The core difference
A place you upload to, or a reader that rides along.
ChatPDF is a destination. You open it, upload a PDF (or paste a URL), and chat with it there. It does that one job cleanly. But it's a place you go to, separate from the documents in your day.
Sidenote never asks you to leave. It sits in the side panel of every tab, reads what you already have open — a PDF, a Confluence page, an article — and answers in place. Click a citation and it scrolls the real document and highlights the exact passage.
The difference in one exampleTake a private Confluence runbook. ChatPDF needs a file or a URL it can fetch on its own servers — a page behind your company login is out of reach. Sidenote runs in your browser, on your session, so it reads exactly what's on your screen.
Giving credit
Where ChatPDF is the better tool.
If these are what you need, ChatPDF is a strong choice:
- No-login free PDF chatPaste a PDF and start asking without making an account. The lowest-friction way to chat with a one-off file.
- Mobile appsNative iOS and Android apps for reading on the go — Sidenote is a desktop browser extension.
- Study extrasFlashcard and slide generators aimed at students — features Sidenote deliberately doesn't build.
FAQ
Sidenote vs ChatPDF — common questions
Is Sidenote a good ChatPDF alternative?
If you mostly chat with standalone PDF files you upload, ChatPDF is a fine, focused tool. If you read across PDFs and the wider web — Confluence runbooks, Notion docs, articles, arXiv papers — and want answers in place with citations that scroll to the exact passage, Sidenote is the better fit because it rides along in your browser rather than asking you to upload everything into one place.
Can ChatPDF read my private Confluence or Notion pages?
No. ChatPDF works on PDFs you upload or public URLs it can fetch on its own servers — it can't sign in as you, so a page behind your company login is invisible to it. Sidenote runs inside your browser on your own session, so it reads what's on your screen, including private wikis and intranet pages.
Does Sidenote work on PDFs like ChatPDF?
Yes. Open a PDF in your browser — arXiv, a journal paper, any link — and Sidenote reads it with no upload, or drag a local PDF onto the side panel. Scanned PDFs are OCR'd first so even image-only documents become searchable and citable.
Which is more trustworthy?
Both cite sources. Sidenote adds two things: every answer is checked server-side against the passages actually retrieved, so unsupported claims have their citation dropped before you see them; and clicking a citation scrolls the document to the exact sentence and highlights it, so verifying takes a second.
Can I use both?
Of course. Some people keep ChatPDF for quick one-off PDF questions and use Sidenote for everything they read in the browser day to day. They overlap, but they're not the same shape of tool.
How much does Sidenote cost compared to ChatPDF?
Both have a free tier. Sidenote is free to install with a 7-day Pro trial that needs no card; paid plans start at £10/month. ChatPDF offers a no-login free tier and a paid plan above it.
Try it on the page you're on
Read anything. With citations.
Add Sidenote to Chrome and ask the document in front of you a question. No upload, no new tab — just the answer, and the passage that proves it.
7-day Pro trial · No card required · Free tier forever