AI Tool Watch

Read Text and Documents

Can interpret text, documents, PDFs, and similar uploaded or pasted materials.

This page tracks AI tools that currently support read text and documents. Unlike marketing claims, inclusion here requires verified functionality. As of September 2026, 5 products support this, and support has changed in recent months.

Definition

What counts

What doesn't count

Product Availability (5 products)

ChatGPT

Projects

Projects let you group related chats, files, and custom instructions into workspaces. **Available on all plans including free**—organize your work across topics with project-specific context.

Access: free

PlanAvailableNotes
Free✓
Go✓
Plus✓
Pro✓
Business✓
Enterprise✓

Surfaces: Windows macOS iOS Android web API

Verified: 2026-08-15

Full details →

Claude

Vision (Image Understanding)

Claude can analyze images you upload—documents, screenshots, diagrams. **Available on all plans including free.**

Access: free

PlanAvailableNotes
Free✓
Pro✓
Max 5x✓
Max 20x✓

Surfaces: Windows macOS Linux iOS Android web API

Verified: 2026-03-22

Full details →

Microsoft Copilot

Copilot in Office Apps

Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook now comes with **any paid Microsoft 365 consumer plan, starting at $9.99/mo for Personal**, or with a **Microsoft 365 Copilot commercial license ($30/user/mo)**. Free Copilot still doesn't include Office integration. Two catches: the AI benefits go to the **subscription owner only**, even on Family, and usage draws on monthly AI credits. **Copilot Pro is closed to new customers; existing subscribers can continue or switch to Microsoft 365 Premium.** This table covers plans available to new customers; legacy Copilot Pro feature entitlements need separate review.

Access: paid

PlanAvailableNotes
Free✗
Microsoft 365 Personal✓
Microsoft 365 Family✓
Microsoft 365 Premium✓
M365 Copilot✓

Surfaces: Windows macOS iOS Android web

Verified: 2026-09-05

Full details →

Gemini

Gemini in Workspace (Docs, Sheets, etc.)

Gemini integrates directly into Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. **March 2026 beta rollout** adds 'Help me create' in Docs (instant drafts from files/emails), 'Fill with Gemini' in Sheets (auto-populate tables), new slide creation in Slides, and AI Overviews + 'Ask Gemini' in Drive. **Google AI Plus ($4.99/mo) covers Gmail and Vids; Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) adds Docs; Google AI Ultra (from $99.99/mo) has the highest limits; or the Workspace add-on for business accounts.** Drive features are US-only for now; full deck generation in Slides is coming soon.

Access: paid

PlanAvailableNotes
Free✓
Google AI Plus✓
Google AI Pro✓
Google AI Ultra✓
Workspace add-on✓

Surfaces: Windows macOS iOS Android web API

Verified: 2026-09-11

Full details →

NotebookLM

NotebookLM lets you upload documents and have AI conversations grounded in your sources—it even generates podcast-style audio summaries. **Free to use** with generous limits; Google AI Plus adds more notebooks and Audio Overviews, Google AI Pro raises source limits, and Google AI Ultra has the highest. Google's plans page now lists it as

Access: free

PlanAvailableNotes
Free✓
Google AI Plus✓
Google AI Pro✓
Google AI Ultra✓

Surfaces: Windows macOS iOS Android web API

Verified: 2026-09-11

Full details →

Perplexity

Collections (Spaces)

Collections let you organize research into projects. **Available on all plans**, with more features on Pro.

Access: free

PlanAvailableNotes
Free✓
Pro✓
Max✓

Surfaces: Windows macOS Linux iOS Android Chrome web API

Verified: 2026-03-25

Full details →

Also Known As

upload documents, read PDF, analyze documents, document understanding, file upload, read files

See Also

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