mdstill
mdstill vs CloudConvert

A CloudConvert Alternative Built for Markdown, Not Just Format Swaps

If your next step is an LLM or a RAG pipeline, mdstill is the better pick: it outputs token-efficient GitHub-Flavored Markdown with tables and heading hierarchy preserved, free and with no signup. CloudConvert is the stronger choice when you need to convert between hundreds of arbitrary format pairs — including audio, video and images — where Markdown is just one output among many rather than the point.

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mdstill vs CloudConvert, side by side

AspectmdstillCloudConvert
Primary purposeDocuments → Markdown for LLMs, RAG and ObsidianAny format → any format (hundreds of pairs)
Markdown outputToken-aware GitHub-Flavored Markdown — the core productOne output format among many; tuned for visual fidelity, not token count
Tables & headingsPreserved as GFM pipe tables + H1–H6 hierarchyVaries by the format pair you pick
SetupNone — drop a file in the browser, or call the APINone — browser-based; account for most real use
CostFree tier, no signup; Pro for higher limitsFree allowance, then metered conversion credits
PrivacyVolatile memory, deleted immediately, no retention or trainingUploaded and processed on their servers; retention per their policy
Format breadth18+ document & data formats inHundreds of pairs incl. audio, video, image, CAD
APIDeveloper-first, free tier, token-aware output optionYes, credit-metered

Why "for LLMs" flips the ranking

Most converter comparisons rank tools on format breadth and how the output looks to a human. For AI work the ranking inverts, because three different things matter: token economics (Markdown encodes the same structure with far less overhead, so the same document costs fewer tokens), retrievable structure (Markdown headings become natural chunk boundaries and tables stay queryable in a RAG pipeline), and native format (ChatGPT and Claude emit Markdown themselves, so they read it back more reliably than any other input). A general-purpose converter optimizes for none of these — it optimizes for covering every possible conversion.

What you give up, and what you gain

Switching from CloudConvert to mdstill for document work means giving up the giant matrix of exotic conversions — you will not convert a video or a CAD drawing here. In return you get Markdown that is actually built for its destination: clean GFM, no signup for the free tier, and files that are deleted the moment the conversion returns rather than sitting on a server under a retention policy. For the specific job of preparing documents for an LLM, that is the trade most people actually want.

Privacy is a real difference, not a footnote

General-purpose converters upload your file to their servers and process it there; what happens next is governed by their retention and privacy policy. mdstill processes files in volatile memory and deletes them immediately after the conversion returns — no logging of document content, no retention, no use for training. If the documents you convert are sensitive, that distinction is worth more than a longer format list.

When you need automation

Both tools expose an API. The difference is the default output: mdstill's API returns token-aware Markdown from a single multipart request, so a short shell script with curl and jq can turn a whole directory of PDFs or Word files into clean .md ready for a prompt or a vector store. See the API docs for a ready-to-paste example.

When to use CloudConvert instead

No single tool wins every job. Reach for CloudConvert when:

Frequently asked questions

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