PDF Parser Benchmark

PyMuPDF vs pdfplumber vs pypdf vs LiteParse - 5 test documents, 3 runs, 1 warmup

Parse Speed (ms, lower is better)

Content Accuracy (%, higher is better)

Feature Comparison

Parser Avg Speed Avg Content Match Bounding Boxes Table Extraction Pure Python Multi-Format
PyMuPDF 34 ms 93.3%
pdfplumber 244 ms 96.7%
pypdf 17 ms 96.7%
LiteParse 1663 ms 93.3%

Per-Document Results

IRS W-9 Form

Complex form with fields, checkboxes, instructions - 138 KB

Parser Speed Words Chars Content Match Bounding Boxes Tables
PyMuPDF 127 ms ±13 6,280 38,188 13/13 (100.0%) Yes (1035) -
pdfplumber 849 ms ±33 6,279 37,689 13/13 (100.0%) Yes (6279) 5
pypdf 57 ms ±0 6,279 38,179 13/13 (100.0%) No -
LiteParse 1852 ms ±311 6,279 48,926 13/13 (100.0%) No -

Financial Report

Narrative text + tabular quarterly data - 3 KB

Parser Speed Words Chars Content Match Bounding Boxes Tables
PyMuPDF 6 ms ±0 214 1,943 10/12 (83.3%) Yes (34) -
pdfplumber 42 ms ±1 279 2,074 12/12 (100.0%) Yes (279) -
pypdf 3 ms ±0 279 2,408 12/12 (100.0%) No -
LiteParse 1819 ms ±94 214 1,840 10/12 (83.3%) No -

Multi-Column Paper

Two-column academic paper layout - 9 KB

Parser Speed Words Chars Content Match Bounding Boxes Tables
PyMuPDF 7 ms ±0 237 1,755 10/12 (83.3%) Yes (44) -
pdfplumber 92 ms ±76 237 1,748 10/12 (83.3%) Yes (237) -
pypdf 5 ms ±0 237 1,754 10/12 (83.3%) No -
LiteParse 1664 ms ±94 237 1,792 10/12 (83.3%) No -

Employee Database

Dense tabular data with pivot table - 10 KB

Parser Speed Words Chars Content Match Bounding Boxes Tables
PyMuPDF 12 ms ±0 318 3,749 12/12 (100.0%) Yes (41) -
pdfplumber 98 ms ±21 318 2,661 12/12 (100.0%) Yes (318) -
pypdf 8 ms ±2 318 3,747 12/12 (100.0%) No -
LiteParse 1512 ms ±43 314 3,334 12/12 (100.0%) No -

Board Minutes (4pg)

Multi-page structured document with headers/footers - 25 KB

Parser Speed Words Chars Content Match Bounding Boxes Tables
PyMuPDF 17 ms ±0 834 5,550 14/14 (100.0%) Yes (112) -
pdfplumber 138 ms ±38 834 5,144 14/14 (100.0%) Yes (834) -
pypdf 13 ms ±0 834 5,546 14/14 (100.0%) No -
LiteParse 1471 ms ±17 834 5,357 14/14 (100.0%) No -

Text Output Comparison

IRS W-9 Form - Text Output Preview

PyMuPDF

Form  W-9
(Rev. March 2024)
Request for Taxpayer 
Identification Number and Certification
Department of the Treasury  
Internal Revenue Service 
Go to www.irs.gov/FormW9 for instructions and the latest information.
Give form to the  
requester. Do not 
send to the IRS.
Before you begin. For guidance related to the purpose of Form W-9, see Purpose of Form, below.
Print or type. 
See Specific Instru

pdfplumber

W-9
Request for Taxpayer
Form Give form to the
(Rev. March 2024) Identification Number and Certification requester. Do not
Department of the Treasury send to the IRS.
Go to www.irs.gov/FormW9 for instructions and the latest information.
Internal Revenue Service
Before you begin. For guidance related to the purpose of Form W-9, see Purpose of Form, below.
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pypdf

Form  W-9
(Rev. March 2024)
Request for Taxpayer 
Identification Number and Certification
Department of the Treasury  
Internal Revenue Service Go to www.irs.gov/FormW9 for instructions and the latest information.
Give form to the  
requester. Do not 
send to the IRS.
Before you begin. For guidance related to the purpose of Form W-9, see Purpose of Form, below.
Print or type. 
See Specific Instruc

LiteParse

See    Print or type.
       Specific Instructions  on page 3.










Form  W-9 Request for Taxpayer Give form to the
(Rev. March 2024) Identification Number and Certification requester. Do not
Department of the Treasury  Go to www.irs.gov/FormW9 for instructions and the latest information. send to the IRS.
Internal Revenue Service
Before you begin. For guidance related to the purpose of Form W

Financial Report - Text Output Preview

PyMuPDF

Annual Financial Report - Fiscal Year 2025
Executive Summary
The fiscal year 2025 marked a period of significant growth and transformation for the organization. Total revenue increased 
Key highlights include:
- Revenue: $4.2B (+23.4% YoY)
- Operating Income: $785M (+48.1% YoY)  
- Net Income: $612M (+39.7% YoY)
- Free Cash Flow: $892M (+31.2% YoY)
- Employee Count: 14,500 (+18.0% YoY)
Strategic i

pdfplumber

Annual Financial Report - Fiscal Year 2025
Executive Summary
The fiscal year 2025 marked a period of significant growth and transformation for the organization. Total revenue increased by 23.4% year-over-year, reaching $4.2 billion. Operating margins improved to 18.7%, up from 15.2% in the prior year. The company successfully launched 12 new products across three market segments.
Key highlights in

pypdf

Annual Financial Report - Fiscal Year 2025
Executive Summary
The fiscal year 2025 marked a period of significant growth and transformation for the organization. Total revenue increased by 23.4% year-over-year, reaching $4.2 billion. Operating margins improved to 18.7%, up from 15.2% in the prior year. The company successfully launched 12 new products across three market segments.
Key highlights in

LiteParse

Annual Financial Report - Fiscal Year 2025

Executive Summary

The fiscal year 2025 marked a period of significant growth and transformation for the organization. Total revenue increased

Key highlights include:
- Revenue: $4.2B (+23.4% YoY)
- Operating Income: $785M (+48.1% YoY)
- Net Income: $612M (+39.7% YoY)
- Free Cash Flow: $892M (+31.2% YoY)
- Employee Count: 14,500 (+18.0% YoY)

Strategic 

Multi-Column Paper - Text Output Preview

PyMuPDF

MULTI-COLUMN RESEARCH PAPER
Journal of Computational Science, Vol. 42, Issue 3, 2025
Abstract
We present a novel approach to distributed
computing that leverages quantum-resistant
cryptographic primitives for secure multi-party
computation. Our method achieves O(n log n)
complexity while maintaining provable security
guarantees under the standard model.
1. Introduction
The rapid advancement of qua

pdfplumber

MULTI-COLUMN RESEARCH PAPER
Journal of Computational Science, Vol. 42, Issue 3, 2025
Abstract 2. Related Work
We present a novel approach to distributed Lattice-based cryptography has emerged as the
computing that leverages quantum-resistant leading candidate for post-quantum security.
cryptographic primitives for secure multi-party The NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography project
computation. Our metho

pypdf

MULTI-COLUMN RESEARCH PAPER
Journal of Computational Science, Vol. 42, Issue 3, 2025
Abstract
We present a novel approach to distributed
computing that leverages quantum-resistant
cryptographic primitives for secure multi-party
computation. Our method achieves O(n log n)
complexity while maintaining provable security
guarantees under the standard model.
1. Introduction
The rapid advancement of qua

LiteParse

    MULTI-COLUMN RESEARCH PAPER

    Journal of Computational Science, Vol. 42, Issue 3, 2025


Abstract 2. Related Work

We present a novel approach to distributed Lattice-based cryptography has emerged as the
computing that leverages quantum-resistant leading candidate for post-quantum security.
cryptographic primitives for secure multi-party The NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography project
computatio

Employee Database - Text Output Preview

PyMuPDF

EMPLOYEE DATABASE EXPORT
Generated: 2025-12-15  |  Department: Engineering  |  Classification: Internal
ID     Name                 Title                     Dept             Salary Start Date   Status  
·······························································································
E001   Sarah Chen           Senior Engineer           Platform       $185,000 2019-03-15   Active  

pdfplumber

EMPLOYEE DATABASE EXPORT
Generated: 2025-12-15 | Department: Engineering | Classification: Internal
ID Name Title Dept Salary Start Date Status
·······························································································
E001 Sarah Chen Senior Engineer Platform $185,000 2019-03-15 Active
E002 James Wilson Staff Engineer Platform $210,000 2017-08-22 Active
E003 Maria Garcia Engin

pypdf

EMPLOYEE DATABASE EXPORT
Generated: 2025-12-15  |  Department: Engineering  |  Classification: Internal
ID     Name                 Title                     Dept             Salary Start Date   Status  
·······························································································
E001   Sarah Chen           Senior Engineer           Platform       $185,000 2019-03-15   Active  

LiteParse

    EMPLOYEE DATABASE EXPORT

    Generated: 2025-12-15 | Department: Engineering | Classification: Internal


ID     Name                 Title                     Dept             Salary Start Date   Status

E001   Sarah Chen           Senior Engineer           Platform       $185,000 2019-03-15   Active
E002   James Wilson         Staff Engineer            Platform       $210,000 2017-08-22   A

Board Minutes (4pg) - Text Output Preview

PyMuPDF

ACME CORP · CONFIDENTIAL
Page 1 of 4
© 2025 Acme Corporation. All rights reserved.
Q4 2025 Board Meeting Minutes
Date: December 15, 2025  |  Location: Conference Room A  |  Duration: 2h 15m
Attendees: J. Smith (Chair), M. Johnson (CEO), R. Williams (CFO), S. Lee (CTO),
A. Brown (General Counsel), P. Davis (VP Engineering), K. Wilson (VP Sales)
1. CALL TO ORDER
   Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM

pdfplumber

ACME CORP · CONFIDENTIAL Page 1 of 4
Q4 2025 Board Meeting Minutes
Date: December 15, 2025 | Location: Conference Room A | Duration: 2h 15m
Attendees: J. Smith (Chair), M. Johnson (CEO), R. Williams (CFO), S. Lee (CTO),
A. Brown (General Counsel), P. Davis (VP Engineering), K. Wilson (VP Sales)
1. CALL TO ORDER
Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM PST by J. Smith.
Quorum confirmed with 7 of 9 board 

pypdf

ACME CORP · CONFIDENTIAL Page 1 of 4
© 2025 Acme Corporation. All rights reserved.
Q4 2025 Board Meeting Minutes
Date: December 15, 2025  |  Location: Conference Room A  |  Duration: 2h 15m
Attendees: J. Smith (Chair), M. Johnson (CEO), R. Williams (CFO), S. Lee (CTO),
A. Brown (General Counsel), P. Davis (VP Engineering), K. Wilson (VP Sales)
1. CALL TO ORDER
   Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM

LiteParse

ACME CORP · CONFIDENTIAL        Page 1 of 4

Q4 2025 Board Meeting Minutes

Date: December 15, 2025 | Location: Conference Room A | Duration: 2h 15m

Attendees: J. Smith (Chair), M. Johnson (CEO), R. Williams (CFO), S. Lee (CTO),
A. Brown (General Counsel), P. Davis (VP Engineering), K. Wilson (VP Sales)

1. CALL TO ORDER
 Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM PST by J. Smith.
 Quorum confirmed with 

Benchmark run on 2026-04-10T16:17:54-0700

macOS-26.3-arm64-arm-64bit-Mach-O | 3.13.5

pymupdf 1.27.2.2, pdfplumber 0.11.9, pypdf 6.9.2, liteparse 1.2.1