Soda PDF is a well-known PDF suite from LSoft Technologies that edits, signs, merges, secures, and converts files, both online and through a Windows desktop app. If you landed here trying to turn a PDF table into a spreadsheet, the real question is narrower than "is the whole product free": it is what the free version converts to Excel, and where you hit a paywall. Below are the answers, in the order people actually ask them.
Is Soda PDF free?
Soda PDF has a free version, but it is limited rather than a full free product. You can open it online and run quick tasks like simple conversions and basic edits, yet several actions push an upgrade prompt before they complete, and the more useful features sit on the paid plans. As of 2026 those plans start around $7 a month for Standard, with Pro near $7.25 and Business near $16.50 per user, all billed annually. So the honest summary is: free to try, paid to rely on.
Does Soda PDF convert PDF to Excel for free?
Soda PDF can convert a PDF to Excel, and basic conversion of a clean, digital PDF is available to test without paying. The catch is the kind of file most business users have: scanned statements and image-only PDFs need OCR to become real text, and OCR is reserved for the Pro plan or a trial. So a born-digital table may convert on the free version, while a scanned one will ask you to upgrade first. If your work is mostly scans, the free tier will not get you far.
Is Soda PDF's OCR free?
No. Soda PDF's OCR, which reads text off scanned or photographed pages and supports 130 plus languages with bulk processing, requires a Pro subscription or a free trial sign-up. This matters for PDF to Excel because a scanned bank statement or receipt is an image until OCR turns it into characters a spreadsheet can hold. Without OCR, a scanned PDF either fails to convert or comes through as a picture pasted into a cell, which is the most common reason a "free" conversion looks empty.
What does the free version of Soda PDF limit?
The free version limits you in a few predictable ways: OCR is gated to paid tiers, some conversions and edits trigger upgrade prompts, and the full feature set (advanced editing, batch tools, and the heavier conversion options) opens up only once you subscribe. The free tier is best thought of as a demo of the suite rather than a tool you would run a month of statements through. For a one-off clean PDF it can work; for recurring or scanned work it is a stepping stone to a paid plan.
How do I convert a PDF to Excel for free, including scans?
Use a converter built only for that job. Upload your PDF to the tool at the top of this page and download an Excel or CSV in seconds, with OCR applied to scanned pages on the free tier rather than behind an upgrade. It auto-detects the rows and columns, keeps numbers numeric so a column totals on the first try, and processes a single file or a folder in one pass. If you compare Soda PDF and a focused converter for the table-to-Excel task specifically, see the Soda PDF alternative for PDF to Excel.
Is Soda PDF safe to use?
Soda PDF is an established product with password protection and encryption features, and it offers a desktop app for work that should stay offline, so it is a legitimate, safe service to use within its terms. As with any cloud tool, the sensible habit is to only upload documents you are comfortable processing online, and to use an offline option for anything that genuinely cannot leave your machine. A dedicated converter should follow the same rules: files encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in isolation, and deleted automatically once your spreadsheet is ready.
Is Soda PDF worth paying for?
Soda PDF is worth paying for if you want one place to edit, sign, merge, split, secure, and convert PDFs, and you will use that breadth regularly. Its strength is being a full editor, not just a converter. If the only thing you keep coming back for is turning PDF tables into Excel, you are paying for a suite to use one tool, and a focused converter usually does that part faster and cheaper. Decide by what you actually do most: broad PDF work points to the suite, table extraction points to a converter.
The short version
Soda PDF's free version is a limited demo: basic conversion of clean PDFs is testable, but OCR for scans and the heavier features need a paid plan starting around $7 a month. For the specific task of getting tables out of a PDF, including scanned ones, a dedicated tool keeps OCR and accuracy on the free tier. Start with the converter above, then read the full Soda PDF alternative comparison, the accurate PDF to Excel converter, or how to handle a scanned PDF into Excel. If your documents are bank statements, a purpose-built bank statement to Excel converter handles per-bank layouts, and if your real next step is sending a document for signature rather than converting it, an online document e-signing tool fits better than a full PDF suite. For high-volume, enterprise-grade AI document OCR, that is a separate lane again.