- Updated OnJuly 31, 2026
What is Lido?
If you have ever spent an entire afternoon copying numbers from a PDF invoice into an Excel sheet, Lido was built to end that pain. It is an AI-powered document processing tool that reads PDFs, scanned papers, photos, and even handwritten forms, then pulls out exactly the data you need into a proper spreadsheet. Unlike older OCR software that only works on neat, clean documents with visible table lines, Lido reads a document the way a person would — understanding what each number or word actually means, not just where it sits on the page. This means it can handle a messy scanned bill from a small vendor just as well as a polished digital invoice from a large company. It is mainly used by finance teams, accountants, and business owners across industries like logistics, healthcare, and real estate who deal with large volumes of paperwork every week and want it converted into usable data without hiring extra staff or writing code.
Key Features
- AI-based data extraction: Reads scanned and digital PDFs alike and understands the content contextually instead of relying on rigid templates, so accuracy stays high even when document layouts differ.
- No template setup: There is no need to train the tool for every new vendor or format — it works on documents it has never seen before, right from the first upload.
- Table extraction: Users can mark out a specific area on a page, and Lido converts that table into neat spreadsheet rows and columns.
- Handwritten and low-quality document support: Works on smartphone photos, faded scans, and even handwritten notes where regular OCR tools usually fail.
- Custom data rules: Lets you set formatting preferences, such as standardising vendor names or currency formats, so every output file looks consistent.
- AI data cleaning: Automatically fixes number formats, removes duplicates, and can even auto-categorise expenses for basic bookkeeping.
- Multiple export options: Extracted data can be sent to Excel, Google Sheets, CSV, JSON, or directly into QuickBooks.
- Workflow automation: Beyond simple conversion, Lido can validate extracted data against your existing systems and trigger the next step in a workflow automatically.
- Security and compliance: SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant, with documents automatically deleted after 23 hours and no use of customer data for AI training.
How Lido Works?
Getting started with Lido does not need any technical background. Here is how a typical session looks:
Step 1: Sign up on Lido and upload your document — this could be a PDF invoice, a scanned bank statement, a photo of a handwritten bill, or even a batch of files from Google Drive or email.
Step 2: Tell Lido what data you want in plain English, or simply draw a box around the table or section you need. For example, typing “extract vendor name, invoice number, date, and total amount” is enough for it to understand the task.
Step 3: Lido processes the file using its AI models and returns a structured spreadsheet within seconds. So an invoice PDF with vendor details scattered across the page comes out as a clean row: Vendor | Invoice No. | Date | Amount | Due Date.
Step 4: Review the output, apply any custom formatting rules if needed (like converting all amounts to two decimal places), and export the file to Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV.
For a hands-on look at this process, Lido has a dedicated explainer page here: How Lido converts PDFs.
Tips to Use Lido Like a Pro
- Start with the free 50-page trial before committing to a paid plan so you can test it on your own real documents, not just sample files.
- Use plain-English instructions instead of technical field names when telling Lido what to extract — it understands natural language well.
- If you handle documents from the same vendors repeatedly, set up custom data rules once so formatting stays consistent every time.
- For scanned or handwritten documents, upload the clearest photo or scan you can — better image quality still improves the final accuracy.
- Use the 24-hour reset window to re-process a file if the first extraction was not quite right, instead of wasting page credits on a fresh upload.
- If your team processes documents in bulk regularly, connect a shared email inbox or drive folder so files are picked up automatically instead of manual uploads.
Pros
- Works accurately on scanned, handwritten, and messy documents where traditional OCR tools usually fail.
- No template setup required, even for a completely new document type or vendor.
- Saves significant time — some businesses report cutting hours of manual entry down to seconds per document.
- Strong data security with SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance.
- Flexible export options including Excel, Google Sheets, CSV, and QuickBooks.
- Responsive customer support based on user reviews.
Cons
- Paid plans can feel expensive for individuals or very small businesses with light, occasional use.
- Batch upload limits mean very large volumes (thousands of documents at once) need to be processed in rounds.
- Some advanced features, like custom rules and workflow automation, take a little time to fully learn.
- Does not currently work on mobile devices.
Use Cases: Who Should Use Lido
Lido is best suited for anyone who regularly deals with paperwork that needs to end up in a spreadsheet. If you are an accountant or bookkeeper juggling dozens of vendor invoices every month, this tool can save you real hours. Small business owners without a dedicated data entry team can use it to keep accounts payable running smoothly without extra hires. Operations and logistics managers processing purchase orders, delivery receipts, or bills of lading across multiple vendors will find the lack of template setup especially useful. It also works well for legal teams extracting clauses from large batches of contracts, and for healthcare or insurance staff processing claims and forms that need to stay compliant with data protection standards. If your work rarely involves PDFs or scanned documents, this tool may not add much value for you.
FAQ about Lido
Is Lido free to use?
Lido offers 50 free pages with no credit card required, so you can test its extraction quality on your own documents before paying anything.
What kind of documents can Lido handle?
It processes invoices, receipts, bank statements, purchase orders, medical forms, contracts, and handwritten documents, in PDFs, scans, photos, or email attachments.
How accurate is Lido compared to normal OCR tools?
Lido claims over 99 percent accuracy on structured documents like invoices, since it reads content contextually rather than depending on fixed templates, unlike most traditional OCR software.
Is my data safe with Lido?
Yes, it is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and automatically deletes documents after 23 hours without using them for AI training.
Pricing
Lido follows a freemium-style model — you can try it free before paying, and plans scale up based on how many pages you process.
- Free trial: 50 pages, no credit card needed.
- Standard plan: Starts around $29 per month for about 100 pages and one user seat.
- Scale plan: Roughly $7,000 per year, meant for teams needing tens of thousands of pages annually along with API access.
- Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for large organisations needing dedicated support and custom integrations.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note that pricing information may not be up to date. For the most accurate and current pricing details, refer to the official website.
Conclusion
Based on user reviews across platforms like Futurepedia and Capterra, Lido consistently scores very well — close to a perfect rating — with users repeatedly praising its accuracy on messy, scanned, and handwritten documents where regular OCR tools struggle. The most common complaint is around cost for very light or occasional users, and a batch upload limit that can slow down truly massive one-time jobs. In short: if you or your team regularly wrestle with converting PDFs, invoices, or scanned paperwork into spreadsheets, Lido is genuinely one of the more reliable AI tools for that specific job, and the free trial makes it low-risk to test before paying. If your document workload is small or occasional, a simpler free converter might suit you better.
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