Amazon Textract vs Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout)
Default scenario: At 100K pages / month, estimated bills are $10,800/yr for Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) and $18,000/yr for Amazon Textract. That’s a $7,200 difference before accounting for different features or operating costs.
The services may differ in features, performance, support and the work you need to do yourself. Read the notes and test what matters to your setup.
Your selected usage
100K pages / month
- Amazon Textract: $18,000/yr estimated
- Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout): $10,800/yr estimated
Estimated costs at different usage levels
| Usage | Amazon Textract | Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) |
|---|---|---|
| SMB invoices10K pages / month | $1,800/yrAnalyzeDocument Tables + Layout · $15 per 1k pages | $1,200/yrS0 pay-as-you-go · $10 per 1k pages |
| Back-office automation100K pages / month | $18,000/yrAnalyzeDocument Tables + Layout · $15 per 1k pages | $10,800/yrCommitment 100K pages · $9 per 1k pages |
| Archive digitisation5M pages / month | $660,000/yrAnalyzeDocument Tables + Layout (over 1M pages) · $10 per 1k pages | $450,000/yrCommitment 1M pages · $7.5 per 1k pages |
Text + layout/table extraction. Custom-trained form extractors and handwriting are priced differently, and quality varies by document type. Try your own numbers against all ocr & document parsing providers.
Side by side
| Amazon Textract | Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AWS document OCR API; AnalyzeDocument extracts tables and layout (reading order, headers) from scans and PDFs, with EU regions available. | Microsoft's document OCR API; the Layout model returns text, tables, selection marks and structure as markdown. EU regions available. |
| Headquarters | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Parent jurisdiction | 🇺🇸 United States (Amazon) | 🇺🇸 United States (Microsoft) |
| EU self-serve plan | Available; check eligible plans and regions | Available; check eligible plans and regions |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | payg | payg |
| Free tier | New AWS customers, first 3 months: 1,000 pages/month DetectDocumentText and 100 pages/month AnalyzeDocument. | F0 tier: 500 pages/month free (only the first 2 pages of each document are analysed). |
| Open source | No | No |
| Source last checked | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Pricing evidence | Published rates | Published rates |
Which should you choose?
Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) has the lower estimated bill at every usage level we tested, from 10K pages / month to 10M pages / month.
Choose Amazon Textract if…
Our data shows no advantage on price, residency, jurisdiction or licensing. Compare features in the notes below.
Choose Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) if…
- it has the lower estimated bill at SMB invoices, Back-office automation and Archive digitisation usage
Based on estimated list-price bills and the facts above. Features, performance and support aren’t scored.
Amazon Textract pricing
Calculated from the listed vendor rates; exclusions still apply.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional pages |
|---|---|---|
| AnalyzeDocument Tables + Layout | $0 | $15 |
| AnalyzeDocument Tables + Layout (over 1M pages) | $15,000 | $10 |
US East list prices from the AWS price list (sync and async identical). AnalyzeDocument with Tables costs $15 per 1,000 pages for the first 1M pages/month and $10 above; Layout is included free when requested with Tables. The second plan stacks the first 1M pages ($15,000) with the $10 tier. Cheaper options: Layout alone (reading order, titles, paragraphs, table regions but no cell structure) $4 per 1,000 ($3 above 1M); plain DetectDocumentText (lines and words only) $1.50 per 1,000 ($0.60 above 1M). Forms $50, Queries $15, Tables + Queries $20 per 1,000. Available in EU regions (Frankfurt, Ireland, Paris, and others). Covered by the AWS GDPR DPA.
Amazon Textract plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) pricing
Calculated from the listed vendor rates; exclusions still apply.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional pages |
|---|---|---|
| F0 (free) | $0 | $0 |
| S0 pay-as-you-go | $0 | $10 |
| Commitment 20K pages | $190 | $9.5 |
| Commitment 100K pages | $900 | $9 |
| Commitment 500K pages | $4,000 | $8 |
| Commitment 1M pages | $7,500 | $7.5 |
Layout is billed as a prebuilt model: $10 per 1,000 pages pay-as-you-go (East US, Azure retail price API). Monthly commitment tiers for prebuilt models: 20K pages $190 (overage $9.50/1k), 100K $900 ($9), 500K $4,000 ($8), 1M $7,500 ($7.50). Text-only Read model is $1.50 per 1,000 pages ($0.60 above 1M). Add-ons (high-resolution, formulas, fonts) +$6 per 1,000; custom extraction $30 per 1,000. Deployable in EU regions (e.g. West Europe, Sweden Central); covered by Microsoft's Products and Services DPA.
Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
Frequently asked questions
Is Amazon Textract cheaper than Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout)?
Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) has the lower estimated bill at every usage level we tested, from 10K pages / month to 10M pages / month. At 100K pages / month, the estimates are $18,000/yr for Amazon Textract and $10,800/yr for Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout). Estimates use list prices and leave out features, support and operating costs.
Do Amazon Textract and Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) offer EU data residency?
Both offer EU data residency on a self-serve plan. Check which plans and regions qualify.
Do Amazon Textract and Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) have a free tier or trial?
Amazon Textract: New AWS customers, first 3 months: 1,000 pages/month DetectDocumentText and 100 pages/month AnalyzeDocument. Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout): F0 tier: 500 pages/month free (only the first 2 pages of each document are analysed).
Where are Amazon Textract and Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) based?
Amazon Textract is headquartered in the United States and owned by Amazon (the United States). Azure AI Document Intelligence (Layout) is headquartered in the United States and owned by Microsoft (the United States).