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Tools · api specs data formats · Alternatives

PDF alternatives

As of 4 November 2026, 39 api specs data formats are named by companies instead of PDF: JSON by 6,396 companies, XML by 5,264, Model Context Protocol by 4,892.

As of 4 November 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.

PDF, companies in postings
405
Most used alternative
JSON · 6,396
Fastest hiring, 90 days
JSON
Alternatives ranked
39
Catalogue
T-1.0.1-prov
01Ranked by evidence

api specs data formats companies choose instead of PDF

Companies naming each tool in their own postings, and postings in the last 90 days. Bars are relative to the category leader.

#AlternativeCompaniescompaniesvs PDFpostings, 90 dCompare
1
JSONEcma International
6,3961579%19,737PDF vs JSON →
2
XMLW3C
5,2641300%12,841PDF vs XML →
3
Model Context ProtocolAnthropic
4,8921208%16,002PDF vs Model Context Protocol →
4
GraphQLGraphQL Foundation
4,0891010%12,076PDF vs GraphQL →
5
SOAPW3C
3,661904%10,243PDF vs SOAP →
6
gRPCCloud Native Computing Foundation
1,753433%4,571PDF vs gRPC →
7
OpenAPIOpenAPI Initiative
1,432354%3,245PDF vs OpenAPI →
8
YAMLYAML Language Development Team
1,029254%2,569PDF vs YAML →
9
Microsoft GraphMicrosoft
942233%2,115PDF vs Microsoft Graph →
10
ODataOASIS
844208%3,073PDF vs OData →
11
XSLTW3C
820202%1,501PDF vs XSLT →
12
CSVIETF
782193%1,180PDF vs CSV →
13
SAP IDocSAP
722178%2,746PDF vs SAP IDoc →
14
Apache ParquetApache Software Foundation
690170%1,246PDF vs Apache Parquet →
15
Protocol BuffersGoogle
566140%1,102PDF vs Protocol Buffers →
16
Agent2Agent (A2A) ProtocolLinux Foundation
443109%1,572PDF vs Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol →
17
ANSI X12ASC X12
37192%761PDF vs ANSI X12 →
18
Markdown
33783%585PDF vs Markdown →
19
XML Schema (XSD)W3C
29172%551PDF vs XML Schema (XSD) →
20
Apache AvroApache Software Foundation
28069%560PDF vs Apache Avro →
21
ISO 20022ISO
27267%763PDF vs ISO 20022 →
22
WSDLW3C
25663%511PDF vs WSDL →
23
UN/EDIFACTUnited Nations
25362%406PDF vs UN/EDIFACT →
24
RDFW3C
22155%813PDF vs RDF →
25
Web Ontology LanguageW3C
21653%703PDF vs Web Ontology Language →
26
JSON SchemaJSON Schema organization
16942%301PDF vs JSON Schema →
27
H.264ITU-T / ISO
16040%327PDF vs H.264 →
28
XBRLXBRL International
15238%294PDF vs XBRL →
29
RedfishDMTF
13734%661PDF vs Redfish →
30
H.265ITU-T
12631%244soon
31
RSSRSS Advisory Board
12230%321soon
32
Apache ORCApache Software Foundation
11829%235soon
33
tRPCtRPC contributors
10626%188soon
34
RAMLMuleSoft
10526%187soon
35
Schema.orgSchema.org
10325%148soon
36
JSON-LDW3C
9924%146soon
37
DITAOASIS
9624%197soon
38
YANGIETF
8922%286soon
39
OpenUSDAlliance for OpenUSD
8822%291soon
38,897 companies name a api specs data format in their postings.

Filter on any of them, or on PDF users who also name an alternative, and open the person who owns the stack.

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Start free, no card. The first 20 are above; e-mails are verified at the mail server when you open them.

Cite this

Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.

39 api specs data formats are named by companies instead of PDF: JSON by 6,396 companies, XML by 5,264, Model Context Protocol by 4,892, measured from their own job postings. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/tools/pdf/alternatives)
How we know

Read from the source, not self-reported

Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →

  • RankingCompanies whose own postings name the tool as the team's system, from the Breaknorm technology catalogue T-1.0.1-prov. Editions are folded into their parent product.
  • 90-day postingsOpen postings first seen or posted in the last 90 days that name the tool.
  • Not includedRatings, prices, feature claims, sponsored positions.
FAQ

PDF alternatives: questions

What is the most used alternative to PDF?

JSON: 6,396 companies name it in their own job postings, against 405 for PDF.

How is this list ranked?

By the number of companies whose own postings name the tool as the team's system (Breaknorm technology catalogue T-1.0.1-prov), then by postings in the last 90 days. No ratings, no vendor input, no sponsored positions.

Does this say which is better?

No. It says who uses what, by company size, industry and country, so you can see which tools companies like yours choose. For features and prices, read the vendors.

Can I get the companies on any of these?

Yes: click the tool, see the first 20 companies, and sign up for the full list with verified e-mails. Counting is free.

Companies and people

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