Ingestion modes explained
Choose between Basic, Plus, and Advanced modes depending on your document complexity and accuracy needs.
May 21, 2026
When you upload documents, Vulgate offers several ingestion modes that trade off between speed, cost, and output quality. Each mode is suited to a different use case.
Basic mode
Basic is the default and fastest option. It uses optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from PDFs, images, and scans. Basic mode is ideal for straightforward documents with simple layouts — letters, articles, and typed manuscripts.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Credits | 2 per page |
| Max file size | 1 GB |
| Supported formats | All (PDF, images, audio, Word, HTML, etc.) |
| Best for | Simple documents, high volume, audio files |
Basic mode is the only mode that supports non-PDF/image file types (audio, Word, HTML).
Plus mode
Plus mode is designed for more complex documents where layout and structure matter — books with chapters, academic papers, and manuscripts with footnotes. It uses a large language model to identify and label structural elements (chapters, sections, footnotes) and extract richer metadata.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Credits | 4 per page |
| Max file size | 100 MB |
| Supported formats | PDF and images only |
| Best for | Books, papers with footnotes, structured manuscripts |
Plus mode's chapter analysis and enhanced metadata make downstream features like search and chat more accurate, especially when you ask questions about "Chapter 3" or a specific section.
Advanced modes
Advanced and Advanced-batch modes are intended for documents where even Plus isn't enough — heavily illustrated manuscripts, art catalogs, or complex multi-column layouts. These modes cost 1–4 credits per page depending on content complexity and are restricted to PDFs and images.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Credits | 1–4 per page (varies by content) |
| Max file size | 100 MB |
| Supported formats | PDF and images only |
| Best for | Art catalogs, complex layouts, image-heavy manuscripts |
Advanced-batch mode is optimized for uploading many images at once (e.g., scanned pages) and merges them into a single sequential document in alphabetical order.
Choosing the right mode
| Scenario | Recommended mode |
|---|---|
| Plain text, letters, memos | Basic |
| Audio or video files | Basic |
| Word or HTML documents | Basic |
| Books with chapters and a table of contents | Plus |
| Academic papers with footnotes | Plus |
| Art catalogs, heavily illustrated works | Advanced |
| Batch-uploading hundreds of scan images | Advanced-batch |
When in doubt, start with Basic. You can always re-upload a document in a higher mode if the initial results are unsatisfactory.
Changing the mode
Select the ingestion mode from the Ingestion mode dropdown on the Upload page before submitting. Once a document is ingested, you cannot change the mode retroactively — re-upload the file if you need a different mode.
Credit usage
Your plan includes a monthly allowance of credits. Each page of a document consumes credits according to the mode you choose:
- Basic: 2 credits/page
- Plus: 4 credits/page
- Advanced: 1–4 credits/page (varies)
Check your remaining credits and usage history in Settings → Billing. See Adjusting your plan for upgrade options.
Search help