LandingAI (@LandingAI) “Every API call gives you a choice: wait for the result now, or collect it later.” — TopicDigg

Every API call gives you a choice: wait for the result now, or collect it later. Agentic Document Extraction (ADE) works both ways when you run a Parse or Extract. The first way is synchronous. You send the request and wait on the line until the result comes back. Simple, and right when someone needs the answer immediately. The second is asynchronous. You submit the work, get a ticket, and pick up the result once it is done. Nothing sits waiting on an open line. The result is identical either way. Same Markdown from Parse, same fields from Extract. You are only choosing how long you wait. So why ever hand it off? Two reasons. Big jobs need it. A single asynchronous Parse Job takes files up to 1 GB or 6,000 pages, far more than one live request can hold. It also costs less. Waiting on the line runs at the top rate, since something is blocked on it. Hand the job off and you drop to a cheaper tier for the same result. The rule of thumb is one question. If a person or an agent is waiting on the answer, run it synchronously. If nothing is waiting, submit a job and pay less. Full breakdown, plus the service tier companion, in the comments.