Foxit PDF Editor alternative for Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
For one person on a Mac who mainly compresses, merges, splits, converts, OCRs, compares, redacts and protects PDFs, FileDial does those offline for $20 once, against Foxit's US$129.99 a year or US$209.99 perpetual. Foxit is better for editing text, sending e-signatures and team document management. Preview is the free built-in option.
Why people look for a Foxit PDF Editor alternative
- The price is set for business. Foxit lists PDF Editor at US$129.99 per user per year and the perpetual PDF Editor 14 at US$209.99 per user, per its pricing page.
- Perpetual means one platform. Foxit's product page says the perpetual license covers Windows or macOS, not both.
- Mobile and e-signature sit in the higher plan. Mobile apps and Foxit eSign with 150 envelopes a year are listed under PDF Editor+.
- Cloud AI sends document content. Foxit's security overview says in cloud mode selected input and relevant document content leave the device.
About Foxit PDF Editor: Foxit's PDF editor for business, with text editing, OCR, forms, compare, redaction, e-signature in the Plus plan and an AI Assistant. Platforms: PDF Editor: Windows, macOS and web; PDF Editor+: adds iOS and Android; perpetual license: Windows or macOS. Price: PDF Editor US$129.99 per user per year; PDF Editor+ US$159.99 per user per year; PDF Editor 14 perpetual US$209.99 per user; monthly billing from US$10.99; 14-day free trial, no card.. Where files are processed: Foxit's AI security overview says in cloud mode selected input and relevant document content leave the device for Foxit-managed services; a local mode keeps processing on the device.
Every Foxit PDF Editor tool, and its FileDial equivalent
| Foxit PDF Editor | FileDial (offline) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Compress PDF | Compress › Compress under 10 MB | Squeezes images until under 10 MB, splits into parts if it can't get there |
| Combine files | Combine › Merge PDFs by date | One new PDF, oldest file first (created date) |
| Split document | Organize › Split into chunks of N… | New copy beside the original |
| Export to Word | Convert › PDF to Word | Scans are OCRed |
| Export to Excel | Convert › PDF to Excel | One sheet per page |
| OCR: scan to searchable PDF | Adjust › Scan to PDF… | Straightens document photos into a searchable PDF |
| OCR on existing PDFs | OCR › Make searchable | Adds an invisible text layer to pages without text |
| Compare two PDF versions | Combine › Compare two PDFs | Report PDF: removed text in red, added in green, side by side |
| Smart Redact | Sign & Lock › Find and redact personal info… | Affected pages become images, re-OCRed, plus a .txt of what kinds were removed |
| Fill and sign forms | Sign & Lock › Fill form… | Type into the form's fields, saves a new copy |
| Digital signature | Sign & Lock › Sign with certificate… | Certificate from your Keychain; any later change shows as broken |
| Validate signatures | Sign & Lock › Verify signatures | Writes a .txt report: signer, time, valid, changed since signing |
| Password security | Sign & Lock › Set permissions… | Printing, copying and editing follow your choices |
| Header and footer | Pages › Add header/footer text… | Links and form fields are flattened |
| Sanitize document | Sign & Lock › Sanitize for sending… | Removes scripts, actions, attachments, comments and metadata |
What FileDial does not replace:
- Editing text, images and pages inside a PDF, and creating forms with full field control.
- Foxit eSign for sending envelopes, plus unlimited cloud storage and governance controls in Foxit's document management.
- Windows, web and mobile apps, and admin tools for deploying to a team.
Details about Foxit PDF Editor come from its own website, checked 2026-11-09. FileDial tool names match the app exactly.
The best Foxit PDF Editor alternatives for Mac
1. FileDial
FileDial is our app. It covers Foxit's file jobs, including certificate signing and signature verification, from Finder with no account and no cloud. The licence is $20 once for 2 Macs. A 42 MB PDF compressed, OCR'd or turned into images in about 2 seconds on a MacBook.
- $20 once for 2 Macs
- Certificate signing and verification included
- Batch any tool across many files
- Not a PDF reader, and no editing of existing text in place
- Needs macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer)
- Mac only, no iPhone, iPad, Windows or web version
2. Adobe Acrobat
Acrobat Pro creates, edits, compares and organizes PDFs, collects e-signatures and tracks responses, and includes 100 GB of Adobe cloud storage. It runs on desktop, mobile and the web.
- E-signature requests built in
- Desktop, mobile and web
- Subscription only
- Early cancellation fees on annual plans
3. PDFelement
PDFelement edits text, creates fillable forms, runs OCR in 27 languages and batch processes files on Mac, Windows and mobile. Its AI features upload PDFs to your PDFelement Cloud first.
- Full editor
- Batch processing
- Store prices varied between tabs when checked
- AI uploads to the cloud
4. Preview (built into macOS)
Preview already opens every PDF on your Mac. Apple's Preview guide covers combining PDFs, annotating, filling out and signing forms, password-protecting a PDF and reducing its size. It works on one document at a time and has no OCR, Office conversion or batch jobs.
- Already installed and free
- Good for reading, highlighting and signing
- Works offline
- No PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint
- No OCR or real redaction
- One document at a time
Foxit is built for organizations
Foxit's pricing is per user, its Plus plan adds e-signature envelopes and its document management promises governance controls. That suits an office rolling out one editor to many people. It is more than a freelancer or a single Mac user needs if the work is compressing, combining, converting and protecting files.
FileDial is the opposite shape: one person, one Mac, many files, no account.
Count the cost over the life of the software. Foxit's annual plan is US$129.99 per user per year and the perpetual PDF Editor 14 is US$209.99 for one platform. FileDial is $20 once for 2 Macs with a 14-day refund. If you edit text inside PDFs every day, Foxit's editor earns its price; if you mostly prepare files to send, it probably does not.
Signatures, done properly
Foxit users often rely on certificate signatures, which an image signature cannot replace. FileDial has both: Sign & Lock › Place signature… stamps an image signature, while Sign & Lock › Sign with certificate… applies a digital signature from a certificate in your Keychain, so any later change shows as broken. Sign & Lock › Verify signatures writes a report of the signer, time and whether the file changed since signing.
Compare two versions of a contract
Foxit's compare tool has a direct equivalent:
- Select the two PDFs in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key and move to Combine.
- Release on Combine › Compare two PDFs.
- Open the report PDF beside them: removed text in red, added in green, side by side.
AI and privacy
Foxit deserves credit here: its security overview describes a local mode where document processing and model inference stay on the device, next to a cloud mode where content goes to Foxit-managed services. FileDial has only the local kind, which is simpler to reason about when a client asks where their documents went. Convert › Summarize and Convert › Ask a question… use Apple Intelligence on the Mac, and no tool uploads files.
Questions
How much is Foxit PDF Editor for Mac?
Foxit's pricing page lists PDF Editor at US$129.99 per user per year, PDF Editor+ at US$159.99 per user per year and a perpetual PDF Editor 14 at US$209.99 per user, for Windows or macOS. It offers a 14-day free trial with no card. FileDial is $20 once.
Does Foxit PDF Editor work offline?
Foxit's AI has a local mode that keeps document processing on the device and a cloud mode that sends selected content to Foxit-managed services. Cloud storage and eSign are online services. Every FileDial tool works with Wi-Fi off, and FileDial has no cloud storage or online signing service at all.
Can FileDial replace Foxit for a whole team?
Probably not. FileDial has no admin console, shared cloud, e-signature envelopes or Windows version, and a licence covers 2 Macs. It suits individuals; teams that need central deployment are better served by Foxit or Acrobat. Individuals on a team can still use FileDial for their own batch jobs.
Is there a free alternative to Foxit on a Mac?
Preview is free and built in: it reads, annotates, signs, combines and password-protects PDFs. PDFgear is free and edits text and converts. Foxit's own free PDF Reader is another option for reading. None of them replaces Foxit's team deployment or eSign.