A cheaper PDF Expert alternative for Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
If you mostly use PDF Expert to convert, compress, merge, OCR and sign, FileDial covers those jobs for $20 once, in batches, and converts on the Mac rather than on a server. If you read and annotate PDFs all day or need iPhone and iPad, PDF Expert is still the better app. Preview handles free reading and signing.
Why people look for a PDF Expert alternative
- Conversion goes through a server. Readdle's privacy notice says files are temporarily stored for up to three hours for the file conversion feature.
- Lifetime is Mac only and may not include future features. The pricing page says Lifetime gets continuous support and bug fixes, while additional new features may come at an extra cost.
- The yearly plan renews. On the US Mac App Store the in-app purchases run from $39.99 to $139.99, and the yearly plan is a recurring charge.
- Batch work is not on the list. PDF Expert's pricing page lists editing, annotation, signing, OCR, conversion and AI features, but no batch processing; if your job is converting forty PDFs, a batch tool saves the repetition.
About PDF Expert: Readdle's PDF reader and editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad, with text editing, annotation, signing, OCR, conversion and AI features. Platforms: Mac (macOS 12 or later), iPhone, iPad. Price: Yearly plan (iPhone, iPad and Mac) or Lifetime (Mac only), 30-day money-back guarantee; US Mac App Store in-app purchases list $39.99, $79.99 and $139.99.. Where files are processed: Documents open on the device; files are stored on servers for up to three hours for conversion; AI providers may retain inputs for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring.
Every PDF Expert tool, and its FileDial equivalent
| PDF Expert | FileDial (offline) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Convert PDF to Word | Convert › PDF to Word | Paragraphs, fonts, tables and pictures where they were; scans are OCRed |
| Convert PDF to Excel | Convert › PDF to Excel | Tables split into cells, numbers stay numbers |
| Convert PDF to PPT | Convert › PDF to PowerPoint | One slide per page, text stays editable |
| Convert PDF to JPG | Convert › PDF to JPG | One JPG per page, 150 dpi; 300 dpi version too |
| Text recognition (OCR) | OCR › Make searchable | Adds an invisible text layer to pages without text |
| Merge PDFs | Combine › Merge PDFs | One new PDF, in selection order |
| Compress PDF | Compress › Compress PDF (light) | Images at 200 dpi, text stays selectable |
| Sign documents | Sign & Lock › Place signature… | Image signature, not a certificate signature |
| Fill forms | Sign & Lock › Fill form… | Type into the form's fields, saves a new copy |
| Redact | Sign & Lock › Redact text… | Matching pages become images with black boxes, then re-OCRed |
| Page management: extract | Organize › Extract pages… | New copy beside the original |
| Page management: rotate | Organize › Rotate all 90° right | New copy beside the original |
| Password protection | Sign & Lock › Add password… | New copy beside the original |
| Translate PDF | Convert › Translate document… | Writes a .txt in the new language, on this Mac, macOS 26 |
| PDF Copilot (summarize) | Convert › Summarize | Writes a summary .txt using Apple Intelligence on this Mac |
What FileDial does not replace:
- Reading and annotation: highlights, notes, stamps and a reading mode. FileDial is not a PDF reader.
- Editing a PDF's existing text, images and links in place.
- iPhone and iPad apps that sync with the Mac.
Details about PDF Expert come from its own website, checked 2026-11-09. FileDial tool names match the app exactly.
The best PDF Expert alternatives for Mac
1. FileDial
FileDial is our app. It replaces the file-job half of PDF Expert: conversion to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, OCR, compression, merging, splitting, signing and passwords, run from Finder on one file or many. Conversions run on the Mac rather than on a server, and every result is a new file beside the original with Undo.
- Conversions never leave the Mac
- Runs one tool on many files
- Also handles photos, video and audio
- 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. UPDF
UPDF edits existing text while keeping the font, converts to and from 14 formats and runs OCR in 38 languages. One account covers up to four devices across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. Its privacy policy says using UPDF AI uploads your PDF to UPDF Cloud.
- Lifetime license covers all platforms
- Edits existing text
- Intel and Apple silicon, macOS 11+
- AI uploads files to UPDF Cloud
- AI is an extra purchase
3. PDFgear
PDFgear's Mac app is free and edits existing text, converts to over 30 formats, compresses in batches and runs OCR. PDFgear says its conversion features work offline, while AI features need an internet connection.
- Free
- Batch compression and conversion
- Edits existing text
- AI goes through Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service
- Requires macOS 12 or later
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
Two halves of PDF Expert
PDF Expert is really two products. One is a reader and editor: you open a PDF, highlight, comment, fix a typo, sign. The other is a set of file jobs: convert to Word, run OCR, merge, compress, protect. Readdle's pricing page lists both under one plan.
FileDial replaces only the second half, but it does that half differently. You never open the PDF; you select it in Finder, hold the right Option key and release on a tool such as Convert › PDF to Word. Select thirty PDFs and the same tool runs on all of them.
Price, compared honestly
On the US Mac App Store, PDF Expert's in-app purchases are listed at $39.99, $79.99 and $139.99, and Readdle offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. FileDial is $20 once for 2 Macs with a 14-day refund. If you need a reader and editor too, Preview is free and covers reading, annotation and signing; together they cost $20. If you edit existing text often, PDF Expert or UPDF is worth paying for.
Batch work changes the sums too. Converting a folder of forty PDFs in a document editor usually means opening each one. In FileDial you select all forty and release on one tool, and each result lands beside its original.
Convert a PDF to Word without a server
Readdle's privacy notice says conversion files sit on servers for up to three hours. In FileDial, conversion runs on the Mac:
- Select the PDF, or several, in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key and move to Convert.
- Release on Convert › PDF to Word. Scanned pages are OCRed on the way.
- Open the .docx saved beside the original. Undo removes it if it is not what you wanted.
AI features, on the Mac or off it
PDF Expert's PDF Copilot and Translate PDF use AI; Readdle's privacy notice says AI providers may keep inputs for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring. FileDial's Convert › Summarize and Convert › Ask a question… use Apple Intelligence on the Mac, and Convert › Translate document… runs on the Mac on macOS 26. They write plain .txt files rather than chatting inside the document.
Questions
Is there a one-time purchase alternative to PDF Expert?
Yes. PDF Expert itself sells a Mac-only Lifetime license, though Readdle says new features may cost extra. UPDF sells a lifetime license covering all its platforms. FileDial is $20 once for 2 Macs, but it is a file-tool suite, not a reader or editor.
Does PDF Expert upload my files?
Documents open on your device, but Readdle's privacy notice says files are temporarily stored on servers for up to three hours when you use conversion, and AI providers may retain inputs for up to 30 days. FileDial never uploads files, including for conversion.
Can FileDial replace PDF Expert for annotating?
No. FileDial has no highlighting, sticky notes or reading mode. It can flatten or remove existing annotations with Pages › Flatten annotations and Pages › Remove annotations. For annotation, Preview is free and covers highlights, notes and shapes, and PDF Expert is better still if you mark up documents every day.
Is there an alternative that works on iPhone too?
UPDF, PDFgear, Foxit PDF Editor+ and Acrobat all have mobile apps. FileDial is Mac only, so if you edit PDFs on an iPad as often as on a Mac, one of those is the better fit. PDF Expert itself also runs on iPhone and iPad with the yearly plan.