A Sejda alternative for Mac without task limits
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
If Sejda's free limits keep stopping you, FileDial is a strong Mac alternative: offline PDF tools with no task, page or file-count caps, including Sejda favorites like Bates numbering, split by bookmarks and deskew, for $20 once. Sejda Desktop itself is already offline and runs on Intel Macs, so if 3 free tasks a day is enough, staying put costs nothing.
Why people look for a Sejda alternative
- The free web service allows 3 tasks per hour on documents up to 200 pages or 100 MB, and asks you to wait or upgrade after that.
- Sejda Desktop's free tier allows 3 tasks per day, documents up to 50 MB and 200 pages, OCR on up to 10 pages, and converts files one by one.
- Offline desktop use needs the Desktop+Web Annual plan, a subscription that renews each year.
- Sejda covers PDFs only, so photo, video and audio jobs still need other apps.
About Sejda: A PDF editor and toolkit available as web tools and as Sejda Desktop for Mac, Windows and Linux. Platforms: Web; desktop for Mac (Intel and Apple silicon), Windows and Linux. Price: Free with limits. Web Week Pass $5 (USD) one-time for 7 days; Web Monthly $7.50 a month; Desktop+Web Annual $63 a year. Team volume discounts.. Where files are processed: Web: uploaded, then automatically deleted after 2 hours, with no backups per its privacy policy. Desktop: files processed on your computer, not uploaded.
Every Sejda tool, and its FileDial equivalent
| Sejda | FileDial (offline) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Merge PDF | Combine › Merge with bookmarks | One PDF, a bookmark per file named after it |
| Split PDF by bookmarks | Organize › Split by bookmarks | One PDF per top-level bookmark |
| Split PDF by size | Organize › Split by file size… | Parts in page order, each under the size |
| Split PDF in half | Organize › Split double-page scans | Each landscape page becomes left and right pages |
| Alternate & Mix PDF | Combine › Interleave fronts and backs | First PDF is fronts, second is backs, one PDF in page order |
| Bates Numbering PDF | Pages › Bates numbering… | One copy per file, numbers continue across the selection |
| Deskew PDF | OCR › Straighten scanned pages… | Tilted pages become straightened pictures; straight pages are kept |
| N-up PDF | Pages › Pages per sheet… | New copy beside the original |
| Header & Footer PDF | Pages › Add header/footer text… | New copy; links and form fields are flattened |
| Resize PDF | Pages › Resize to A4 | New copy; links and form fields are flattened |
| Grayscale PDF | Convert › Grayscale PDF | New copy; links and form fields are flattened |
| Edit PDF Metadata | Sign & Lock › Edit title, author, subject, keywords… | New copy; empty fields keep what's there |
| Create PDF Bookmarks | Pages › Edit bookmarks… | Edits the table of contents in the sidebar |
| Delete PDF Annotations | Pages › Remove annotations | Comments, highlights and drawings removed; links and form fields kept |
| Extract Images from PDF | Convert › Extract images | Every embedded picture as its own file |
| Repair PDF | Sign & Lock › Repair PDF | Rebuilds a damaged PDF and saves every page that loads |
What FileDial does not replace:
- Sejda Desktop runs on Intel Macs, Windows and Linux; FileDial needs an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later.
- Split PDF by text, which splits wherever a chosen phrase appears; FileDial splits by ranges, size, bookmarks or chunks instead.
- Sejda's web editor works from any browser and imports from Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.
Details about Sejda come from its own website, checked 2026-11-09. FileDial tool names match the app exactly.
The best Sejda alternatives for Mac
1. FileDial
FileDial is our app. It matches many of Sejda's specialist tools, such as Bates numbering, interleaving scans and splitting by bookmarks, and runs them from a dial in Finder with no task or page counts. Results are new files beside the originals, with Undo.
- No hourly, daily, page or file-size caps
- One payment instead of a yearly renewal
- Also covers photos, video and audio
- Not free after the 1-day trial
- Needs macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer)
- No split by text
2. Sejda Desktop (free tier)
If you only process a couple of files a day, the free desktop tier already keeps files on your computer. Its limits are 3 tasks a day, 50 MB and 200 pages per document, and combining up to 30 files.
- Free and offline
- Broad platform support
- Split by text
- 3 tasks a day on the free tier
- Convert files one by one unless you pay
3. PDF Candy Desktop
PDF Candy's desktop app is for Windows. Its lifetime plan is a single payment that covers one version with minor updates, not future major upgrades.
- Lifetime option avoids renewals
- Very wide list of input formats
- Desktop app is Windows only
- Free tier has hourly and operation limits
4. Preview (built into macOS)
Preview handles merging by thumbnail drag, rotating, deleting and reordering pages, with no task limits. It has no Bates numbering, deskew or split-by-bookmark tools.
- Free with no limits
- Already installed
- No advanced split or numbering tools
- Edits the original in place
Why Sejda users go looking
Sejda is one of the more capable free PDF tools, and it is honest about its limits. The trouble is that those limits are tight for real work. On the web, the free service handles 3 tasks per hour, and the upload page shows a timer when you run out. On the desktop the free tier is 3 tasks per day.
Sejda's paid plans are fairly priced, with a $5 week pass for a one-off crunch and $63 a year for desktop plus web. If you need a burst of work once, the week pass is the cheapest option on this page. If you need PDF tools every week, a one-time app tends to cost less over two or three years.
Sejda's specialist tools, and the FileDial equivalents
Sejda stands out for tools other web services skip, like Alternate & Mix for duplex scans and Bates numbering for legal files. FileDial has direct equivalents for most of them. Combine › Interleave fronts and backs takes a fronts PDF and a backs PDF and returns one file in page order, and Organize › Interleave halves (one scan) handles the case where both sides are in a single file. Pages › Bates numbering… continues numbers across every file you select.
Interleave a duplex scan without hitting a limit
A common reason people open Sejda is a scanner that only scans one side at a time. Here is the FileDial version.
- Scan all the fronts into one PDF, then flip the stack and scan the backs into a second PDF.
- Select both files in Finder, fronts first.
- Hold the right Option key, move to Combine and release on Interleave fronts and backs.
- Open the new PDF beside the originals; if pages run backwards, run Organize › Reverse page order on the backs first and repeat.
When Sejda is the better fit
Sejda Desktop supports Intel Macs, Windows and Linux, and FileDial does not. If you use an older Intel MacBook, Sejda is the obvious offline choice. Sejda's Split PDF by text and its cloud imports from Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive also have no FileDial equivalent.
There is also a middle path. Keep Sejda's free desktop tier for the rare split-by-text job, and use an unlimited offline app for the daily merges, compressions and conversions that eat through 3 tasks a day. Both keep files on your Mac, so neither choice involves uploading anything.
Questions
What are Sejda's free limits?
Sejda's web tools allow 3 tasks per hour on documents up to 200 pages or 100 MB. Sejda Desktop's free tier allows 3 tasks per day, documents up to 50 MB and 200 pages, OCR on up to 10 pages and combining up to 30 files. Paid plans remove these caps.
Does Sejda Desktop upload my files?
No. Sejda's desktop page says files are processed on your computer, not uploaded to its servers. The web version does upload them, and Sejda says those files are automatically deleted after 2 hours with no backups made. Shared links are an exception: a copy is kept until the link expires after 7 days.
Is there a Sejda alternative with Bates numbering on Mac?
Yes. FileDial has Pages › Bates numbering…, which stamps one copy per file with numbers that continue across the selection in order. It also has Pages › Exhibit stamps… for lettering the first page of each file. Both run offline.
Is a Sejda week pass cheaper than FileDial?
For a single week of work, yes: the Web Week Pass is $5 and does not renew. FileDial costs $20 once and keeps working, so it pays off if you need PDF tools in more than a few separate weeks, or need them offline.