FileDial vs UPDF
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
UPDF is a full PDF editor for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, with one license covering up to four devices and an optional AI Assistant that uploads PDFs to UPDF Cloud. FileDial is a $20 Mac app with 525 tools for PDFs, photos, video and audio that never uploads files. Pick UPDF for rewriting PDF text across devices, FileDial for offline batch jobs.
At a glance
| FileDial | UPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where files are processed | On your Mac, files are never uploaded | Desktop app on your device; AI features upload to UPDF Cloud |
| Works offline | Yes, every tool works with Wi-Fi off | Internet needed to register and activate; AI is online |
| Platforms | Mac only: macOS 14+, Apple silicon (M1 or newer) | Windows, Mac (macOS 12+), iOS, Android, web |
| Devices per license | 2 Macs | Up to 4 devices, any mix of systems |
| Price | $20 once, lifetime license, 14-day refund | Pro yearly or lifetime (list US$139.99); AI US$69/year extra |
| Free version | 1-day trial of every tool, no card | Free with trial watermarks, 2 conversions a day, 5 OCR uses |
| PDF editing | Pages › Edit PDF… adds text, images, shapes and drawing to a new copy | Edits existing text, images and links in the PDF |
| AI | Convert › Summarize runs with Apple Intelligence on the Mac | Chat, summarize, translate and explain PDFs |
| E-signatures | Image signature or certificate signature | Sign, request and track; 20 a year on Pro yearly |
| Cloud storage | None; results are saved beside the original | 1 GB free, 10 GB Pro yearly, 2 GB Pro lifetime |
| File types beyond PDF | Photos, video, audio, documents, spreadsheets, archives | PDF focused, with Office and image conversion |
Details about UPDF come from its own website and documentation, checked 2026-11-09. Prices and features change; check the source links below.
About UPDF
A PDF editor from Superace with editing, conversion, OCR, forms, e-signatures and an AI Assistant, sold as one license for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
Platforms: Windows 10+, macOS 12+, iOS 14+, Android 6+, web. Price: Free version with trial watermarks and daily limits; UPDF Pro yearly or lifetime for up to 4 devices, lifetime listed at US$139.99 and shown at US$84.99 in a sale when checked; AI Assistant US$69.00 a year after a 7-day trial.. Where files are processed: Desktop apps open files from your device and need internet to register and activate; its privacy policy says PDFs used with UPDF AI are uploaded to UPDF Cloud, stored in regional data centers.
Choose UPDF if
- You need the same PDF editor on a Windows PC, an iPad or an Android phone as well as a Mac.
- You rewrite the wording, fonts and images inside existing PDFs, not just add to them.
- You want to chat with, translate or summarize many PDFs at once and are fine with them going to UPDF Cloud.
- You send documents to other people for signature and want to track who has signed.
Choose FileDial if
- You want even summaries and OCR done without a document leaving your Mac.
- You run one job on a whole selection, like Compress › Compress PDF or OCR › Make searchable on a folder of scans.
- You need specialist jobs such as Pages › Bates numbering… or Sign & Lock › Check redactions.
- You handle photos, video and audio too, from the same dial in Finder.
An editor and a toolkit
UPDF is built around opening a PDF and changing it. Its pricing page lists editing of existing text, images, links, watermarks, headers and footers, plus annotation, forms, redaction, page organizing, OCR, comparison and measuring. If your work is fixing a typo in a contract or swapping a logo in a brochure, that in-place editing is the reason to choose it.
FileDial works the other way round. You select files in Finder, hold the right Option key and release on a tool, and a new file appears beside the original with Undo. Pages › Edit PDF… adds text, images, shapes and drawing to a new copy, but it is not a paragraph editor. Where FileDial is stronger is volume and range: Organize › Split by ranges…, Convert › PDF to Word, Combine › Merge with bookmarks and Compress › Gmail-safe (under 25 MB) run on many files at once, and a 42 MB PDF was compressed or OCR'd in about 2 seconds on a MacBook.
AI, the cloud and your documents
UPDF's privacy policy says that when you use UPDF AI, your PDF is automatically uploaded to UPDF Cloud, stored in data centers in your region, and that UPDF AI uses some technology provided by OpenAI. It also says your files are not used to train general-purpose AI models. Its tech spec asks you to stay connected while registering and activating the app.
FileDial has no cloud. Every tool runs on the Mac, files are never uploaded and all tools work with Wi-Fi off. Convert › Summarize writes a summary file using Apple Intelligence on the Mac itself. The app only goes online for a weekly license check and optional anonymous usage counts that never include file names, paths or contents.
What you pay
UPDF's free version is usable for light work, but many editing tools add trial watermarks and conversions are capped at two a day. UPDF Pro comes as a yearly plan or a lifetime license; on 9 November 2026 the lifetime price was listed at US$139.99 and discounted to US$84.99 in a sale. The AI Assistant is a separate US$69.00 a year after a 7-day trial. One account covers four devices on any system, which is good value if you also work on Windows or mobile.
FileDial is $20 once after a 1-day trial with every tool, covers 2 Macs and has a 14-day refund. There is no add-on to buy.
Questions
Does UPDF upload my PDFs?
UPDF's privacy policy says PDFs you use with UPDF AI are uploaded to UPDF Cloud and stored in data centers in your region. The desktop apps open files from your device but need internet to register and activate. FileDial never uploads files.
Is UPDF free?
UPDF has a free version, but its pricing page says many editing tools add trial watermarks, conversions are limited to 2 a day and OCR to 5 uses. FileDial has a 1-day trial of every tool, then costs $20 once.
Can FileDial edit the existing text in a PDF?
Not in the way UPDF does. Pages › Edit PDF… adds text, images, shapes and drawing to a new copy. For rewriting existing paragraphs, a full editor such as UPDF is the better fit.
Which runs on more devices?
UPDF, on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web, with up to 4 devices per account. FileDial is Mac only, on macOS 14 or later with Apple silicon, and a license covers 2 Macs.