Documents, PDF & office
PDF editors, OCR, ebook tools and reference managers — the quiet alternative to per-seat document subscriptions.
Category: Documents
- Design, graphics & illustration15
- Developer & terminal tools15
- Documents, PDF & office13
- Email, calendar & tasks15
- Files, disk & backup14
- Launchers, clipboard & automation12
- Menu bar & system utilities12
- Privacy, security & networking13
- Screenshots, recording & annotation15
- Video, audio & media14
- Window management & desktop control14
- Writing, notes & markdown14
Licence
- PerpetualUpdates included, forever35
- This versionThe next major is a new purchase47
- Paid upgradesMajor versions cost again25
- Lifetime tierA one-time plan of a subscription app14
- FreewareNothing to buy9
- Open sourceNothing to buy; source published36
Each mark reads left to right: this major version, the next, the one after. Filled is included, half is a paid upgrade, hollow is bought again.
Price
11 apps priced in £ or € sit outside these bands, because we don’t convert currencies.
 BookendsSonny Software | $74.99Paid upgrades | Updates stop after two years unless you pay $49.99 for another window; the app keeps working |
 calibreKovid Goyal | FreeOpen source | Current builds need macOS 14 or newer, so an older Mac is stuck on an old version |
 EagleFilerC-Command Software | $69.99This version | Major versions are a paid upgrade, and upgrade discounts apply only if you bought direct from C-Command |
 Foxit PDF Editor 14 (Perpetual)Foxit Software | $209.99This version | You own version 14; version 15 is a new purchase, and cloud and AI features are excluded |
 LibreOfficeThe Document Foundation | FreeOpen source | Complex Word and Excel files can shift on round-trip, especially macros and tracked changes |
 PDF ExpertReaddle | $139.99Lifetime tier | Readdle states new features may cost extra, and the licence covers the Mac app only |
 PDF SqueezerWitt Software | $19.99Perpetual | Compression only: no editing, OCR or signing, and a future major version may be paid |
 PDFgearPDFgear Software | FreeFreeware | Closed source with no stated business model, so nothing guarantees it stays free |
 SkimSkim project | FreeOpen source | Reads and annotates only — no page editing, OCR or form filling |
 TextSniperTextSniper | $7.99This version | Major upgrades cost extra, and the 7-day refund covers the direct purchase, not the App Store one |
 UPDFSuperace Software Technology | $79.99Lifetime tier | The AI Assistant is a separate US$69/year subscription, not part of the lifetime licence |
 Vellum180g | $199.99Perpetual | Buying Ebooks then upgrading to Press costs $19.99 more in total than buying Press up front |
 ZoteroDigital Scholar | FreeOpen source | The app is free forever, but only 300 MB of sync storage is; a PDF library outgrows that fast |