Question 1

What is PDF Pals?

Accepted Answer

A native Mac app for asking questions about your documents. Every answer cites the page it came from.

Question 2

What is the difference between Classic and v2?

Accepted Answer

v2 is the new version: more file types, a library with tags, cited pages and built-in local models. Classic is the original PDF chat. Both are in the same app, and you can switch any time.

Question 3

Which files can I use?

Accepted Answer

v2 opens PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, Markdown, RTF, HTML and text files, and scanned PDFs through OCR. Classic opens PDFs.

Question 4

Do my documents leave my Mac?

Accepted Answer

No. Your documents stay on your Mac. With a cloud AI provider, the text needed for an answer goes to that provider. In Local mode, nothing leaves your Mac. We never train AI on your documents.

Question 5

Do I need an API key?

Accepted Answer

No. v2 has built-in local models. You can also use your own key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter and others, or Ollama and LM Studio. Setup guides (https://pdfpals.com/help/ai-providers).

Question 6

Which license should I buy?

Accepted Answer

Basic for 1 Mac, Plus for 2 Macs, both with one year of updates. Lifetime covers 4 Macs and every update. It’s the first lifetime license we’ve ever offered. See pricing (https://pdfpals.com/buy).

Question 7

What does “one year of updates” mean?

Accepted Answer

You keep the app forever, plus every update from your first year. Renewing is optional. License policy (https://pdfpals.com/license).

Question 8

How much does a renewal cost?

Accepted Answer

50% of your license’s list price when you bought it, for another year of updates. Your date and price are in the License Manager (https://pdfpals.com/license-manager).

Question 9

I already own PDF Pals. Do I get v2?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your license activates v2 during the beta, and Classic keeps working.

Question 10

How do I move my license to another Mac?

Accepted Answer

Unlink the old Mac in Settings › License, then enter your key on the new one. Old Mac gone? See this guide (https://pdfpals.com/help/unlink-a-device).

Question 11

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Try every v2 feature for 14 days, with no account.

Question 12

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

This applies to licenses bought on pdfpals.com. If you’re on an App Store subscription, click here (https://pdfpals.com/appstore/faqs#refund).

Yes. If for any reason you’re not satisfied with your purchase, you can request a refund within 14 days of purchase.

However, I do love to hear your feedback. Please send a refund request to help@pdfpals.com and I’ll process it as soon as I can. Refund policy (https://pdfpals.com/refund).

Question 13

Do you offer student or team pricing?

Accepted Answer

Students and educators get 50% off. Email help@pdfpals.com from your school address. It doesn’t combine with other offers. For a team, email us with how many Macs you need.

Question 14

What about Setapp and the Mac App Store?

Accepted Answer

PDF Pals is on both, with their own terms.

Question 15

What are the system requirements?

Accepted Answer

v2 needs macOS 14 or later, Classic macOS 13 or later. Apple silicon and Intel Macs both work; local models are slow on Intel.

Question 16

Is PDF Pals available on Windows or Linux?

Accepted Answer

No, PDF Pals is Mac only.

Pay once. Use forever.

Basic

Plus

Lifetime

Frequently asked questions