File Acture on the Mac App Store or From the Website: Which Should You Get?
File Acture is on the Mac App Store and on fileacture.com, with the same tools and the same free version in both. The difference is how you buy Pro: in the App Store it is an in-app purchase with your Apple Account that works on your Macs, while the website sells license keys that also work on Windows.
Updated October 8, 20264 min read
By the File Acture team
File Acture is in the Mac App Store as well as on fileacture.com. It is the same app built from the same code, so the question is not which one works better: it is where you would like to buy Pro and how you would like updates to arrive.
Is the App Store version the same app?
Yes. Both versions have every tool, the 13 languages and the Finder Quick Actions, and both need macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Your files are processed on your Mac in both and never uploaded. The free version is the same too: every tool, 3 runs on each Mac, up to 5 files per run.
What is different?
Where Pro comes from, where it works and how updates arrive.
- Buying Pro. In the App Store version, Pro is an in-app purchase with your Apple Account, and Apple handles the payment. On fileacture.com you buy a license key after signing in with your email, and Polar handles the payment.
- Your other computers. An App Store purchase works on every Mac signed in with the same Apple Account. A license key activates one device, Mac or Windows PC, and you can move it to another one.
- Updates. The App Store installs updates for the App Store version. The version from the website checks for updates itself and installs them.
- Folders. The App Store version asks once where to keep its File Acture folder (Documents is suggested), and the first time it saves next to a file in Downloads, it asks for permission to that folder.
- No crossing over. Pro bought in the App Store works only in the App Store version, and a license key does not work in it.
Which one should you choose?
Choose the Mac App Store if you would rather pay with your Apple Account and get updates together with your other apps. Pro then follows your Apple Account to every Mac you sign in to.
Choose the website if you also use Windows, want a license key you can move between computers, or buy for several people: one order can include 1 to 10 licenses. See pricing for the details.
Both start free, so you can try the tools either way. If File Acture does not show up in the App Store in your country, download it from fileacture.com: it is the same app.
Already using the version from fileacture.com?
Keep it. Your license key keeps working and the app keeps updating itself, so there is nothing to change. Moving to the App Store version would mean buying Pro again there, because a license key does not work in it.
How to get File Acture from the Mac App Store
- 1
Open the App Store
Open the App Store on your Mac and search for File Acture, or click the Mac App Store badge on fileacture.com.
- 2
Download it
Click Get and confirm with your Apple Account password or Touch ID if asked. File Acture goes into your Applications folder.
- 3
Try it free
Open File Acture and drop files on a tool. The free version gives you 3 runs on this Mac, up to 5 files each.
- 4
Buy Pro when you need it
Choose Buy Pro in the app and confirm the purchase with your Apple Account.
- 5
Restore it on another Mac
On a Mac signed in with the same Apple Account, press ⌘, to open the settings, then choose License › Restore Purchases.
Try every File Acture tool free on your Mac.
Free to try · runs on your device
| Topic | Mac App Store | fileacture.com |
|---|---|---|
| Tools and free version | Every tool, 3 free runs per Mac | Every tool, 3 free runs per Mac |
| How you buy Pro | In-app purchase with your Apple Account | License key, paid through Polar |
| Pro on other computers | Every Mac with the same Apple Account | One device per license, Mac or Windows |
| Updates | From the App Store | From the app itself |
Questions
Is the Mac App Store version free?
Downloading it is free, and its free version is the same as the website’s: every tool, 3 runs on each Mac, up to 5 files per run. Pro is the only purchase.
Can I use my license key in the App Store version?
No. License keys from fileacture.com work in the version downloaded from the website, on a Mac or a Windows PC. The App Store version unlocks Pro only through its in-app purchase.
How do I get Pro on my other Mac?
Install File Acture from the App Store on that Mac, signed in with the same Apple Account, then choose Restore Purchases under License in the settings.
Should I switch from the website version to the App Store?
Only if you prefer it. Both have the same tools and both stay up to date. Pro does not carry over in either direction, so if you already have a license key, keep the website version.
Why can’t I find File Acture in the App Store?
It is not offered in every country. If it does not show up, download it from fileacture.com instead: it is the same app, and Pro is sold there as a license key.