Alternatives
A PDF Expert alternative for flattening XFA and government forms
PDF Expert is an excellent Mac PDF editor with a “Save as flatten” option, and for ordinary fillable forms it does the job. Readdle’s help centre says dynamic XFA forms are not supported, so forms that show “Please wait…” in Preview will not work there either. PiBye’s Lock PDF lays out those forms and flattens batches of forms locally.
Last reviewed · 3 sources
What PDF Expert does well
PDF Expert is a full editor for Mac, iPad and iPhone: annotate, edit text, sign, redact, and flatten. Readdle describes flattening as making “all the active elements of the file become no longer available for a change.” Its pricing page listed CA$102.99 a year for Mac, iPad and iPhone, or CA$199.99 once for the Mac version, when we checked.
Where the two differ
| PDF Expert | PiBye Lock PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary fillable forms | Save as flatten | Flattens |
| Dynamic XFA forms | Not supported, per Readdle’s help centre | Laid out and flattened; failures are listed |
| Batches | Not described on the pages we checked | Drop many forms at once |
| Editing, signing, annotating | Yes, full editor | No |
| Processing | On device | On your Mac |
| Price | CA$102.99 a year or CA$199.99 once (Mac) | Included with PiBye, $99 CAD once |
PDF Expert facts from Readdle’s help centre and pricing page, checked 17 September 2026.
Who should choose which
Choose PDF Expert if you want one app for all PDF work, including editing, signing and occasional flattening of standard forms, on Mac and iPad.
Choose PiBye if your forms include XFA government forms, you flatten batches of client forms, or you also need to prepare client documents for AI. PiBye is not a PDF editor.
Where PiBye fits
How PiBye handles this
Lock PDF saves “name (static).pdf” beside each original, with answers drawn into the page and fields and form buttons removed. It runs on your Mac and never changes the original.
Do not submit a locked copy of an IRCC barcode form to IRCC; validate and submit the original in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
1.0.1 · macOS 14.8.5 or later · Apple Silicon · 1.1 GB
Frequently asked questions
Can PDF Expert open IRCC forms?
Readdle’s help centre says dynamic XFA forms are not supported. IRCC itself requires Adobe Reader for its barcode forms.
Does PiBye edit PDFs?
No. PiBye locks forms and prepares documents for AI; it does not edit, sign or annotate PDFs.
Does PDF Expert support any XFA forms?
Readdle’s help centre says PDF Expert supports static XFA forms but not dynamic XFA forms, which are the kind that show a “Please wait” placeholder in Preview.
Is Lock PDF an extra purchase?
No. Lock PDF is included in PiBye, which is $99 CAD once with twelve months of updates.
Sources
- Save the file as flatten, Readdle (PDF Expert Help Center). Checked 17 September 2026.
- Supported forms and fields, Readdle (PDF Expert Help Center). Checked 17 September 2026.
- PDF Expert pricing, Readdle. Checked 17 September 2026.