Balanced vs pdf2csv and Cisdem PDF Converter OCR for bank statements on a Mac
By Kayabyte · Last updated 4 November 2026
Short answer: these are three different kinds of tool. pdf2csv is a small Mac app made for one job, turning a bank statement PDF into a CSV. Cisdem PDF Converter OCR is a general PDF converter (Word, Excel, images, text and more) that can read scanned files; its own page does not list CSV as an output. Balanced is a Mac app for statements, seller reports and invoices that checks the result against the statement’s own balances. We make Balanced, so every fact about the other two comes from the pages named below, read on 4 November 2026. Check their sites for current details before you buy.
What each one is
| Balanced | pdf2csv | Cisdem PDF Converter OCR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Statements, marketplace reports and invoices into CSV, Excel and accounting files | Bank statement PDF to CSV | Any PDF into Office, iWork, image and text formats; scanned PDFs through OCR |
| Scanned PDFs | Yes, text or scanned | No: its listing says it needs the original PDF from your bank, not scanned images | Yes: OCR for scanned PDFs and images |
| CSV output | Yes | Yes | Not listed on its product page (Excel, Word, text and other formats are) |
| Checks the result | Opening balance plus transactions must equal the closing balance, and it shows the difference and the rows if not | Not stated on the listing | Not stated; it is a general converter |
| Runs | On your Mac, offline | On your Mac | On your Mac |
| macOS | 15 or later | Listed as OS X 10.11 or later, Intel only | macOS 11 or later |
| Price | Free version; Pro is USD 59 a year or USD 7.99 a month | USD 24.95 as listed on MacUpdate | One-year subscription for 1 Mac USD 39.99, one-time licence for 1 Mac USD 59.99, as listed on its store page |
Pick another tool when
- You only have text PDFs from a bank, want a CSV and nothing else, and want the smallest, cheapest tool: pdf2csv may be enough. Test it on one of your statements first, and check that it runs on your Mac: the MacUpdate listing says Intel 64 only.
- You have many kinds of PDF to convert, not only bank statements, and Word or Excel layout is what you want: Cisdem PDF Converter OCR.
- You need only a one-off conversion and your bank offers a CSV download: download it from online banking and skip every converter.
Pick Balanced when
- You want to know the numbers are right before you import them. Balanced adds up the rows against the opening and closing balances and tells you when they do not match, instead of handing over a file.
- You need accounting formats (OFX, QBO, QIF, Xero and others) or marketplace reports from Etsy, eBay, Amazon, Shopify, PayPal and Stripe.
- Limits: Balanced is newer and has a smaller track record than either of the others. We have not tested its exports inside QuickBooks, Xero or Excel on the current build.
What we could and could not verify
- pdf2csv: the developer’s own site could not be confirmed. We relied on its MacUpdate listing (macupdate.com/app/mac/61028/pdf2csv, checked 4 November 2026): version 16.1.24, updated 25 August 2022, price USD 24.95, 23.9 MB, Intel 64, OS X 10.11 or later, one user rating. The listing says it needs the actual PDF documents from your bank and cannot read scanned images, that password-protected PDFs need the password in Preferences, and that you can convert only certain pages. We did not run it.
- Cisdem PDF Converter OCR (cisdem.com, checked 4 November 2026): macOS 11 or later; converts PDF to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, images, PDF/A, EPUB, HTML, RTF and TXT; OCR for scanned PDFs and images; says it puts tabular data into the right cell in Excel. CSV is not in the list on that page. Store page prices: one-year subscription USD 39.99 for 1 Mac, one-time USD 59.99 for 1 Mac. We did not run it.
- We did not test either product ourselves. Prices and features change.
Questions
Which one is best for a scanned statement? pdf2csv says it cannot read scans. Cisdem and Balanced both read scanned PDFs. Whichever you pick, add up the result yourself on one statement before trusting it.
Can Cisdem give me a CSV? Its product page lists Excel and text among its outputs but not CSV. You could convert to Excel and save as CSV from there; we did not test that.
Does Balanced upload my statement? No. It runs on your Mac and works offline.
Related guides
- Convert a PDF bank statement to CSV
- Why converted statements don’t add up
- Balanced vs DocuClipper, ProperConvert, Dext and Craftybase
Cisdem and pdf2csv are trademarks of their owners. Balanced is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
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