Gridhand on the Mac App Store or direct from kayabyte.dev: which should you use?
By Kayabyte · Last updated 11 November 2026
Short answer: it is the same app in two places, and either is fine. Download it free from kayabyte.dev or from the Mac App Store (“Gridhand: Merge & Split Sheets”), and try it. The one thing to know is that the two licences are separate: a licence key bought on kayabyte.dev unlocks the copy you downloaded there, and an App Store in-app purchase unlocks the App Store copy. Pick one place before you pay.
What is the same
- Both are free to download. Free means unlimited previews plus 2 free runs of any tool on up to 2 input files each.
- Gridhand Pro is USD 49 one time for 2 Macs, with one year of updates, on the site. On the App Store it is an in-app purchase; check the price shown on the App Store page, since Apple lists prices per country.
- Both are Mac only. The direct download needs macOS 15 or later; the App Store page lists its own minimum. Both work offline, with no account and no AI, and nothing is uploaded.
- The tools are Merge, Split, Compare, Clean, Find and Replace and Convert. Results are new files in a folder you choose and originals are never modified.
- Gridhand does not need Microsoft Excel and is not an Excel add-in.
What differs
| kayabyte.dev | Mac App Store | |
|---|---|---|
| Download | Gridhand.dmg | Gridhand: Merge & Split Sheets |
| Pro | Licence key from checkout (Paddle, Merchant of Record), entered in the app | In-app purchase through Apple |
| Refund | 30 days, email support@kayabyte.dev | Handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com |
| Licence | Up to 2 Macs, key | Separate from the site licence |
| Updates | From inside the app (Gridhand, Check for Updates) | Through the App Store |
Apple’s refund page says some App Store purchases may be eligible for a refund and sends you to reportaproblem.apple.com (checked 11 November 2026). We do not control Apple’s decisions. For a purchase on our site, our refund policy covers any reason within 30 days.
Which one fits you
- You already buy apps through the App Store and want Apple to handle payment: the App Store copy.
- You want a licence key, a direct refund from us, or to read the checkout terms first: the direct download.
- You are not sure: download either free copy and run your own workbooks first. Do not buy in both places, because one purchase does not unlock the other. If you did, email support@kayabyte.dev and we will look at it; an App Store purchase itself is Apple’s to refund.
Questions
Is the App Store version limited compared with the direct one? Our pages describe one app with the same tools in both places. If you see a difference, tell us at support@kayabyte.dev.
Can I use my kayabyte.dev key in the App Store copy? No. A licence from the site and an App Store purchase are separate, and each unlocks its own copy.
Does the free version work without paying? Yes: unlimited previews and 2 free runs in total, each on up to 2 input files. Compare counts as 2 files and Split as 1.
Steps to try it
- Download Gridhand from either place and open it.
- Drop in a workbook or a folder, pick a tool and read the preview.
- Run it on 2 files, and compare the output files with your originals.
- Buy Pro in the same place you downloaded it from if you want to continue.
Related guides
- How do you merge Excel files on a Mac?
- How do you split Excel data into one file per customer, region or month on a Mac?
- Is there a Kutools for Mac, and what are the alternatives?
Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Apple and Mac App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc. Gridhand is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Apple.
More guides
- Is there an ASAP Utilities for Mac, and what can you use instead?
- How do you batch convert CSV files to XLSX on a Mac?
- How do you clean data in many Excel files at once on a Mac?
- How do you combine multiple CSV files into one Excel workbook on a Mac?
- How do you combine multiple Excel files into one sheet on a Mac?
- How do you compare two Excel files on a Mac?
- How do you convert XLSX to CSV on a Mac, for every sheet and many files?
- Why are the dates in my CSV the wrong way round, or stuck as text, in Excel on a Mac?
- Why does a CSV show garbled characters or sit in one column in Excel on a Mac?
- A CSV with more rows than Excel can hold: how to split it into several files on a Mac
- How do you find and replace in multiple Excel files on a Mac?
- How do you change a reference or a value inside formulas across many Excel files on a Mac?
- Gridhand vs Kiolix Xel and SysTools Excel Split & Merge on a Mac
- Gridhand vs XLclick vs XLWizard: which Excel tool for Mac?
- How do you keep leading zeros when you open a CSV in Excel on a Mac?
- How do you merge CSV files on a Mac?
- Numbers stored as text in many Excel files: why SUM shows 0, and how to fix every file on a Mac
- Can you use Power Query on a Mac to merge Excel files?
- How do you remove blank rows from many Excel files at once on a Mac?
- How do you remove duplicates from two or more Excel files?
- How do you split an Excel workbook into one file per sheet, or every N rows, on a Mac?
- How do you unmerge cells in many Excel files at once on a Mac?
- How do you do a VLOOKUP between two Excel files on a Mac?