The document comes first
AI output is useful when the source remains easy to inspect. Collate keeps the PDF beside the answer.
Why Collate exists
PDF AI should help you read, not replace the reading.
Collate is built around a simple idea: useful AI belongs beside the source, with a privacy boundary the user can understand.
A focused product
One place for the document and the thinking around it.
Collate is a native Mac app for people who spend real time with PDFs: students, researchers, and anyone building understanding from documents.
It combines the reader, questions, summaries, citations, highlights, organization, and exports so the result does not become detached from the evidence.
Local AI is available for documents that should stay on the Mac. Optional BYOK cloud providers are explicit choices for people who want them.
Product principles
Calm, clear, and close to the source.
Privacy should be legible
Local AI and Cloud AI are separate modes. You should know which boundary is active before a document is processed.
Research should leave a trail
Citations, highlights, folders, and saved conversations make it easier to return to how an insight was formed.
Start with the document in front of you