Not sure if CDFinder is the right tool for you?

Download the current CDFinder, and at least one competing product, and compare for yourself!

Here is a list of questions that will help you get the best tool for your task.

Some of the questions may not apply to your requirements, but they are a great start for your evaluation.

Cataloging
Can the app catalog multiple disks in the background, saving you a lot of time? Or is it blocked while cataloging? (CDFinder catalogs multiple disks in parallel in the background, and allows you to keep working)

Can the app update its existing catalogs? (CDFinder can do that , of course, , but surprisingly, many competitors cannot. Updating is needed when a cataloged disk gets new files or other changes)

Does the app catalog the metadata and photo/video/audio thumbnails you need? (CDFinder supports a huge list of photo, movie, and other document formats, as well as many audio formats)

Will the app catalog Audio-CDs? (CDFinder sure does, getting the track titles from freedb.org for you)

Will the app display meta info in a clear and structured way? (CDFinder gives you EXIF, IPTC, XMP and others in a nice and useful Inspector display. Others simply dump unstructured arrays of cryptic data on you...)

How big will the database become for a cataloged disk? (CDFinder creates very compact database files, even with thumbnails, while others create huge database files that are very hard to back up)

Can the software share catalogs in a network? Maybe with a Windows app as well? (CDFinder can of course do both, together with CDWinder for Windows)

Importing
Can the software import existing catalogs of other apps with no problem? (CDFinder sure can, it imports thirteen different foreign catalog or export files for a quick start: DiskLibrary, Disk Recall, DiskWizard, Iomega FindIt, Portents DiskTracker (1.x and 2.x), Catalogue, CatFinder, "Neometric" Catalog , Broken Cross Disk Manager (Windows, XML), Advanced Disk Catalog (ADC for Windows, XML), and iView MediaPro and Microsoft Expression Media (XML, requires separate CDFinder Transporter software))

Searching
Does the app has a QuickFind feature, searching all fields at once? (CDFinder does, of course)

Does the app also have a Find window for specific queries? (CDFinder offers up to 16 separate query params, and gives you all metadata fields for specific searches, too)

Can the Find operation in the app be initiated by AppleScript? (CDFinder has a great AppleScript implementation)

Can the Find query be initiated by URLs? (CDFinder supports a wide array of helpful Find related URLs, allowing you to attach queries to other data)

Can the app be connected to FileMaker database? (CDFinder even has a sample database, showing you how to do that)

Can you search all meta data fields? (CDFinder offers clearly structured find queries for all metadata fields, no need to type in field names or other weird stuff)

Does the software offer a GPS search for your photos? (CDFinder does, it is called GeoFinder!)

Can the software store Find Queries, aka Smart Folders? (CDFinder doesn't yet have Smart Folders, but it can save and run all Find queries for you already)

Can the software search the Spotlight database, too? (CDFinder of course can...)

Help and Support
Does the app come with an extensive Users Guide? (CDFinder has a 215 page Users Guide, explaining all the abilities of the software)

Are there free video tutorials to help you use the app? (CDFinder comes with seven free video tutorials)

Can you email the support? (CDFinder support can be reached at support@cdfinder.de)

Can you phone the support? (CDFinder support can be reached by phone as well, of course)

Is the software localized in your language? (CDFinder comes in English, German, Japanese, French, Italian, Swedish, Spanish and Dutch)

Purchasing
Do you know the name and postal address of the developer of the app? (Full contact information of the CDFinder development team here)

How long is the developer already working on disk cataloging? (The CDFinder team has more than 15 years of experience in the market)

How many updates have been available since the initial release of the software? (CDFinder has offered a huge number of updates since the initial release in 1996)


What people said who switched to CDFinder:

"I was comparing various Cataloging software and after extensive use and testing I came to conclusion that CDFinder beats the competition by miles." Jelena T., USA

"I was able to import my existing database of catalogs from DiskTracker which carried in excess of 400 catalogs in it. This was a feature that sealed the deal for me when I was looking at CDFinder. I had so many volumes cataloged in that application that if I would have had to leave that behind I just could not have made the switch. It would have taken too many hours to recreate that database in any new application." Gary S, New York

"Just wanted to thank you for CDFinder. Excellent!!!! I loved "Findit" from Iomega and always wished there was something out there that was simular. So, I searched and behold! I found CDFinder. So, I downloaded your free trial version and as soon as I found out I could import Findit files (go figure, smart!) I almost fell off my chair and proceeded to immediately purchase the software. So, thanks" Jeff R, East Petersburg, PA, USA

"First off, I want to say that I love CDFinder. It's a great way to quickly search through my catalog of 300,000+ images. No other program I've tried can search through that many images so quickly or easily." Cliff D. Seattle

"CDFinder is absolutely the greatest cataloging program ever written. I can't even remember when I first started using it, but from the very first day, I couldn't live without it. 'The Search is Over!' " Edward P., Colorado

"We love the software as it is and find it hard to believe how we managed to organise our database before using CDFinder" Matej P. Australia

"Thanks to Norbert for a elegant program - I am impressed with the import facility for our 440 Catalogue files and the well crafted applescripts." Diana M., USA

"I have already started setting up our catalog list in your software and I can already feel the trumendous amount of time we will save, as it will greatly organize our way of handling archives. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO YOU AND ALL THE CDFINDER TEAM!!" Gaël F., Montreal, Canada

"I have compared it to about 10 other shareware/freeware programs and yours is the best!" Generosa R., USA

"Forget about about the slow, expensive, server operated, database catalog programmes and just get CDFinder." Patrick van Gerwen Blog

"Your's is a great program. Really useful and powerful..." Rober M., Spain

"Your program is incredibly fast and easy to use. I've never been so organized. Can't thank you enough! I can now locate any file in less than 5 seconds from any of 23 250gb external hard drives!" Dennis C. Nashville, USA

"As a long-time user, I LOVE this program. I'm a backup fiend, and CDFinder is the only reasonable way I've found to keep track of so many files on so many drives and DVDs. As I've said before, THANK YOU!" Wilma K., USA

"We have been using Disk Recall in Classic mode for quite some time now and since the developer of Disk Recall seems to have vanished, we were looking for a suitable replacement for Mac OS X. CDFinder is that application. It was able to import all of our Disk Recall catalogs in a matter of minutes! Now we are able to search all of our catalogs simultaneously - a major time saver. The application is fast, well designed and intuitive. So far, we have not needed to read any documentation in order to use CDFinder. Another benefit is that the Business License version allows us to host the catalog database on a remote server. With one click, CDFinder prompts for a server connection password and the catalogs become available. Very slick. The future version boasts full Spotlight search capabilities which will make searching even faster. Well done for creating such a user friendly application. Highly recommended." John Goodchild, Fixamac Software, USA

"I purchased CDFinder 4.1.1 some months back and love it! I've told many of my photographer friends about it and all agree it is the perfect, simple way to catalog the contents CDs and DVDs. Thanks for creating such a simple alternative to some of the stupidly complex cataloging programs." Gary P., USA