TimeStory vs PDF Indexer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TimeStory
Create visual timelines for projects, journals, and histories with intuitive touch gestures. Easily add images, customize appearance, and export your work in various formats. Optimized for iPad with Apple Pencil and multitasking support.
- Create graphical timelines
- Add photos and image files
- Divide timeline into sections
- Import custom icons
- Customize appearance (colors, fonts, shapes)
- Export in PDF or PNG format
- Apple Pencil and keyboard support
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TimeStory for iPad/iPhone is a paid app (one-time purchase or annual subscription) for creating graphical timelines--project plans, roadmaps, personal journals, histories, and more, on scales from days to centuries--quickly and easily, while avoiding the complexity of project management tools. The free download lets you open, view, and share timelines created on TimeStory for Mac. If you want to create and edit timelines on your iPad/iPhone, you can activate the built-in free trial, and then, if you choose, pay once or subscribe annually. The free trial does not auto-renew into a subscription, so there’s no risk. Use natural touchscreen gestures to navigate and scale the timeline. Create an event just by tapping one of the New Event buttons then tapping or dragging on the timeline where you want it. Attach photos or image files. Divide your timeline into sections. Import your own SVG or PNG icons to mark points in time. Apply background colors, fonts, event shapes, text alignment, and more. Share your work in PDF or PNG format, exporting an entire timeline or just a section of it. On iPad, TimeStory has great support for Apple Pencil and external keyboards and pointers, works great in Split View and other multitasking modes, and supports multiple windows so you can open multiple documents at once or keep it open next to your research. Versions: This version of TimeStory was built to natively support iPad and iPhone. **Note: TimeStory for Mac is a separate purchase.** More info at https://timestory.app/get/ Web: Learn more on our website (https://timestory.app/), with example timelines, release history, and documentation. (Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/)
PDF Indexer
This app creates fast navigation for PDFs by turning title-to-page mappings into searchable indexes. It allows you to import mappings from various file formats and opens directly to the mapped page within the PDF. All data is stored locally on your device for privacy.
- Search across multiple indexed PDFs
- Exact, prefix, substring, and alias matching
- Jump directly to mapped pages
- Import mappings from CSV, JSON, XLSX, and text
- Page-offset calibration
- Mapping correction and export
- Local-first data storage
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PDF Indexer turns a separate title-to-page mapping into fast navigation for a PDF. Choose a PDF, add its index, and search titles across your library. On import, the app divides the PDF into private on-device sections at indexed title pages and removes its temporary full-size copy. A result opens only the matching section at the mapped PDF page. Page offsets handle documents whose printed page numbers do not match their PDF positions. Import mappings from CSV, JSON, XLSX, pasted text, or manual entry. Review validation warnings before saving, correct individual rows later, replace a mapping without copying the PDF again, and export a mapping as CSV or JSON. PDF Indexer is local-first. It needs no account and has no publisher-operated analytics or app-run cloud service. Your app library stays in private device storage unless you choose to export a mapping. The free app may show non-personalized banner ads after any required privacy choices. PDFs, mappings, titles, and searches are not sent to the ad service. See the Privacy Policy for operating-system backup details. Highlights: • Search across multiple indexed PDFs • Exact, prefix, substring, and alias matching • Jump directly to mapped pages • CSV, JSON, XLSX, pasted-text, and manual mapping input • Page-offset calibration and bounds validation • Mapping correction, replacement, and export • Missing-file recovery without losing the mapping • Light and dark appearance PDFs and mappings are supplied by the user. PDF Indexer does not include third-party books or indexes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PDF Indexer at 5.0 against TimeStory's 3.7. PDF Indexer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks). TimeStory's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. TimeStory sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. PDF Indexer asks for nothing beyond the download.
PDF Indexer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
TimeStory ships an update every 6 weeks, PDF Indexer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TimeStory | PDF Indexer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Casual Programmer, LLC | MATTHEW BYONG BAE |
Customer experience
TimeStory
PDF Indexer
In-app purchases
TimeStory
- Annual Subscription$14.991 Year
- Two-Week TrialFree
- One-Time Purchase$39.99
PDF Indexer
No in-app purchases









