# Collage Maker ▫ vs Side by Side Photos, Collages

The clearest difference is ads: Collage Maker ▫ at none against Side by Side Photos, Collages's shown. Collage Maker ▫ also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (5.3K vs 339). Side by Side Photos, Collages's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 64%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Collage Maker ▫ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Side by Side Photos, Collages sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Collage Maker ▫ against 4.6 for Side by Side Photos, Collages. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Collage Maker ▫ has 5.3K ratings behind it against 339, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Collage Maker ▫'s written reviews are positive against 78% of Side by Side Photos, Collages's.

Collage Maker ▫ ships an update every 3 weeks, Side by Side Photos, Collages every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Collage Maker ▫ | Side by Side Photos, Collages |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (5.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/collage-maker/id1511887923/reviews) | **[4.6 (339 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/side-by-side-photos-collages/id6443944539/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.3K** | 339 |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | **78.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 134 MB | 148 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GREEN DYGITAL CONSULTING LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1482111344) | [Andrew Lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1206652057) |

## What reviewers say

### Collage Maker ▫

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/collage-maker/id1511887923)

Easily combine your favorite photos into stunning collages with a wide variety of templates, backgrounds, and decorative elements. Add text, stickers, and doodles to personalize your creations and share them instantly on social media.

**Highlights:** Create collages with stylish layouts, Edit layouts with frames, colors, and patterns, Decorate with thousands of stickers and doodles, Add expressive text with funky fonts, Export and share instantly to social media

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Collage Maker - Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Lots of free options
- 👍 Great for creating collages
- 👍 Helpful for before and after photos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes and crashes
- 🔍 Difficult to control layout
- 💸 Excessive ads and review prompts
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔍 Trouble loading additional photos

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes on collage selection screen
- Can't exit ads to continue using the app
- Deleting photos from phone also deletes them from the app

**Requested features**

- Add ability to zoom in/out on photos
- Improve layout control and positioning
- Reduce frequency of ads and review prompts
- Expand customization options for layouts and frames


### Side by Side Photos, Collages

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/side-by-side-photos-collages/id6443944539)

Easily create stunning photo collages and edit images for social media. Combine pictures vertically or horizontally, split them into grids, and add text or watermarks. Optimize images for Instagram with square-fit and giant square options.

**Highlights:** Create photo collages with templates, Watermark and add text to photos, Size pictures for Instagram (square-fit), Stitch and combine photos vertically/horizontally, Split photos into multiple pictures/layouts, Create Giant Square photos for profiles, Remove photo backgrounds with AI (Premium)

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GridMatic Premium: Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| GridMatic Premium: 1 Week | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| GridMatic Pro 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| GridMatic Pro 1 Week | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| GridMatic: Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| GridMatic: Premium | $44.99 | per year |
| GridMatic: Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| GridMatic Premium: 1 Year | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Simple and straightforward
- 💡 Useful for creating collages
- 🤩 Great for photo editing
- 🎨 Lots of layout options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤑 Not actually free
- 🔒 Requires subscription
- 🙄 Deceptive about being free
- 😒 Useless free version
- 🤯 Bait and switch tactics

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Crashes occasionally

**Requested features**

- Allow access to photo albums
- Add dark mode option
- Improve free version functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Collage Maker ▫ free?

Collage Maker ▫ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Side by Side Photos, Collages free?

Side by Side Photos, Collages is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Collage Maker ▫ or Side by Side Photos, Collages?

Side by Side Photos, Collages is rated higher. Collage Maker ▫ averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5.3K ratings, while Side by Side Photos, Collages averages 4.6 from 339 ratings.

### Do Collage Maker ▫ or Side by Side Photos, Collages have ads?

Side by Side Photos, Collages shows ads; Collage Maker ▫ does not.

### Which is updated more often, Collage Maker ▫ or Side by Side Photos, Collages?

Collage Maker ▫ ships an update every 3 weeks, and Side by Side Photos, Collages every 2 months. Most recently, Collage Maker ▫ was updated on November 7, 2026 and Side by Side Photos, Collages on November 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*