# Pages vs Microsoft Word

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pages at none against Microsoft Word's 13. Pages also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 37%). Microsoft Word's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#14 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft Word sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Pages asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pages against 4.7 for Microsoft Word. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Word has 3M ratings behind it against 551K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Pages's written reviews are positive against 37% of Microsoft Word's.

Pages ships an update every 3 months, Microsoft Word weekly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pages | Microsoft Word |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (551K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pages-create-documents/id361309726/reviews) | **[4.7 (3M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-word/id586447913/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 551K | **3M** |
| Positive reviews | **59.4% of reviews** | 36.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#14** |
| Size | 656 MB | 527 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) |

## What reviewers say

### Pages

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pages-create-documents/id361309726)

Create visually appealing documents with a wide range of templates and editing tools. Enhance your work with multimedia, track changes, and collaborate seamlessly. Offers advanced features for writing, design, and presentation.

**Highlights:** Apple-designed templates, Add images, video, audio, Track changes and comments, Screen View for mobile editing, Interactive EPUB creation, Drawing and annotation with Apple Pencil, Writing Tools for AI assistance

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Versatile writing app
- 🎨 Excellent creative features
- 🤝 Collaborative capabilities
- 📚 Great for writing books/stories
- 🏫 Useful for school/work documents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Difficult to find/organize documents
- 🖋️ Frustrating cursor and text editing
- 🔄 Inconsistent sync and file management
- 🔢 Limited font and formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- Documents disappearing or failing to save
- Keyboard freezing and unresponsive typing
- Formatting issues when importing/exporting files
- Compatibility problems with older devices/OS versions

**Requested features**

- Add more font and formatting options
- Improve cursor and text editing controls
- Streamline document organization and search
- Enhance sync and offline editing capabilities
- Integrate grammar/spelling correction tools


### Microsoft Word

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-word/id586447913)

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Grossing · Productivity, #15 Top Free · Productivity, #95 Top Free, #189 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Create, edit, and share documents on your mobile device. This powerful word processor offers templates, formatting tools, and collaborative features to help you write impactful text documents, resumes, and more. Your office moves with you, allowing for seamless editing and sharing from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Create and edit documents, Modern templates, Rich formatting and layout options, Reading view, Collaborate with comments, Version history, Simplified sharing

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Office 365 Personal | $5.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $6.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Home | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal Student | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Microsoft Copilot Pro | $20.00 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $69.99 | per year |
| Office 365 Home | $99.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless sync between devices
- 📝 Great for writing and editing
- 🔒 Secure document storage
- 💡 Helpful for school and work

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss
- ⏱️ Laggy and slow performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription required
- 🤔 Limited functionality compared to desktop

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent saving and syncing between devices
- Cursor positioning issues when editing text
- Formatting problems when importing documents
- Unreliable text selection and highlighting

**Requested features**

- Improved mouse/trackpad support
- Built-in citation and bibliography tools
- More customization options for formatting
- Ability to edit documents offline


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pages free?

Pages is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Microsoft Word free?

Microsoft Word is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pages or Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word is rated higher. Pages averages 4.6 out of 5 from 551K ratings, while Microsoft Word averages 4.7 from 3M ratings.

### Do Pages or Microsoft Word have ads?

Neither Pages nor Microsoft Word shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pages or Microsoft Word?

Pages ships an update every 3 months, and Microsoft Word weekly. Most recently, Pages was updated on September 25, 2026 and Microsoft Word on September 25, 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.*