Maelstrom vs PagePrep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Maelstrom
Read full descriptionHide full description
Maelstrom helps you stick to your routines and habits. Create routines by breaking them down into individual tasks with a duration. When you start a routine, the app will guide you through it one task at a time with a timer. When the time is up, it will alert you to move on to the next task to make sure you complete the routine. Additional features include: - Individual task schedules (e.g. "Journal every Sunday") - Minimum time for positive habits (e.g. "Read for at least 5 minutes") If this sounds helpful, give it a try. The app is free without subscriptions, ads or tracking. It is a personal project with no commercial intention.
PagePrep
Read full descriptionHide full description
PagePrep adds space to write on a PDF. Widen the margins, insert blank or lined pages between the slides, then write your notes in Preview, Markup, or your note app. It also splits one file into two, merges several into one, makes a picture-heavy file smaller, trims wasted space, and reorders pages. PagePrep changes page size and page order instead of flattening the page to an image, so your text stays selectable and your links keep working. You open a PDF to write on it and there is nowhere to put your notes. The margins are tight and there is no blank space to work out a problem. Preview and Markup let you annotate, but they cannot add room to the page. PagePrep adds the room first. Save the file back to Files and write on it in Apple's Preview app or Markup, no extra app to buy. It also opens in GoodNotes, Notability, or forScore if that is your setup. ADD WRITING MARGINS Give any page room to write. Set the top, bottom, left, or right margin, or pick Small, Medium, or Large. Apply it to one page or the whole document and watch it update live. INSERT BLANK OR LINED PAGES Add a blank or ruled page between or after any page, sized to match the page next to it so the document scrolls evenly. Good for working a proof beside a problem set, or leaving a clean page after each slide. MERGE, SPLIT, REORDER Combine slides, readings, and problem sets into one study file. Pull a range of pages out into a new file. Drag thumbnails to reorder. Select pages and tap Delete. TRIM WASTED MARGINS Crop oversized whitespace to fit more on screen, without cutting into the content. COMPRESS A BIG FILE Make a scanned or picture-heavy PDF smaller before you email it. PagePrep re-saves the pictures inside at a smaller size and leaves everything else alone. Text that was selectable stays selectable, and links keep working. You see the old size and the new size before you keep the change. A file with few pictures may not get smaller, and PagePrep tells you so. IMAGES TO PDF Turn photos of handouts or worksheets into PDF pages, then use the same page tools on them. WHY PAGEPREP - Keeps your selectable text and your links working - Your PDF files never leave your device - No account, no sign-in, no ads - Write on it in Apple's Preview or Markup, or any note app The first 6 exports are free. After that, one purchase of $6.99 gives you unlimited exports for good. No subscription, ever.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Maelstrom at none against PagePrep's 1. Maelstrom also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). PagePrep's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. PagePrep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Maelstrom asks for nothing beyond the download.
Maelstrom ships an update every 8 months, PagePrep monthly. Both last shipped on October 9, 2026.
| Parameter | Maelstrom | PagePrep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Monthly โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Helm | Prashant Angyan |
In-app purchases
Maelstrom
No in-app purchases
PagePrep
- Unlimited Exports$6.99









