Comparison

CalmCast vs Marginalias

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CalmCast

Transform your environment into a sanctuary with a curated collection of nature and focus sounds. Enhance productivity, relaxation, and sleep with authentic recordings and background playback. Customize your sound library for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • Authentic nature sound recordings
  • Focus and productivity ambient sounds
  • Sleep and relaxation soundscapes
  • Background playback functionality
  • Personalized sound library customization
  • Elegant light and dark themes
Features
Read full description

CalmCast - Your Personal Sound Sanctuary Find Your Perfect Calm Transform any environment into your personal sanctuary with CalmCast, the ultimate app for background relaxation and focus sounds. Whether you're working, studying, meditating, or simply need to unwind, our carefully curated collection of nature's finest sounds will transport you to a world of tranquility. --> Nature Sounds Collection Dive into a world of authentic nature recordings that bring the outdoors to your fingertips. From gentle rain falling on leaves to the soothing rhythm of ocean waves, each sound is meticulously captured to provide the most authentic and calming experience possible. --> Focus & Productivity Sounds Boost your concentration and productivity with our specially designed focus sounds. Whether you're working from home, studying for exams, or tackling creative projects, our ambient sounds create the perfect backdrop for deep work and sustained attention. --> Sleep & Relaxation Create the perfect environment for restful sleep and deep relaxation. Our sleep-inducing sounds help quiet your mind and prepare your body for restorative rest, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Background Playback Continue enjoying your calming sounds even when using other apps or when your device is locked. Our persistent playback ensures uninterrupted tranquility throughout your day. Always Accessible Quick access to your favorite sounds with our intelligent "Preferred Sound" feature that learns from your listening habits and provides instant access to your most-loved calming sounds. Personalized Experience Customize your sound library by hiding sounds you don't use and creating your perfect collection. Our intelligent system learns your preferences and suggests sounds that match your current needs. Beautiful Design Enjoy a stunning interface that adapts to your preferences with light and dark themes. The elegant design creates a seamless, distraction-free experience that enhances your relaxation journey. Perfect for Every Moment Morning Routine: Start your day with gentle nature sounds that energize and center you Work Sessions: Maintain focus and productivity with ambient background sounds Study Time: Create the ideal environment for learning and concentration Meditation: Enhance your practice with authentic nature recordings Sleep Preparation: Wind down with soothing sounds that prepare your mind and body for rest Stress Relief: Find instant calm during busy or overwhelming moments Why Choose CalmCast? Unlike other sound apps, CalmCast focuses on authentic, high-quality recordings that truly transport you to natural environments. Our sounds are carefully selected and processed to provide the most therapeutic and calming experience possible. Terms of service and EULA: https://www.delattre.me/calmcast/terms

About

Marginalias

Features
Read full description

Keep the quotation with its source. Marginalias is a private reading desk for text-based PDFs, plain text and Markdown, with exact evidence clips, local search and optional on-device AI. NEW IN 4.0 • Search extracted document text across your library and open a matching passage with its source reference. • Save a portable document backup and preview it before adding restored documents as new copies. • Create a paginated PDF evidence dossier containing visible clips, notes, source references and local source-check results. • A clearer reading desk, roomier iPad utility screens, improved contrast and explicitly labeled sample material. READ AND FIND Import your own files or paste text. Filter document titles or search a phrase across extracted text. Full-text search ignores case and accents and shows up to three passages per document and 100 results. Sources that cannot be read are reported separately. Search and reading do not require Apple Intelligence. BUILD AN EVIDENCE BOARD Open a document and choose Clip evidence. Enter an exact, case-sensitive passage of at least three characters, choose an occurrence, then add a topic and note. Collect quotations across documents, verify them against the local text, and share the visible board as Markdown or a PDF dossier. Up to 32 occurrences, 256 saved clips and 1 MiB of board data. Deleting a source document keeps its clips until you remove them separately. A source hash identifies a local text version. A matching quote and hash do not prove truth, authorship, publication history or reuse rights. Dossiers include local source status and do not embed the original documents. BACK UP DOCUMENTS Save extracted text, PDF page references, document details and saved summaries or extracts in readable JSON. Restore validates the file and adds new copies without replacing existing documents. Repeated imports create additional copies. Limits: 1,000 documents, 5,000 saved outputs, 16 million text characters and 64 MiB per backup. Document backups exclude original PDFs, images and layout, Evidence Board clips and temporary Ask conversations. Keep original files separately and export evidence from Evidence Board. ON-DEVICE AI WHEN AVAILABLE Generate summaries, ask questions using retrieved excerpts, and extract key points, action items, outlines or glossary terms. Review supporting excerpts and source positions, then copy or share output. AI can make mistakes and may use only part of a document; verify important conclusions against the source. A supported device, language and available Apple Intelligence model are required. The app explains unavailable AI without preventing reading, search, clipping or backup. YOUR WORK, YOUR DESTINATIONS One purchase, no subscription or separate in-app purchase. No account, developer analytics or advertising SDKs. Marginalias does not upload documents or AI output to a developer server. Exports and shared files go where you choose; device backups and Files providers may copy data to cloud storage. Backups are readable, not encrypted by the app. Designed for iPhone and iPad, with light, dark and system appearance. Imported PDFs must contain extractable text; original page graphics and layout are not retained.

Screenshots

CalmCast4 screens
Marginalias4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CalmCast at Free against Marginalias's $3.99. CalmCast also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (18.5 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

CalmCast is free to download; Marginalias costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CalmCast ships an update weekly, Marginalias every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
CalmCast versus Marginalias: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalmCastMarginalias
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.5 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size270 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEric DelattreRobert Corbin

In-app purchases

None

CalmCast

No in-app purchases

None

Marginalias

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CalmCast free?
CalmCast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Marginalias free?
Marginalias costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do CalmCast or Marginalias have ads?
Neither CalmCast nor Marginalias shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CalmCast or Marginalias?
CalmCast ships an update weekly, and Marginalias every 2 months. Most recently, CalmCast was updated on October 28, 2026 and Marginalias on November 5, 2026.

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