Comparison

Papyrus vs PagePrep

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

Head to head
About

Papyrus

Features
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Is your current note app slow? Meet a truly lightweight note app. - It's free β€” with no stingy limit on the number of notes. - Trimmed of every bit of bloat, yet complete with the features you actually need. - Open as many notes as you like with no slowdown, and PDFs load blazingly fast. - Import and edit notes from another popular note app. - Import by the folder β€” the hierarchy is preserved. [GoodNotes Import] Import .goodnotes files. Strokes, images, shapes, and masks are reproduced almost perfectly. [Handwriting] A custom vector drawing engine delivers extremely lightweight, high-precision ink. Five tools are built in: Pen, Highlighter, Eraser, Lasso, and Mask. Anything selected with the Lasso can be copied, moved, deleted, or duplicated. Mask is a study aid β€” cover what you want to memorize with the pen, then tap to peek underneath. Straight-line snapping and shape recognition (rectangles, circles, lines, and more) are also supported. [PDF Import & Annotation] Import a PDF and write directly on its pages. Switch between four page layouts: continuous scroll, single page, horizontal, and two-page spread. [File Organization] Organize your notes with a Finder-like file browser, creating folders freely. Switch between list and grid views, and move files and folders by drag and drop. A Trash lets you restore notes you deleted by mistake. [Tabs & Split View (iPad)] Open multiple notes at once in tabs. On iPad, split the screen to view and edit two notes side by side (Split View). [Page Sidebar] Swipe in from the left edge to reveal page thumbnails. Press and hold a thumbnail to reorder pages, and select multiple pages to delete, copy, and paste. [Images] Paste images from Photos, Files, or the clipboard. [Export] Export notes and PDFs as a "PDF for submission/printing," a "fast annotation PDF" (PDF annotations only), or a "Papyrus Archive" (.papyrus). [Apple Pencil] - iPad: draw with Apple Pencil only; pan and zoom with your finger. - iPhone: draw with your finger while the compact ink palette is open; otherwise pan and zoom. - With Apple Pencil Pro, use the squeeze gesture to bring up the hover palette. About Papyrus Sync (Subscription) iCloud sync and sharing are available through the "Papyrus Sync" subscription (monthly or yearly, auto-renewing). All core features β€” note-taking, PDF annotation, and more β€” are completely free. - Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. - The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage your subscription or turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings after purchase. - Prices are shown in the app and may vary by region. Terms of Use (EULA): https://coremedica.jp/pages/legal/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://coremedica.jp/pages/legal/privacy-policy

About

PagePrep

Features
Read 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

Papyrus4 screens
PagePrep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Papyrus at every 4 days against PagePrep's monthly. PagePrep's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Papyrus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and PagePrep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Papyrus ships an update every 4 days, PagePrep monthly. The most recent releases landed on August 28, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Papyrus versus PagePrep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPapyrusPagePrep
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size11 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwaraku kobayashiPrashant Angyan

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Papyrus

Subscriptions2
  • Papyrus Sync Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Papyrus Sync Yearly$9.991 Year
1 purchases

PagePrep

One-time1
  • Unlimited Exports$6.99

Questions

Is Papyrus free?
Papyrus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PagePrep free?
PagePrep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Papyrus or PagePrep have ads?
Neither Papyrus nor PagePrep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Papyrus or PagePrep?
Papyrus ships an update every 4 days, and PagePrep monthly. Most recently, Papyrus was updated on August 28, 2026 and PagePrep on September 23, 2026.

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