Comparison

mtu vs Gather

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

Head to head
About

mtu

Features
Read full description

With a tap of your finger, you record times when you interrupt or end activities. This way you create an interval. Your work is interrupted by a phone call? You only need to tap once each at the beginning and end of the phone call to record the interruption. Later you can categorize the interval with a tag or even enter who called you. This way you can create a list of your daily routine: with leisure times, breaks, working times or project times... However you want it! * Create tags to categorize your intervals quickly and at any time. * Create your own folders to group intervals of multiple tags. * Export a folder as text - with adjustable time grid. Find out how long you really need to complete tasks! mtu is your little helper for that. That's mtu - My Time Usage

About

Gather

Capture and organize your ideas, moments, and inspirations with a multimedia field recorder. This privacy-focused app allows quick collection of text, images, and videos, with offline functionality and on-device storage.

Highlights
  • Offline functionality
  • Privacy-focused, no ads or tracking
  • Quick multimedia capture
  • Organize and connect notes
  • Review moments in a feed
  • Are.na integration
  • Open-source
Features
Read full description

Develop your curiosity and personal taste with Gather, a multimedia field recorder for cultivating your personal archive of ideas, moments, and rituals. Key Features: * Offline-Capable: Full functionality without internet connection * Privacy-Focused: No ads, no logins, no tracking and all data is stored on-device* * Quick Capture: Collect everyday inspiration and moments on-the-go as fast as texting yourself * Organize: Connect unorganized blocks later while in transit or after getting home, so you don’t have to worry about organizing when collecting. * Review: Revisit your favorite moments and curb your social media addiction while scratching your scroll itch in a TikTok-like feed Additional Benefits: * Multimedia support: collect text, images, videos, and links! Support for more types like audio on the horizon * Are.na Integration: Sync selected collections and blocks to give them an online home * Personalization: Customize app icons and configure the interface through detailed settings * Share extension: quickly save text, images, and links from other apps * Open-Source: Transparent, secure, and community-driven Gather was developed by a person (Spencer) for their own use, which means it has the best interests of the person using it in mind. No dark patterns or corporate shenanigans, ever. * this doesn’t include content that you decide to sync to external providers --- Gather is made and maintained by Spencer Chang, an indie engineer and internet artist based in San Francisco, California. You can learn more about the philosophy behind Gather in this interview with Are.na (https://www.are.na/editorial/an-interview-with-spencer-chang) Gather emerged from a personal need for a tool to facilitate my own archival practice—something that helped me collect the daily inspiration I encountered, connect them to relevant containers, and revisit ideas that important to me. More info: https://gather.directory/ Privacy Policy: https://gather.directory/privacy

Screenshots

mtu4 screens
Gather4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: mtu at none against Gather's 7. Gather's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Gather sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. mtu asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

mtu ships an update every 3 months, Gather every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
mtu versus Gather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermtuGather
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (32 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—32 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKLAUS HAFNERSpencer Chang

In-app purchases

None

mtu

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Gather

One-time7
  • Gather Contribution$2.99
  • Gather Contribution$5.99
  • Gather Contribution$9.99
Show 4 more
  • Gather Contribution$12.99
  • Gather Contribution$34.99
  • Gather Contribution$59.99
  • Gather Contribution$99.99

Questions

Is mtu free?
mtu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gather free?
Gather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do mtu or Gather have ads?
Neither mtu nor Gather shows ads.
Which is updated more often, mtu or Gather?
mtu ships an update every 3 months, and Gather every 6 weeks. Most recently, mtu was updated on November 7, 2026 and Gather on November 3, 2026.

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