Comparison

Clear vs BackDate

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

Head to head
About

Clear

This app offers a minimalist interface for managing tasks and reminders with intuitive gestures. Organize anything from daily to-dos to complex projects with customizable themes and a unique heatmap feature.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Gesture-based task management
  • Customizable themes and icons
  • Heatmap for task prioritization
  • Flexible list creation
  • Reminders and routines
Features
Read full description

Over 270 million tasks checked off in Clear. Here's why so many find it uniquely productive: BEAUTIFULLY MINIMAL Zero on-screen clutter. Just you and your thoughts, as it should be. FORM & FUNCTION Clear's colorful heatmap is stylish and useful, highlighting your most important tasks for triage. PERSONALIZABLE Make Clear perfectly yours with color themes, icons, font options and more. FLUENT GESTURES Swipe to check off to ascending musical chimes and see why Clear's trademark gestures make it frictionless to dump the clutter in your head into its heat mapped lists. SIMPLE & FLEXIBLE There’s a whole world of listing past the iconic daily to-do or grocery list. Anything cluttering your head is likely perfect to store in a tidy list in Clear: Daily Kanban (Today, Tomorrow, Next Day lists to drag & drop between) Upcoming Reminders Routines List Priority Lists Errands & Chores Bucket List Treat Yourself Work Project Checklist Watch List (Shows & Movies) Play List (Video Games) Subscriptions & Budgeting Lists Read List Tier Lists or Top 10 Lists Recipes Lists Simple Journal or Notes Trip & Event Plans Gym Workout List

About

BackDate

Features
Read full description

BackDate helps you reach important goals by planning backward from your target date. Whether you are preparing for an exam, launching a project, or hitting a personal milestone, BackDate breaks your goal into clear, actionable steps and shows exactly what to do next. Key features: - Backward planning from a goal deadline - Visual timeline of milestones and dependencies - Progress tracking with weekly momentum insights - Goal templates to get started faster - Calendar sync for milestone dates - Smart reminders and digest notifications - Shareable progress summary cards Free plan: - Up to 2 active goals - Core timeline and tracking features Lifetime unlock (one-time purchase): - Unlimited goals - Premium templates - Smart re-planning - On-track intelligence - Calendar + reminder automation - Step notes No subscription required.

Screenshots

Clear4 screens
BackDate4 screens

Verdict

The call

Clear and BackDate are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Clear sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and BackDate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Clear versus BackDate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClearBackDate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5.2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.2K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size196 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperImpendingChris Harris

Bugs and requests

Clear

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Text input issues on iOS 16 update
  • List items disappearing after updates
  • Syncing problems across devices
  • Crashes and performance issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • Restore iCloud sync capability
  • Add undo/restore deleted items feature
  • Improve reminders and due dates functionality
  • Introduce a one-time purchase option
  • Develop a desktop/web version
Show 1 more
  • Improve list management and organization

BackDate

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Clear

Subscriptions3
  • Legacy Clear Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Clear Pro$3.991 Month
  • Legacy Clear Pro Annual$24.991 Year
One-time7
  • Bonus Sound PackFree
  • GulkaveFree
  • Cormorant GaramondFree
Show 4 more
  • Chicago FLFFree
  • Pocket MonkFree
  • 8-Bit Sound Pack$1.99
  • Sci-Fi Sound Pack$2.99
1 purchases

BackDate

One-time1
  • Premium access to BackDate Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is Clear free?
Clear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BackDate free?
BackDate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Clear or BackDate have ads?
Neither Clear nor BackDate shows ads.

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