Brain Dump vs Now
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Brain Dump
This minimalist note-taking app lets you capture ideas instantly with a distraction-free interface. It offers AI-powered answers to your notes and can transform them into various formats like summaries, to-do lists, or emails.
- Instant writing on launch
- AI-powered questions and answers from notes
- Create summaries, lists, emails, and more from notes
- Minimalist, distraction-free interface
- Organize notes with folders
- Merge notes easily
- iCloud backup for cross-device access
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A thought shows up while you're in the middle of something else. By the time you've opened a notes app and picked a folder, it's gone. Brain Dump opens straight to a blank note. Write it down, get back to what you were doing, and sort it out later. Made for ADHD brains and anyone who switches tasks all day. WRITE FIRST, SORT LATER • Opens on a new note, or right where you left off. You choose. • Freewriting space: empty your head across as many notes as you need, then save them all to a folder at once. • No title, no folder, no setup needed before you start typing. CAPTURE FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for a new note, your last note, or Freewriting • Control Center and Action Button controls (iOS 18 and later) • Siri and Shortcuts: "New note", "Resume note" • Share sheet: save text and links from other apps • Menu bar access on Mac GET BACK ON TRACK • Jump back into your last note from a widget, a control, or Siri • Reminders on any note, so it comes back when you need it • Alarms that ring even with a Focus mode on (iOS 26 and later) • Location reminders when you arrive at or leave a place (iPhone and iPad, Premium) • Checklists with tappable checkboxes • Search, pinned notes, tags, and nested folders for when you're ready to organize TURN A MESSY DUMP INTO SOMETHING USEFUL • Create: turn notes into a to-do list, summary, email, meeting report, flashcards, and more • Ask: ask questions about what you've written • Rewrite and fix grammar in Freewriting • Merge several notes into one, in the order you choose The free plan includes 3 AI uses every month. CALM BY DESIGN • Three looks: Standard, Minimal, or Essential with no icons and no color • High-focus and dyslexia-friendly fonts, adjustable text size • Background sounds while you write • Light and dark mode YOUR NOTES, EVERYWHERE • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Optional Brain Dump account: back up your notes and sync them across your devices • Brain Dump on the web at app.getbraindump.com • Share a note or folder by link: anyone can read and edit in their browser, no account needed • Import from Apple Notes and Evernote • Export to plain text, HTML, RTF, Markdown, or Word (Markdown and Word with Premium) WHAT PEOPLE SAY "Finally, a notes app that gets how my brain works." (App Store review) FREE TO START Writing, quick capture, Freewriting, and merging notes are free. Brain Dump Focus unlocks unlimited reminders and alarms, location reminders, more AI, unlimited tags, and more export formats. Or get Lifetime for everything except AI, with a one-time purchase. Brain Dump is a notes app. It isn't a medical device or a treatment. Questions or ideas? Write to braindump.help@gmail.com
Now
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One task. One small step. A simpler way to get started. Now helps you clear your head, choose what matters and begin with a short, visible timer. It's built for anyone who finds starting hard, including many people with ADHD, and it's free to use with no account. START ONE TASK The Now screen shows one task, one concrete first step, and a big start button. No endless list. Type a task like "Clean the kitchen" and Now suggests a first step like "Put five dishes in the sink". You can edit it, choose another, or make it smaller. GET UNSTUCK Tap "I'm stuck" and pick what's in the way: don't know where to start, too big, low energy, distracted, waiting on something, or need a break. Each answer gives you one practical next move, such as 2 to 5 editable steps, the tiniest version of the task, or a timed break. START WITH TWO MINUTES A calm visual ring counts down two minutes. You can pause, resume, stop early or keep going. Ending early still counts. Timers keep correct time when your phone is locked or the app is closed, and a notification can let you know when time is up. FOCUS YOUR WAY After your start, choose 5, 10, 15 or 25 minutes, a custom length, or no timer at all. Breaks are built in. CLEAR YOUR HEAD Brain Dump gives you one big box for everything on your mind. Type it, or use the keyboard's microphone to dictate. Now splits it into tasks, and nothing is lost. Then pick one thing to start. KEEP YOUR PLAN SIMPLE The daily plan holds up to three tasks: one main, one smaller, one optional bonus. Everything else waits in a private parking lot (Later, Someday, Waiting, Completed), and nothing is automatically deleted. Unfinished tasks never pile onto tomorrow. MATCH YOUR ENERGY Comfy, Balanced or Turbo. You choose the pace, and you can change it anytime. SEE YOUR TIME Progress shows the facts: tasks finished, two-minute starts, recorded focus time, and days with a finished task. Time Mirror compares your estimates with the time you actually recorded. MEET MOCHI (OPTIONAL) Mochi is a small companion that naps while you focus and celebrates quietly when you finish. It grows with the tasks you complete. It's never needy or sad, and you can hide it with one switch. QUIET MODE Hide Mochi and decoration so you see just the task, the timer and the next step. You can also turn off Sparks and rewards, reduce animations, and silence sounds. Now respects Reduce Motion and works with VoiceOver and Dynamic Type. FREE AND PRO Free forever: the one-task screen, two-minute starter, Stuck button, task breakdown, unlimited tasks, Brain Dump, focus timers, daily plan and parking lot, reminders, Quiet Mode, and full data export. Now Pro adds routines, full Time Mirror history and insights, full task history with spreadsheet (CSV) export, and premium Mochi customization. Pro costs $4.99/month, $29.99/year or $59.99 once for lifetime (US prices; local prices are shown in the app). The yearly plan may include a free trial for eligible new subscribers, and the app shows this before you buy. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage them in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Optional one-time cosmetic purchases (the characters Blaze, Luna and Nova, and Sparks packs) only change how your companion looks. PRIVATE BY DESIGN There's no account. Your tasks, notes and history are stored on your iPhone. Export or delete them anytime. Purchases are processed by Apple, and RevenueCat receives an anonymous identifier to confirm your subscription. Your tasks are never sent. Now is a productivity-support tool. It does not diagnose, treat or manage ADHD or any medical condition. Terms: https://61ffklb56je1kkdm9fhht-web.rork.live/terms Privacy: https://61ffklb56je1kkdm9fhht-web.rork.live/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Brain Dump at weekly against Now's every 2 months. Brain Dump also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Brain Dump sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Now sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Brain Dump ships an update weekly, Now every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Brain Dump | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (64 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Francesco Leoni | James Gray |
In-app purchases
Brain Dump
- Weekly$3.997 Days
- Pro: Monthly Clarity$3.991 Month
- Monthly$10.991 Month
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Pro: Yearly Serenity$34.991 Year
- Yearly$99.991 Year
- BrainDump Ask Drops$4.99
- Lifetime$39.99
Now
- Now Monthly$4.991 Month
- Now Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Spark Pouch$1.99
- Luna the Moon Bunny$2.99
- Blaze the Fox$2.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Nova the Star Pup$4.99
- Spark Chest$4.99
- Now Lifetime$59.99









