Comparison

Gather vs presentOS

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

Head to head
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

About

presentOS

Features
Read full description

presentOS is the operating system for Modern Makers: a daily companion designed to help you overcome creative resistance, find focus, and do your best work. Everyone has a project they keep putting off. A book. A business. A portfolio. Something they know they should be making but aren't. presentOS exists for that moment: the one where you stop scrolling and start. SENSEI Your personal AI coach for navigating creative blocks, finding your next project, and building the habits that keep you going. Trained on real frameworks from working makers. Ask anything. FLOW Drop into deep focus with guided breathwork, timed sessions, and mood-adaptive atmospheres. Track your streaks and build a consistent creative practice — one session at a time. LIBRARY A hand-picked collection of essays, interviews, principles, and book summaries from makers who've done the work — not influencers, not gurus, just people who ship. START Your daily launchpad. Reminders, inspiration, and everything you need to begin each day with intention — not anxiety. Built by PRESENT: a creative practice community of 244+ makers, the Do The Thing book, and bi-weekly Consistency Club workshops. For the ones who make things.

Screenshots

Gather4 screens
presentOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: presentOS at none against Gather's 7. Gather's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 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. presentOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gather ships an update every 6 weeks, presentOS every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Gather versus presentOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGatherpresentOS
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (29 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings29 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpencer ChangHugo Hoppmann

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
None

presentOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Gather free?
Gather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is presentOS free?
presentOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Gather or presentOS have ads?
Neither Gather nor presentOS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gather or presentOS?
Gather ships an update every 6 weeks, and presentOS every 5 months. Most recently, Gather was updated on October 7, 2026 and presentOS on October 9, 2026.

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