Comparison

Brain Dump vs Perch

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

Head to head
About

Brain Dump

Features
Read full description

Your thoughts move fast. Brain Dump keeps up. You know that feeling. Ideas firing, mental to-do lists stacking up, half-formed plans dissolving before you can write them down. Brain Dump catches every thought before it disappears. Just talk. The app listens, extracts your tasks, and organizes them so your brain doesn't have to hold it all. TALK IT OUT, GET IT DONE Open the app, hit record, and say everything on your mind. Ramble about your day, rattle off errands, vent about that project you've been avoiding. Brain Dump pulls out the actual tasks from your stream of consciousness and turns them into a clear, actionable list. No formatting. No typing. Just talk. BUILT FOR HOW ADHD BRAINS ACTUALLY WORK Most task managers assume you already know what you need to do and have the executive function to type it in neatly. Brain Dump doesn't. It meets you where you are (scattered, overwhelmed, or mid-thought) and does the organizing for you. Here's what makes it different: VOICE-TO-TASK CAPTURE Speak freely and let AI extract tasks from your natural speech. Perfect for when typing feels like too much friction. AI TASK BREAKDOWN Staring at "clean the apartment" for three days? Brain Dump breaks big tasks into small, concrete steps so you actually know where to start. FOCUS BUCKETS (TODAY / TOMORROW / LATER) No complicated priority systems. Three simple buckets keep your attention on what matters right now without losing track of everything else. SMART NUDGES THAT ADAPT TO YOU An AI-powered header reads the room. It celebrates wins, suggests breaks when you've been grinding, gently redirects when you're stuck, and backs off when you need space. OVERWHELM DETECTION Too many overdue tasks piling up? The app notices and offers support instead of guilt. No shame spirals here. EMOTION CHECK-INS Quick, optional emotional pulse checks help you build awareness of your patterns over time. Track whether you're focused, tired, anxious, or riding a productivity wave. PLANNING REMINDERS ON YOUR SCHEDULE Choose morning planning sessions, evening reviews, or Sunday resets. Or pick "surprise me" and let the app find good moments. QUICK CAPTURE FROM ANYWHERE Thought popping up while you're on your task list? Grab it instantly with the quick capture bar without losing your place. DARK MODE Because hyperfocus sessions at 2 AM deserve comfortable lighting. EMAIL BACKUP & RECOVERY Link an email to restore your tasks after reinstalling the app or changing devices. No email is required to start. Brain Dump is the ADHD task manager for people who've tried every productivity app and given up. It doesn't ask you to fit into a system. It builds the system around the way your brain already works. Brain Dump includes a free plan with 10 Brain Dumps per month (up to 5 by voice), 10 task breakdowns, and unlimited task management and reminders. New users also receive 7 days of full AI access with no payment required. Brain Dump Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription that unlocks unlimited Brain Dumps, voice capture, and task breakdowns. Weekly, monthly, and annual plans are available. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://thebraindumpapp.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Perch

Capture your thoughts effortlessly by speaking them aloud. This app organizes your ideas into a visual map, distinguishing between urgent tasks and those that can wait. It intelligently resurfaces saved information when it's most relevant, helping you manage a busy mind.

Highlights
  • Brain dump thoughts out loud
  • One-tap capture for voice, photo, text, links
  • Visualizes thoughts on a live map
  • Sorts tasks by urgency and relevance
  • Intelligently resurfaces saved ideas
  • No folders or tags required
Features
Read full description

Too much in your head? Say it out loud. Open Perch and talk—in any order, half-finished, all over the place. When you’re finished, your thoughts become something you can look at. Brain dumps help make sense of what’s on your mind: recurring themes, things that feel tangled, and a small next move when there’s something worth trying. Some days bring a deeper reflection. Others are simply a moment worth keeping. The rest of life has a place too. Capture a thought, voice recording, photo, screenshot, drawing, or link. Save a video and get the gist. Add your own thoughts whenever something comes to mind. No folders. No tags. No system to set up and immediately abandon. Then, quietly, Perch brings things back. Saved notes resurface over time, and you can choose a date to bring something back yourself. With Perch Pro, related notes find connections, collections form automatically, and weekly recaps help you look back. • Talk it out with brain dumps. • Capture text, voice, photos, drawings, and links. • Keep your original words and recordings. • Find themes and useful next steps with Pro analysis. • Revisit saved thoughts through resurfacing. • Explore automatic collections, connections, and weekly recaps with Pro. Your first onboarding brain dump includes a full analysis. Continue capturing with Free, or choose Perch Pro for ongoing insights. Friendly by design—useful for anyone whose head runs faster than their notes app. Your notes are yours. Terms of Use: https://yourperch.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://yourperch.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

Brain Dump4 screens
Perch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Perch at every 4 days against Brain Dump's every 4 months. Brain Dump's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Brain Dump sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Perch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brain Dump ships an update every 4 months, Perch every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Brain Dump versus Perch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrain DumpPerch
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLee O'ConnorAnthony Dragone

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Brain Dump

Subscriptions3
  • Brain Dump Weekly7 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Brain Dump Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Brain Dump Annual7 Days trial$44.991 Year
2 purchases

Perch

Subscriptions2
  • Perch Pro — Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Perch Pro — Yearly$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Brain Dump free?
Brain Dump is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Perch free?
Perch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Brain Dump or Perch have ads?
Neither Brain Dump nor Perch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brain Dump or Perch?
Brain Dump ships an update every 4 months, and Perch every 4 days. Most recently, Brain Dump was updated on October 5, 2026 and Perch on October 16, 2026.

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