Comparison

Clear Next Step vs Beacon

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

Head to head
About

Clear Next Step

Features
Read full description

Stuck? Overwhelmed? Staring at something you can't seem to start? Clear Next Step helps you find one small thing to do next — the kind that's easier to do than to keep avoiding. Not a plan. Not a list. Just the next move. HOW IT WORKS Write down whatever you're stuck on, in your own words. Clear Next Step reflects back what it hears — your goal, and what might be getting in the way — then offers a few ways you might be stuck. You pick the one that feels true. It gives you a single, small step to get moving again. WORKS ANYWHERE No connection required. Everything runs on your iPhone, so Clear Next Step works in airplane mode, on the subway, or with no signal at all. Getting unstuck shouldn't depend on getting online. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything happens on your iPhone, using Apple Intelligence. What you write never leaves your device — no account, no cloud, nothing to collect or sell. That privacy isn't a setting you turn on; it's how the app is built. CALM, NOT PUSHY Getting stuck is normal. Clear Next Step won't nag you, count your days, or make you feel behind. The only goal is to help you get back in motion. REQUIRES APPLE INTELLIGENCE Clear Next Step runs entirely on-device, so it needs an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence turned on. If your device isn't eligible, the app will tell you.

About

Beacon

This app helps individuals with ADHD manage tasks and time effectively. It breaks down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps and uses gentle reminders to keep users on track without causing overwhelm or guilt. It integrates with existing Apple Reminders and Calendar.

Highlights
  • One task at a time display
  • Visual countdown timers
  • Guilt-free task management
  • Task shrinking for easier starts
  • Task parking lot
  • Integration with Apple Reminders/Calendar
  • Smart capture and energy tags
Features
Read full description

Your to-do list keeps growing, time keeps slipping, and starting feels impossible. Beacon is the calm, ADHD-friendly way to finally get things done, one gentle step at a time. Beacon is a reminders app built for the way real brains actually work, especially brains that get overwhelmed by long lists, lose track of time, or freeze at the thought of beginning. Think of it as a calm external brain: it remembers, times, and shrinks your tasks, so you do not have to hold it all in your head. WHY BEACON FEELS DIFFERENT One thing at a time. Beacon shows your next action, not your entire backlog. Less overwhelm, more starting. Time you can actually see. Every task has a calm countdown, so "later" stops turning into "too late." No red alarms, no panic. Kind on the hard days. Miss something? There is no shaming OVERDUE, no broken streak, no guilt. Beacon reframes gently and celebrates every win, the small ones too. Shrink the first step. Any task can collapse into a two-minute starting move, so the hardest part, beginning, gets easier. Park it, guilt-free. Not ready today? Set a task aside in the Parking Lot and Beacon brings it back softly when the time is right. Nothing gets lost. WORKS WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY USE Beacon sits on top of Apple Reminders and Calendar, so you keep everything you already rely on. Say a reminder to Siri and it shows up in Beacon, sorted and doable. Check it off in Beacon and it syncs right back. No migration, no starting over. WHAT YOU GET Smart capture: brain-dump a messy thought and Beacon finds the task and the time for you. Focus timer and body-double sessions to help you start and keep going. Energy tags to match tasks to how you actually feel right now. Gentle, well-timed nudges instead of a wall of notifications. Home Screen widgets, Lock Screen Live Activities, and an Apple Watch app, so your next step is always a glance away. Private by design: no account, no tracking, no cloud sync. The only thing Beacon ever sends is an anonymous crash report. WHO IT IS FOR Beacon was made for people with ADHD, and that turns out to be a lot of us: anyone who has felt buried by their own list, lost time without meaning to, or been too hard on themselves for it. If that sounds familiar, welcome. TRY BEACON FREE Start with a 7-day free trial, then keep going with an affordable subscription. Cancel anytime. Beacon. Your calm external brain. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Beacon Pro gives you full access with a 7-day free trial, then a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://waypointapps.app/beacon/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Clear Next Step3 screens
Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Clear Next Step at none against Beacon's 2. Beacon's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Beacon sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Clear Next Step asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Clear Next Step ships an update every 3 days, Beacon every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Clear Next Step versus Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClear Next StepBeacon
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid RynnWaypoint Apps LLC

In-app purchases

None

Clear Next Step

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Beacon

Subscriptions2
  • Beacon Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Beacon Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Clear Next Step free?
Clear Next Step is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beacon free?
Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Clear Next Step or Beacon have ads?
Neither Clear Next Step nor Beacon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Clear Next Step or Beacon?
Clear Next Step ships an update every 3 days, and Beacon every 2 days. Most recently, Clear Next Step was updated on October 31, 2026 and Beacon on October 31, 2026.

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