Comparison

Present Past vs ClipNest

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

Head to head
About

Present Past

Features
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Present Past is a simple journaling app built around a timeline. It helps you capture small moments as they happen and quietly brings them back later, when they feel new again. Instead of long, structured entries, you can write short notes throughout the day. Thoughts, events, or even something you don’t want to forget. Over time, they form a personal history you can revisit anytime. ### Key Features - Timeline-based journaling Your entries are organized in a clean, chronological timeline, making it easy to browse your past. - Quick capture Open the app and start writing immediately. No friction, no setup. - Hashtags for flexible organization Add tags to your entries and follow threads across time. - Resurface past moments Revisit entries from the past and rediscover thoughts you’ve forgotten. - Text-first experience Designed to keep your focus on thoughts rather than media. - Private and simple Your data stays on your device. No accounts, no distractions.

About

ClipNest

Features
Read full description

ClipNest is a fast, AI-powered Markdown vault for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Capture useful material from your clipboard, organize it into notebooks, and keep working with the same plain Markdown files in Obsidian, Files, Finder, or another editor. Quick Paste turns an article, URL, quote, thread, or snippet into a structured note. Optional AI assistance can suggest a title, summary, Markdown, tags, and a notebook, with an Inbox fallback when classification is uncertain. Use Photo to Note to turn a photo into an organized note with on-device Vision OCR for Chinese and English. Recognition works without a network connection. On Mac, ClipNest provides a VS Code-style workspace with an explorer, editor, live Edit Β· Split Β· Preview modes, slash commands, interactive checklists, image embeds, tables, and embedded terminals. Highlights: β€’ Plain .md files with no proprietary lock-in β€’ Obsidian-compatible wikilinks and image embeds β€’ Quick Paste for focused capture β€’ Optional AI notebook classification β€’ On-device Chinese and English OCR β€’ File and folder management β€’ Live Markdown preview with tables, lists, code, and quotes β€’ English and Simplified Chinese localization β€’ One SwiftUI codebase for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Screenshots

Present Past4 screens
ClipNest1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Present Past at 15.1 against ClipNest's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Present Past ships an update every 4 days, ClipNest every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Present Past versus ClipNest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPresent PastClipNest
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size33 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeungEun Leeε›½ε³° 刘

In-app purchases

None

Present Past

No in-app purchases

None

ClipNest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Present Past free?
Present Past is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ClipNest free?
ClipNest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Present Past or ClipNest have ads?
Neither Present Past nor ClipNest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Present Past or ClipNest?
Present Past ships an update every 4 days, and ClipNest every 2 days. Most recently, Present Past was updated on October 25, 2026 and ClipNest on October 26, 2026.

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