Chronoptica

See what was happening everywhere at once.

Chronoptica draws history as timelines stacked one above another. Each country, dynasty or story is a lane, time runs from left to right, and you can pinch from five thousand years down to a single day.

Coming to the App Store Free, for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro

Five timelines from 3500 BCE to now, stacked one above another: the United States, Thailand, Ancient Egypt, the Biblical timeline and China. Egypt's early kingdoms begin with stippled edges because their start dates are approximate. Abraham is drawn dotted and labeled traditional. The Exodus is hatched across its four disputed dates, from 1491 to about 1260 BCE. An orange line at the right edge marks today, where the United States, Thailand and China lanes run on. 3000 BCE 2000 BCE 1000 BCE 1 CE 1000 CE United States United States Thailand Ayutthaya Ancient Egypt Old Kingdom New Kingdom Ptolemaic Biblical Timeline Abraham (traditional) Israel and Judah The Exodus · 4 dates China Shang Zhou Han Tang Song Ming Qing now Five timelines from 3500 BCE to now, stacked one above another: the United States, Thailand, Ancient Egypt, the Biblical timeline and China. Egypt's early kingdoms begin with stippled edges because their start dates are approximate. Abraham is drawn dotted and labeled traditional. The Exodus is hatched across its four disputed dates, from 1491 to about 1260 BCE. An orange line at the right edge marks today, where the United States, Thailand and China lanes run on. 3000 BCE 1000 BCE 1000 CE United States United States Thailand Rattanakosin Ancient Egypt Ptolemaic Biblical Timeline The Exodus · 4 dates China Zhou Han now
Five lanes from 3500 BCE to now, drawn the way the app draws them. Where a date is approximate, the edge is stippled. Where sources disagree, as they do on the Exodus, the lane shows every claim instead of choosing one.

History, side by side

  • Everything lines up

    Bangkok was founded in 1782, the year after the siege of Yorktown. Put two lanes together and connections like that are simply there to see.

  • Honest about doubt

    When historians disagree, you see each sourced date, not one tidy answer. Approximate dates look approximate, and traditional dates are labeled as traditional.

  • Sources on every item

    Tap any span or event to see its dates in words, the sources behind them, and a link to read more on Wikipedia.

  • A link for every view

    Copy a link to a lane, an event or the exact view on your screen. Open it on another device and you land in the same place.

  • In English and Thai

    The whole app speaks English and Thai, and the time ruler can count years in the Thai Buddhist Era.

  • Private by design

    No account, no ads and no tracking. The App Store privacy label reads Data Not Collected.

One app on every Apple device you use

  • Apple Vision Pro

    The Time Wall: the timelines in a window you can grow to the size of a wall, and explore with a look and a pinch.

  • iPad

    Pan with a finger and pinch to zoom, or use a trackpad, a mouse or the keyboard.

  • iPhone

    All of history in your pocket. On iPhone Duo, open the fold to read time as a two-page spread.

  • Mac

    A native Mac app for trackpad, mouse and keyboard, with a menu command to copy a link to any view.

Requires iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 or visionOS 26 or later.

Free, with more to come

Chronoptica and its core timelines are free, with no ads. Packs written and checked by historians and authors are coming later, as in-app purchases through the App Store. They will add depth: more lanes, finer dates and expert notes. Disputed dates stay visible in the free timelines; honesty about what we don't know is never something you pay for.

Coming to the App Store. Questions before then? Write to support@chronoptica.com.