# Borrowed Time — The national debt, in person

> Live U.S. national debt clock with historical context and daily art. (iPhone/iPad app by Justin Patterson.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borrowed-time/id6779821324 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Justin Patterson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894127421)
- Category: Finance, News
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 9 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2026-06-24
- Data updated: 2026-08-11
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borrowed-time/id6779821324/reviews.md

## What is Borrowed Time?

Borrowed Time is a live debt clock for people who still get taxes taken out of their paychecks.

The number is official — pulled straight from the U.S. Treasury's Debt to the Penny dataset and animated between updates at the pace Treasury actually reported. No estimates pulled from thin air, no drama without a citation.

THE BIG BOARD
• Total public debt outstanding, ticking live
• Debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings
• Your share — per person and per household, from Census figures
• The interest burn: what carrying the debt costs this fiscal year, accruing every second
• A 90-day trajectory chart of real Treasury records

A NEW BACKDROP EVERY DAY
The app's look rotates daily through eight original, hand-drawn slices of classic Americana — Route 66 at dusk, a neon roadside diner, a night ballgame, the drive-in, a WPA national-parks poster, Main Street bunting, the space race, and heartland prairie. Same honest number, different view of the country carrying it.

AMERICAN VOICES
A rotating deck pairs defining words from American history and public life with sourced fiscal, civic, and accountability facts. Each card names the speaker and links separately to the quotation record and the underlying source.

WIDGET INCLUDED
A home-screen widget with the live number, the daily backdrop, and an American voice of the day.

FROM THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE
Each month surfaces one public-domain photograph from the national collections — Ansel Adams' Tetons, Lange's Migrant Mother, Earthrise, the March on Washington — with its citation and a link to the holding institution.

No account. No tracking. No data collected. Free with no ads; an optional tip jar supports development and unlocks nothing. Just the scoreboard, its sources, and voices from American history.

## Key features

- Live national debt ticker
- Official U.S. Treasury data
- Per-person and per-household debt share
- Daily rotating American art backdrops
- Historical American voices and quotes
- Home-screen widget
- Monthly public domain historical photos

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borrowed-time/id6779821324/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Nice app!

*2026-06-24*

Is a good idea

## Frequently asked questions about Borrowed Time

### What is the national debt displayed in Borrowed Time?

Borrowed Time displays the total public debt outstanding, debt held by the public, and intragovernmental holdings. This data is pulled directly from the U.S. Treasury's Debt to the Penny dataset, ensuring accuracy and avoiding estimations.

### How often is the debt updated in Borrowed Time?

The debt figures in Borrowed Time are animated between updates at the pace the Treasury actually reported them. The app uses official data, so updates reflect the real-time reporting from the U.S. Treasury.

### Does Borrowed Time collect any user data?

No, Borrowed Time does not require an account, does not track users, and collects no personal data. The app is designed for privacy, focusing solely on presenting the national debt information.

### What kind of artistic and historical content does Borrowed Time include?

The app features daily rotating backdrops of classic Americana, paired with defining words from American history and public life. Each month also includes a public-domain photograph from national collections.

### Can I see my personal share of the national debt with Borrowed Time?

Yes, Borrowed Time calculates and displays your share of the national debt, both per person and per household, using Census figures. This helps users understand their individual connection to the national financial picture.

### Does Borrowed Time have ads?

No, Borrowed Time is free with no advertisements. An optional tip jar is available to support development, but it unlocks no additional features.

### What devices is Borrowed Time available on?

Borrowed Time is available on iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to provide a clear and accessible view of financial data on Apple's mobile platforms.

### How does Borrowed Time compare to other finance apps?

Unlike many finance apps that focus on personal budgeting or investment tracking, Borrowed Time specifically visualizes the U.S. national debt with official data and adds unique historical and artistic elements.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1 — 2026-07-07

Improved widget reliability when Treasury data is temporarily unavailable. Borrowed Time now falls back to the last successful Treasury snapshot before showing placeholder data, with additional tests around offline/cached debt data.

### 1.0 — 2026-06-24

No release notes.

## More apps by Justin Patterson

- [Lokei AI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lokei-ai/id6768466290)

All apps by Justin Patterson: https://appshunter.io/developer/1894127421

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-11.*