# Hourglass vs Rota

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hourglass at none against Rota's 1. Hourglass also leads on iOS requirement (8.2 vs 26.1). Rota's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rota sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hourglass asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hourglass ships an update fortnightly, Rota weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hourglass | Rota |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-countdown-clock/id1004790367/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 14 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.2** | 26.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mat Cartmill](https://appshunter.io/developer/971901815) | [LIMPY LEO DIGITAL LAB PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/6794548435) |

## What reviewers say

### Hourglass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-countdown-clock/id1004790367)

A minimalistic countdown clock app designed for iPhone. It offers a clean interface with a visual progress indicator and supports multiple time units. Easily share countdowns and receive notifications when events conclude.

**Highlights:** Minimalistic design, Multiple time units, Visual progress indicator, Unlimited countdowns, Sharable content, Push notifications, Notification Center widget, Apple Watch compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Rota

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-alarm-groups/id6794548433)

Organize your alarms into distinct groups for different routines. Effortlessly switch between entire sets of alarms with a single tap, ensuring only one set is active at a time. Ideal for managing varied schedules like shift work or study timetables.

**Highlights:** Mutually exclusive alarm groups, One-tap group switching, Real system alarms, Live snooze countdown, Clean, dark interface, Customizable alarm sounds

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rota Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hourglass free?

Hourglass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Rota free?

Rota is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Hourglass or Rota have ads?

Neither Hourglass nor Rota shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hourglass or Rota?

Hourglass ships an update fortnightly, and Rota weekly. Most recently, Hourglass was updated on November 1, 2026 and Rota on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*