# UTC Orbit vs Julian

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UTC Orbit at none against Julian's 3. UTC Orbit also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Julian's advantage is ratings volume (4.6K vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Julian sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. UTC Orbit asks for nothing beyond the download.

UTC Orbit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Julian has 4.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of UTC Orbit's written reviews are positive against 65% of Julian's.

UTC Orbit ships an update every 8 months, Julian every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | UTC Orbit | Julian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utc-orbit/id1049069115/reviews)** | [4.8 (4.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/julian-quick-dates/id1084251583/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **4.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 65.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dave Massey](https://appshunter.io/developer/1029584286) | [Juan Carlos Perez](https://appshunter.io/developer/931213788) |

## What reviewers say

### UTC Orbit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utc-orbit/id1049069115)

This utility converts between human-readable dates and a YYDDD.FFFFFF format essential for spacecraft orbital element calculations. It also features a UTC alarm clock based on the day of the year and a large digit UTC display.

**Highlights:** UTC time conversion, YYDDD.FFFFFF format display, UTC alarm clock, Day of Year alarm setting, Large digit UTC clock display, Background alarm notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Julian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/julian-quick-dates/id1084251583)

This app provides a quick and efficient way to view and convert between 11 different types of dates, including standard Julian dates, Mars Sol dates, and Unix time. It features a calendar for easy navigation and allows copying dates to the clipboard. The current date can be displayed on the app icon and Apple Watch complications.

**Highlights:** 11 date type conversions, Calendar view, Copy to clipboard, App icon badge display, Apple Watch complications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Short Cup | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tall Cup | $1.99 | one-time |
| Grande Cup | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for work/professional use
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for daily tasks
- 👍 Convenient complication on Apple Watch

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Complication issues on Apple Watch (not updating, getting stuck)
- 🐛 Date discrepancies between app and complication
- 🐛 App not functioning properly after updates

**Reported bugs**

- Complication not updating correctly on Apple Watch
- Date displayed incorrectly, one day behind
- App not functioning properly after updates

**Requested features**

- Display current date along with Julian date
- Add countdown/days remaining functionality
- Display week number
- Show Julian date on app icon


## Frequently asked questions

### Is UTC Orbit free?

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

### Is Julian free?

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

### Which has better reviews, UTC Orbit or Julian?

UTC Orbit is rated higher. UTC Orbit averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Julian averages 4.8 from 4.6K ratings.

### Do UTC Orbit or Julian have ads?

Neither UTC Orbit nor Julian shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, UTC Orbit or Julian?

UTC Orbit ships an update every 8 months, and Julian every 2 months. Most recently, UTC Orbit was updated on September 15, 2026 and Julian on October 1, 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.*