Comparison

UTC Orbit vs JulianCal

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

Head to head
About

UTC Orbit

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
Read full description

UTC Orbit; is a time conversion utility for use with Earth orbital elements calculations for spacecraft. The application also contains a UTC alarm clock that is based on "Day of Year". UTC stands for "Universal Time Coordinated", but is also known as Zulu Time or GMT Time. The application allows the user to select any epoch time in the future or past via pick wheels and that time is then displayed as YYDDD.FFFFFF where YY=Two digit year, where DDD=day of the year (000 - 366), and where .FFFFFF is the decimal fraction of the day. This is the standard format for manipulation of spacecraft tracking TLE's (Two Line Element sets). The app also works in reverse where the user types in the epoch time and the pick wheels will spin to the human readable date. The alarm is set via the pick wheels and operates in the background for sound and screen notification as well as the foreground if application is running. The user must "allow notifications" for the background to function. A useful feature of the app is that if you rotate the iPhone you then have a large digit UTC clock. iPad large digit clock is selected by touching the button "UTC screen". Note that this locks the screen rotation on all devices and to return to the calculation screen you must touch "Back to main screen".

About

JulianCal

Features
Read full description

JulianCal is the ultimate app for calculating and displaying the Julian Day of the year, an essential tool for production, logistics, and batch tracking. KEY FEATURES Real-time Julian Day • Display Julian Day of the year (1-365/366) • Automatic updates every minute • Leap year indication Customizable Batch Code • Generate automatic batch codes with custom prefix • 2 or 3-digit format for Julian Day • One-tap copy to clipboard Julian Day → Date Converter • Convert instantly from Julian Day to calendar date • Support for years 1900-2100 • Detailed info: day of week, week number, quarter Interactive Calendar • View calendar with Julian Day for each date • Select any date to see details • Switch between monthly and weekly view Year Progress • Visualize percentage of year passed • Animated progress bar • Days remaining until year end Statistics & Information • Week number of the year • Current quarter (Q1-Q4) • Days remaining in current year • Julian Day Number (since January 1, 4713 BC) USE CASES Production & Manufacturing: Product tracking and batch codes Logistics: Shipment organization and expiry dates Agriculture: Harvest planning and crop cycles Project Management: Working days and deadlines Science & Research: Astronomical calculations FEATURES • Modern and intuitive interface • Automatic light and dark theme • Works offline • Quick copy to clipboard • Full Italian and English support • Lightweight and fast • Free app with discreet ads PERFECT FOR • Production managers • Logistics operators • Project managers • Farmers and gardeners • Researchers and students • Anyone needing quick Julian Day calculations Download JulianCal now and simplify your work with Julian Days!

Screenshots

UTC Orbit2 screens
JulianCal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UTC Orbit at none against JulianCal's 1. JulianCal's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 8 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. JulianCal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. UTC Orbit asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UTC Orbit ships an update every 8 months, JulianCal every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
UTC Orbit versus JulianCal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUTC OrbitJulianCal
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDave MasseyMatteo Masin

In-app purchases

None

UTC Orbit

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

JulianCal

One-time1
  • JulianCal Pro$2.99

Questions

Is UTC Orbit free?
UTC Orbit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is JulianCal free?
JulianCal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do UTC Orbit or JulianCal have ads?
Neither UTC Orbit nor JulianCal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UTC Orbit or JulianCal?
UTC Orbit ships an update every 8 months, and JulianCal every 5 days. Most recently, UTC Orbit was updated on October 2, 2026 and JulianCal on October 25, 2026.

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