# Timeline vs Shine

The clearest difference is rating: Timeline at 4.5 against Shine's 4.0. Timeline also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 4). Shine's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 66%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Timeline sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Shine sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Timeline holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Timeline has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of Timeline's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Timeline ships an update monthly, Shine every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Timeline | Shine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timeline-diary-and-notes/id1073862895/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shine-timeline-diary/id1673213224/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 65.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 7 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Numob](https://appshunter.io/developer/612684777) | [晓松 高](https://appshunter.io/developer/1507839334) |

## What reviewers say

### Timeline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timeline-diary-and-notes/id1073862895)

Record life's important moments by creating multiple visual timelines for various events and plans. Track past achievements, future goals, and daily milestones. Share your timelines with friends and set notifications for future events.

**Highlights:** Create unlimited timelines, Track past and future events, Set event notifications, Share timelines with friends, iCloud sync across devices, Passcode/Biometric privacy, Export and print timelines

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro (1 Month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro (1 Year) | $39.99 | per year |
| Timeline Pro | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive design
- 👍 Useful for organizing events and timelines
- 🔒 Password protection for privacy
- 👍 Customizable color coding for events
- 👍 Easy to add photos and videos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Exporting and sharing issues
- 🐛 Syncing and backup problems
- 🐛 Disappearing timeline data
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options

**Reported bugs**

- Timeline entries not saving correctly
- Inability to edit or delete timeline events
- Crashes when trying to access photos or export
- Syncing issues leading to data loss
- Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add support for BC/AD dates
- Implement a horizontal timeline view
- Allow adding event descriptions and notes
- Provide more color and customization options
- Improve export and sharing functionality


### Shine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shine-timeline-diary/id1673213224)

This app allows you to create a personalized journal with customizable themes, colors, and tags. Record your daily thoughts, track your mood, and even add location and weather data to your entries. Export your diary in PDF or HTML format for easy sharing.

**Highlights:** Customizable themes and colors, Location and weather tracking, PDF and HTML export, Calendar and gallery views, Voice diary recording, Rich emotional expressions with emojis, WebDAV and iCloud sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 连续包月 | $0.99 | per month |
| 连续包年 | $6.99 | per year |
| 买断 | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Timeline free?

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

### Is Shine free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Timeline or Shine?

Timeline is rated higher. Timeline averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Shine averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Timeline or Shine have ads?

Neither Timeline nor Shine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Timeline or Shine?

Timeline ships an update monthly, and Shine every 5 days. Most recently, Timeline was updated on October 18, 2026 and Shine on September 25, 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.*