Binary O'Clock vs Retro Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Binary O'Clock
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There are only 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary and those who don't. Binary O'Clock is a glowing binary clock for your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Six columns of LEDs show the time as hours, minutes and seconds, ticking away in ones and zeros. HOW TO READ IT Each column is one digit of the time: HH MM SS. Read each column from the bottom up. The LEDs are worth 1, 2, 4 and 8, so add up the ones that are lit to get the digit. For example, a column with the 2 and 4 LEDs lit shows 6. FEATURES • Full-screen 24-hour clock with hours, minutes and seconds • Widgets for the Home Screen, Lock Screen and StandBy • An Apple Watch app, and complications for your watch face • Keeps the screen on while the clock is showing • No ads, no accounts, no data collected BINARY O'CLOCK PRO Tap the clock to open Settings, and try any of it first: a live preview shows your clock before you buy. A one-time purchase unlocks, on Apple TV, Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch alike: • Themes: White, Aviation green, and Dust, with dark dots on sand • Round LEDs • Learning mode: shows what each LED is worth and the number in each column • 12-hour time • A speaking clock: touch and hold the clock to hear "14:32 and 20 seconds", then a beep exactly on the second No subscription. The classic blue clock stays free, widgets and complications included. Also on Apple TV and Mac. Perfect on the nightstand in StandBy, on your wrist, or as a daily brain teaser for anyone learning binary.
Retro Notes
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Retro Notes turns everyday note-taking into something you actually enjoy. Beautifully designed with vintage-inspired themes, it combines the simplicity of classic journals with the power of a modern organizer — all on your iPhone and iPad. WRITE FREELY, ORGANIZE EFFORTLESSLY Create notes with rich text blocks, checklists, and tags. Organize everything into folders and nested subfolders. On iPad, use full notebooks for long-form journaling and creative projects. Pin your favorites for quick access, and find anything instantly with powerful global search across all your notes, folders, tasks, and blocks. A BLOCK FOR EVERYTHING Retro Notes goes beyond plain text. Each note is built from blocks you mix and match: • Text — Write with customizable per-note fonts. Choose from 15 beautiful typefaces including Typewriter, Georgia, Baskerville, Futura, and more. • Tasks — Interactive checklists to track your to-dos right inside your notes. • Photos & Videos — Capture memories with images and video clips. Trim videos before adding them. • Voice Memos — Record audio notes when typing isn't an option. • Locations — Pin places to your notes with interactive maps. • URLs — Save and preview web links with one tap. • Scanner — Scan documents directly into your notes using your camera. • PDF — Attach and view documents natively. • Countdown — Set visual countdown timers for events, deadlines, and milestones. • Music — Search and embed your favorite tracks from a massive catalog. • Movies — Log films with posters, ratings, runtime, and director info. • Books — Track your reading with covers, authors, and page counts. • Flights — Look up real flights with route maps, terminals, aircraft details, and live status. IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE Use the Share Extension to send text, links, images, and checklists from Browser, Mail, Messages, or any app directly into Retro Notes. Content is automatically parsed into the right blocks — URLs become link blocks, bullet points become tasks, and images get their own photo blocks. No copy-pasting needed. RETRO THEMES THAT FEEL JUST RIGHT Customize your experience with handcrafted themes that give your notes real personality. Switch between classic, dark, and colorful palettes — every element from the toolbar to the blocks adapts to your chosen theme. WIDGET SUPPORT Pin your most important note to a home screen widget for instant access. See your content at a glance without even opening the app. TIME CAPSULE Seal a note and lock it until a future date — a week, a month, or a year from now. When the time comes, it unlocks automatically. Write letters to your future self, save birthday messages, or preserve memories for later. PRIVACY FIRST Your notes stay on your device. Retro Notes uses no cloud accounts, no sign-ups, and no tracking. What you write is yours alone. BUILT FOR iPHONE AND iPAD Fully optimized for both platforms. On iPad, take advantage of larger screens with the notebook editor for long-form writing, side-by-side organization, and an expanded block canvas. AVAILABLE IN 7 LANGUAGES Use Retro Notes in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Turkish, or Simplified Chinese. The entire interface adapts to your language preference. Privacy Policy: https://retro-notes-privacy-ege-aybek-dev.netlify.app/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Binary O'Clock at none against Retro Notes's 4. Binary O'Clock also leads on device support (5 vs 2). Retro Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads 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
Both are free to download. Retro Notes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Binary O'Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.
Binary O'Clock ships an update every 3 weeks, Retro Notes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Binary O'Clock | Retro Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Backslashed | EGE AYBEK |
In-app purchases
Binary O'Clock
No in-app purchases
Retro Notes
- Weekly$0.997 Days
- Weekly$1.997 Days
- Monthly$4.991 Month
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- Annual$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Binary O'Clock free?
Is Retro Notes free?
Do Binary O'Clock or Retro Notes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Binary O'Clock or Retro Notes?
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