Comparison

TimeMachines vs Osmo Words

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

Head to head
About

TimeMachines

Embark on a time-traveling adventure to master time-telling skills. This game offers interactive lessons and engaging challenges designed for children aged 6-9. Explore different game modes to learn analog and digital time concepts.

Highlights
  • Time-traveling adventure game
  • Interactive time-telling lessons
  • Tutorial and Game Modes
  • Analog and digital time matching
  • Clock hand manipulation challenges
  • Minute counting with five-times table
Read full description

Travel in your Time Machine and reinforce key time-telling skills while embarking on an adventure through time and space in each level of the game. Feature Overview: - Ad and commercial free - Developed with Scholastic, the most trusted name in learning - Free of charge - No in-app purchases Developed with the experts from Scholastic, this app helps empower kids to have fun through learning by seamlessly blending digital free-play with a variety of interactive lessons tailored for kids age 6 through 9. Choose between Tutorial Mode and Game Mode to learn the basics of time telling: Tutorial mode – learn to tell time with a tutorial that features general concepts such as clockwise, counter-clockwise, function of clock hands, telling time, A.M./P.M., and a simple game analog and digital matching game. Game Mode LEVEL 1: Time Stopper - The clock is spinning and the player is given a time. The player must tap the clock at the specific point when its hands are at the indicated digital time in order to stop it. Game Mode LEVEL 2: Counting Time - Players see a clock with a certain amount of time shaded in (for example, a quarter hour). Using their five-times table, they must tap minute buttons worth X minutes to equal the shaded amount without going over. Game Mode LEVEL 3: Rocket Time - Time, in the form of clock faces, is falling from the top of the screen toward the player’s Time Machine. The player must tap the clock that matches the written time shown at the bottom of their screen.

About

Osmo Words

Arrange physical letter tiles to spell words on screen, unlocking prizes and new levels. This game offers adaptive learning to match your spelling difficulty and is playable on iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Spell secret words with physical tiles
  • Adaptive learning for personalized difficulty
  • Unlock prizes and dance moves
  • Progress through multiple fun levels
  • Playable on iPhone and iPad
Read full description

In Osmo Genius Words, arrange physical Osmo Letter Tiles to spell secret words. Each letter you get correct, appears on screen, until eventually the entire word is revealed. Unlock prizes and dance moves as you progress across multiple fun levels! Choose a level of spelling difficulty that’s right for you and then the adaptive learning helps you play at the level that is right for you! Play your favorite Osmo Genius Words on both iPhone and iPad! Use your iPhone with the Osmo Base for iPad and Genius game hardware - each can be found at playosmo.com. * Requires the Osmo Base and Osmo Words Tiles. Each sold separately or as part of Osmo Genius Starter Kit or Osmo Genius Words. * Other Osmo Genius Starter Kit games Masterpiece and Newton are not available on iPhone today, they will be released in the next month or two, so keep your eyes peeled! * Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 * Compatible iPhones: iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max iPhone 14, 14 Plus * Not compatible: iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max iPhone 12 Mini,13 Mini iPhone SE (1-3) iPhone 11 Series and older "This interplay between the physical and digital realms looks and feels like magic." - Forbes "Osmo has been a revolution in our family." - Wired Winner of the toy industry's top awards: **Best Design** - Good Design, 2016 **Best Product Designs** - Fast Company Finalist, 2016 **Innovative Toy of the Year** - TOTY Finalist, 2015 **Best Inventions** - TIME, 2014 About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

Screenshots

TimeMachines4 screens
Osmo Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TimeMachines at 4.5 against Osmo Words's 3.7. TimeMachines also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 39%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Osmo Words's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (185 vs 13). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TimeMachines holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Osmo Words has 185 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of TimeMachines's written reviews are positive against 39% of Osmo Words's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TimeMachines ships an update every 6 months, Osmo Words every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TimeMachines versus Osmo Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimeMachinesOsmo Words
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (13 ratings) — better3.7 (185 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better39.1% of reviews
Number of ratings13185 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size193 MB1.3 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTIMEXTangible Play

Customer experience

TimeMachines

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Osmo Words

All ratings185 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative26.5%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative52.2%

Bugs and requests

TimeMachines

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Osmo Words

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Infinite loading
  • Wi-Fi connection errors
  • App not available on certain iPad versions
  • App freezes
  • App crashes during games
Show 5 more
  • Custom word list not working
  • Levels not accurately described
  • Game stuck on loading screen
  • Sudden stop working on iPads
  • Not working with iOS 16.2

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add German language support
  • Improve level descriptions for accuracy
  • Allow spelling of whole words
  • Slow down the game progression
  • Add option to choose iPad model during purchase
Show 1 more
  • Allow use with iPad cases

In-app purchases

None

TimeMachines

No in-app purchases

None

Osmo Words

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TimeMachines free?
TimeMachines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Osmo Words free?
Osmo Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TimeMachines or Osmo Words?
TimeMachines is rated higher. TimeMachines averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Osmo Words averages 3.7 from 185 ratings.
Do TimeMachines or Osmo Words have ads?
Neither TimeMachines nor Osmo Words shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TimeMachines or Osmo Words?
TimeMachines ships an update every 6 months, and Osmo Words every 2 months. Most recently, TimeMachines was updated on October 8, 2026 and Osmo Words on October 12, 2026.

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