Comparison

Cuckoo Timer vs Coves

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

Head to head
About

Cuckoo Timer

This app helps you manage tasks and cultivate skills by tracking time spent on each activity. It links tasks to specific skills, allowing you to visualize your progress towards mastery and achieve your 10,000-hour goals.

Highlights
  • Classical time tracking for tasks
  • Task management with skill attribution
  • Skill cultivation progress visualization
  • Daily beautiful background pictures
  • Full-screen focus mode
  • Task priority setting
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Task management combined with 10,000 hours rule. It takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in a field. We work not just for work, we complete our tasks not just for tasks themselves. In fact, what we want are SKILLS! Every task completed should end up with a better SKILL. ***What Cuckoo Can Do For You*** 1. Classical Time Tracking: Track time spent for every task you created. 2. Task Management: Shake your device to quickly add new Tasks, attribute your Task to a certain Skill that you want to cultivate. 3. Skill Cultivation: Tasks are for improving your skills. You can link multiple Tasks to one Skill, and time spent on those tasks will be summed as the total time of the Skill. So that you can see clearly how your skills grow towards 10,000 hours. ***More Features*** 1. A new beautiful background picture everyday; 2. Full-screen focus mode to focus on your work; 3. Advanced features such as task priority setting, iCloud sync. Privacy Policy & Use of Terms Link:https://cuckoo2017.wordpress.com/2017/06/23/布谷布谷隐私政策/

About

Coves

This study app integrates task prioritization, focus timing using the Pomodoro Technique, and spaced repetition for memory retention. It helps users plan their study sessions, block distractions, and track progress with detailed analytics.

Highlights
  • Eisenhower Matrix for task prioritization
  • Pomodoro, Countdown, and Stopwatch focus timers
  • Spaced repetition for memory review
  • Daily/weekly focus goal setting
  • Detailed focus analytics and reports
  • Ambient sounds for distraction blocking
Features
Read full description

**coves — Space-Themed Study Timer** Turn every focus session into a voyage through space. coves completes the full learning loop — break down tasks, plan your schedule, focus, and review — so every session counts. **Break Down Tasks** Goal System: Set daily or weekly goals for each task and track progress at a glance. Visible goals keep procrastination at bay. **Plan Your Schedule** Time Blocks: Create plans with start and end times, building your day block by block on the calendar, with reminders when it's time. See at a glance what to study today. Priorities: Mark each plan by importance and urgency, so you always know what matters most. Smart Review: Auto-scheduled reviews at 1, 2, 4, 7, and 15 days help you revisit key points and beat the forgetting curve. **Focus** Focus Timer: 25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of rest, auto-looped, with a longer break after four rounds. Start focused, end with a reminder. Three Timer Modes: Focus Timer, countdown, and stopwatch — for exam countdowns, homework deadlines, or daily accumulation. Focus Environment: White noise, Focus Mode, and custom ringtones create your own cockpit. **Daily Review** Daily Review: Compare plan vs. actual — see what you accomplished and where you drifted, so tomorrow's plan lands better. Statistics: Heat maps, efficiency scores, and weekly voyage reports — your learning data at a glance, shareable as cards. **Growth** Growth System: Accumulate voyage mileage with every session, growing from cadet to captain, unlocking planets and honors. **Siri** Say "Start learning" to Siri and begin timing instantly. **No Payment Required to Start** Create 10 tasks and manage categories and tags without paying. **Subscription Details** coves Membership offers a monthly subscription (¥22/month), a yearly subscription (¥148/year), and a lifetime purchase (¥198). Subscriptions auto-renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period (if offered) will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Manage or cancel your subscription anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Renewal charges occur within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Privacy Policy: https://www.softwindlab.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Cuckoo Timer4 screens
Coves4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cuckoo Timer at 4.7 against Coves's 4.2. Cuckoo Timer also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (319 vs 11). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Cuckoo Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Coves sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cuckoo Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cuckoo Timer has 319 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Cuckoo Timer's written reviews are positive against 67% of Coves's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cuckoo Timer ships an update every 4 days, Coves every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Cuckoo Timer versus Coves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCuckoo TimerCoves
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (319 ratings) — better4.2 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews71.1% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings319 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer俊航 何朋 潘

Customer experience

Cuckoo Timer

All ratings319 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews135 reviews
Positive71.1%
Neutral10.4%
Negative18.5%

Coves

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Cuckoo Timer

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Skill recording time sync issue with manually uploaded tasks
  • Timer freezes and requires manual time entry
  • Language setting reverts to Japanese unexpectedly
  • Data loss after app update
  • Skills option disappeared after update
Show 4 more
  • Notification sound doesn't work when muted
  • Manually entered tasks don't appear in daily reports
  • iPad text cutoff and layout issues
  • Music interruption during timer countdown

Requested features

12 requests
  • Complete English translation for all UI elements
  • Customizable number of tasks per Pomodoro session
  • Widget support for home screen
  • Focus mode that discards time if app is switched
  • Task deadline reminder notifications
Show 7 more
  • Daily recurring task functionality
  • Time-block calendar view showing task allocation
  • Ability to toggle/mute notification sounds
  • Mac version of the app
  • Undo/delete functionality for completed tasks
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Badge notifications for pending tasks

Coves

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cuckoo Timer

One-time1
  • Pro Account$1.99
5 purchases

Coves

One-time5
  • Colors$1.99
  • Ringtones$1.99
  • White noise$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Member$4.99
  • Value Bundle$4.99

Questions

Is Cuckoo Timer free?
Cuckoo Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Coves free?
Coves is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cuckoo Timer or Coves?
Cuckoo Timer is rated higher. Cuckoo Timer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 319 ratings, while Coves averages 4.2 from 11 ratings.
Do Cuckoo Timer or Coves have ads?
Neither Cuckoo Timer nor Coves shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cuckoo Timer or Coves?
Cuckoo Timer ships an update every 4 days, and Coves every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cuckoo Timer was updated on September 22, 2026 and Coves on August 29, 2026.

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