Desk Clock vs Standby Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Desk Clock
This app transforms your devices into stylish timekeeping stations with a variety of analog and digital clock faces. It offers split-screen functionality to display time and calendar simultaneously, and integrates with Apple Watch for a cohesive look. Features include real-time seconds display, customizable widgets, and a smart alarm.
- Full-screen analog and digital clock faces
- Split-screen time and calendar display
- Apple Watch face synchronization
- Real-time seconds display on widgets
- Smart volume-adjusting alarm
- Hourly chime and voice reminders
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Desktop Clock is a versatile full-screen digital and analog clock app with a rich collection of classic clock faces and custom Apple Watch face integration. Designed for your home screen, lock screen, StandBy mode, and Dynamic Island, it turns your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch into a stylish, fully customized timekeeping setup. Key Features: ◆Simultaneous Split-Screen Display: Keep track of both live time and your calendar on a single split screen—perfect for desk stands, charging dock screensavers, and bedside nightstands. ◆Classic Clock Face Collection: Explore a wide array of classic analog and sleek digital clock designs, perfect for full-screen desk displays and charging screensavers. ◆Apple Watch Face Sync: Customize and sync stylish clock faces directly to your Apple Watch to match your personal aesthetic. ◆Real-Time Seconds Display: Keep precise track of time with seconds displayed across home screen widgets, lock screen widgets, Dynamic Island, and StandBy mode. ◆Home & Lock Screen Widgets: Multiple calendar and clock widget styles to personalize your iOS lock screen and home screen. ◆Smart Volume-Adjusting Alarm: Gentle, intelligent alarm clock that automatically adjusts volume for a seamless morning wake-up. ◆Hourly Chime & Voice Reminders: Audio notifications every hour to help you manage your daily schedule and focus sessions. ◆Full-Screen Desk Timer & Companion: Ideal nightstand clock, aesthetic desk display, and productivity timekeeper. Upgrade your daily timekeeping with iconic watch faces, split-screen calendar displays, live seconds widgets, and seamless Apple Watch integration.
Standby Clock
This app transforms your device into a full-screen digital clock with customizable fonts and colors. It offers a musical alarm, displays seconds on the dynamic island and lock screen, and can broadcast the time hourly. Enjoy background alarms with custom ringtones and various widget options.
- Full-screen digital time display
- Seconds on dynamic island and lock screen
- Customizable digital font styles and colors
- Musical alarm with custom ringtones
- Hourly chime and voice broadcasting
- Lock screen and Home Screen widgets
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Standby Clock, a beautiful music alarm clock that displays full-screen digital time. - Show seconds on dynamic island and lock screen - Provide a variety of digital font styles - Custom Clock Digital Color - Hourly Chime, Hourly voice broadcasting time - Display date, week, etc. - Support background alarm clock and custom music ringtones. - Support Home Screen widget, Lock Screen Widget, Standby mode.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Desk Clock at every 9 days against Standby Clock's every 6 weeks. Desk Clock also leads on ratings volume (22K vs 716) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Desk Clock sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Standby Clock sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Desk Clock holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Desk Clock has 22K ratings behind it against 716, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Desk Clock's written reviews are positive against 61% of Standby Clock's.
Desk Clock ships an update every 9 days, Standby Clock every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Desk Clock | Standby Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (22K ratings) — better | 4.4 (716 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews — better | 61.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 22K — better | 716 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 117 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 翠玲 施 | 云云 唐 |
Customer experience
Desk Clock
Standby Clock
User reviews
Desk Clock
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⏱️ Accurate time display
- 🕰️ Variety of analog clock faces
- 🌙 Adjustable brightness for night use
- 🕰️ Useful as a bedside clock
- ⏱️ Helpful for timing activities
Room to improve
- 💸 Ads can be intrusive
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🤔 Confusing settings/options
- 🐛 Inconsistent second hand movement
- 🔍 Lack of customization options
Standby Clock
From 716 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🕰️ Customizable clock display
- 💡 Useful night light feature
- 🔍 Clear and accurate time display
Room to improve
- 🐛 Vertical time display not preferred
- 🕰️ Lack of additional features (e.g., weather, date)
- 💰 Paid app with limited free features
- 🔋 Short screen time before turning off
Bugs and requests
Desk Clock
Reported bugs
3 issues- Ads reappear after reinstall
- Clock face doesn't update on lock screen
- Alarm stops after a few seconds
Requested features
5 requests- Add calendar view
- Implement 24-hour time format
- Allow custom clock face designs
- Add ability to set multiple alarms
- Improve widget functionality
Standby Clock
Reported bugs
2 issues- Clock not displaying properly on home screen
- Alarm not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Add horizontal time display option
- Include weather and date information
- Improve screen timeout settings
- Offer more customization options
In-app purchases
Desk Clock
- All clock styles$0.99
- Remove All Ads$0.99
- Professional Version$3.99
Standby Clock
- Remove Ads$0.99
- All Clock Styles$0.99
- Pro Version$1.99
Questions
Is Desk Clock free?
Is Standby Clock free?
Which has better reviews, Desk Clock or Standby Clock?
Do Desk Clock or Standby Clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Desk Clock or Standby Clock?
Other comparisons
