Daimyo Clock vs Monad Calendar Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Daimyo Clock
Experience traditional Japanese timekeeping with this app, which recreates a 17th-century mechanical clock. It accurately displays time divided into six equal periods for day and night, adjusting for seasonal changes in daylight.
- Traditional Japanese timekeeping
- Day/night divided into six equal periods
- Seasonal daylight adjustments
- Accurate solar noon calculation
- Location-based time display
- Twilight start/end calculation
Read full descriptionHide full description
Daimyo clock is a recreation of a mechanical clock developed in the seventeen century based on western clocks but modified to show traditional Japanese time. Traditional Japanese time divides the day and night into six equal periods from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn respectively. Over the course of a year as the daylight and nighttime periods lengthen and shorten, the length of these six day or night periods change. Unlike Western clocks which are regulated by a single pendulum and run at a constant speed day or night, Japanese clocks incorporated two pendulums, and switched between them at dawn and dusk. Adjustment for the changing daylight and nighttime hours was accomplished by adjusting the effective length of the pendulums, normally done every two weeks, or twenty-six times a year. This kept the time shown on the clock reasonably close to the correct time, provided that the clock had been set correctly initially. This modern implementation is much more accurate and precise than the original clocks. In this implementation, the biweekly adjustments of the mechanical clock are made continuously, thus the day or night period length are always correct. Noon on the clock will, if location services are enabled, occur when the sun is at the zenith, or solar noon. Day start and end correspond to the beginning or end of twilight, and are calculated accounting for the refraction of the Earth's atmosphere. There are three situations where the clock my not show the local time in the Japanese manner: 1. If location services are off, Daimyo Clock will show the time for Tokyo, Japan. 東京 will be displayed on the clock face in this case. 2. While the application is obtaining an updated location after launch or returning to foreground. 3. Near the North or South poles the sun may either be above the horizon or below it for the entire day (24 hour period). In this case, the Japanese definition of time no longer applies, so the clock face will be shown without a clock hand.
Monad Calendar Clock
This app visualizes time through planetary and celestial movements, contrasting natural rhythms with mechanical time. It offers unique perspectives on Earth's position in space and time, showing star and planet locations, seasonal changes, and lunar phases.
- Planetary time and date display
- Celestial ring visualization
- Heliocentric and Geocentric modes
- Star and planet location tracking
- Seasonal and lunar phase progression
- Twilight and sunrise/sunset times
- Event scheduling
Read full descriptionHide full description
MONAD does something that no other clock or calendar does; it tells the planetary time and date – the solar day, lunar month & seasonal year. MONAD reveals your unique place (and perspective) in planet-centered space and time. MONAD demonstrates the biorhythms of the Earth’s biosphere, and it integrates two types of time: 1) Natural time, which is cyclic, variable, and alive, with 2) Mechanical time, which is linear, highly regular, abstract and artificial. MONAD represents a paradigm shift of planetary proportions; A New Paradigm of Time With MONAD, you see the natural rhythms of time proceeding in endless circles and spirals. MONAD shows the location of the stars and planets; what’s visible at night from your location on Earth. MONAD shows the progression of the four seasons and the phases of the Moon; the obliquity of the ecliptic and the Earth’s circle of illumination, and a Twilight Dial tells you the time of Sun rise and Sun set at any latitude and time of year. MONAD shows the agricultural biorhythms of the Earth’s photosynthetic biosphere. MONAD restores the Earth, and the Earth’s biorhythms and biosphere, back to the center of our collective attention and awareness. With MONAD you see the Earth globe from an unusual perspective; the north (or south) polar axial perspective. MONAD automatically places a time zone-spanning Hour Hand at your location on the globe, marking your longitude & latitude, and you see all 24 time zones, all around the globe at the same time, the whole world interconnected. MONAD has four main Modes of operation. Geocentric (Geo) Mode features planet Earth at the center of a time and date-telling, 3-dimensional celestial ring. The algorithms and programming which drive all of the astronomical activity is based on a Sun-centered and highly accurate model of the solar system which you can access in Heliocentric (Helio) Mode. Accelerate through time, into the past or future, and watch how the configuration of the solar system changes. Shift back and forth from Geo to Helio Modes, and it’s easy to see how the two perspectives are related. It’s easy to see how and why the planets have apparent retrograde activity from an Earth-centered perspective. There is so much to explore and learn in MONAD. Astro Mode features a 2-dimensional Calendar-Clock face, which makes it possible to set the time by dragging the hour hand around the dial, or you can set the date by dragging the calendar band, or zodiac band, past the Sun’s meridian or date indicator fixed at noon at the top of the dial. A Table at the top of the screen lists the precise location of the Sun, Moon and planets at any time and date, so basically this Astro screen is equivalent to an astronomy or astrology chart, at any moment in time. Astro Mode will eventually feature a Scientific Astrology Program and an Educational Astronomy Program. Event Mode is where you record and schedule personal events, in the context of important and memorable planetary events we all share. Color-coded Event Wedges are shown in the context of the 4 corners of a solar day (Sun rise, noon, Sun set & midnight), the 4 corners of a lunar month (full and dark Moon, waxing and waning half Moons), and the 4 corners of a seasonal year (equinoxes & solstices). Another unique feature of MONAD is that you can record events “in the Now,” which encourages more presence in your life. A Health Event Mode allows you to see your personal, endocrine biorhythms in the context of planetary biorhythms we all share. The 24 hour circadian Calendar-Clock face is ideally suited to organize and display health events. If you choose to have MONAD integrate with the Apple Health app (HealthKit); then health data (e.g. Sleep period and Steps) read from HealthKit is used for display within the MONAD app. MONAD is beautiful, educational & transformative, and it will change the way you see the world around you, and your place within it. MONAD – A New Paradigm of Time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Daimyo Clock at 100% against Monad Calendar Clock's 22%. Daimyo Clock also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.0 vs 3.7). Monad Calendar Clock's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 37 months) and ratings volume (14 vs 1). On 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
Daimyo Clock is free to download; Monad Calendar Clock costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Daimyo Clock holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monad Calendar Clock has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Daimyo Clock's written reviews are positive against 22% of Monad Calendar Clock's.
Daimyo Clock ships an update every 37 months, Monad Calendar Clock every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Daimyo Clock | Monad Calendar Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.7 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 22.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 37 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 266 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Douglas Hildum | Earth at the Center LLC |
Customer experience
Daimyo Clock
Monad Calendar Clock
In-app purchases
Daimyo Clock
No in-app purchases
Monad Calendar Clock
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Daimyo Clock free?
Is Monad Calendar Clock free?
Which has better reviews, Daimyo Clock or Monad Calendar Clock?
Do Daimyo Clock or Monad Calendar Clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Daimyo Clock or Monad Calendar Clock?
Other comparisons















