Comparison

Bark vs ZK助手

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

Head to head
About

Bark

Send custom push notifications to your iPhone via an HTTP API. Supports advanced features like custom icons, grouping, and critical alerts. Offers privacy-protected, end-to-end encrypted pushes with self-deployable server options.

Highlights
  • HTTP API for push notifications
  • Custom icons and grouping
  • Continuous and critical alerts
  • End-to-end push encryption
  • Self-deployable server options
  • Privacy-protected notifications
Features
Read full description

You can send push notifications to your iPhone by simply calling an HTTP API. Bark supports many advanced iOS push features, such as custom icons, notification grouping, custom ringtones, continuous alerts, critical alerts, and encrypted pushes. Bark does not consume device battery, as its core functionality relies on system push services and push extensions, and the app itself does not need to be running. Bark ensures your privacy and security with high reliability. Bark supports self-deploying the server, which can be deployed via Docker, Serverless, or Cloudflare Worker. The bark-server supports most operating systems, and you can also run it manually. The app is compiled and uploaded through Github Action, ensuring that the version you’re using is compiled from open-source code, without any modifications by anyone (including the author). Bark supports end-to-end push encryption with a custom key, ensuring that the push content is not accessed or leaked by the Bark server or Apple’s APNs server during transmission. The notification message history saved locally by Bark is also very secure. Using the NotificationServiceExtension, the push message is only stored on the device when the push is received. Feedback email: to@day.app Privacy Policy: https://api.day.app/privacy User Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ZK助手

This app offers precise timing tools for various needs, including manual time adjustments and countdowns. It features visual and auditory alerts, customizable skins, and a dedicated alarm function for timely reminders.

Highlights
  • Precise time source selection (Beijing/System)
  • Manual time adjustment (seconds, milliseconds)
  • Millisecond highlighting and display toggle
  • Countdown mode with smart interval detection
  • Auditory countdown alerts
  • Customizable skins (solid & colorful)
  • Dedicated alarm function for reminders
Features
Read full description

功能支持: 一、专业的时间工具: 1.精准时间源,可以自由选择北京时间或者系统时间; 2.支持手动进行时间秒,毫秒进行调整,适用于操作提前; 3.支持毫秒高亮,视觉差让你更容易捕捉时间变化; 4.支持毫秒位显示/隐藏切换,如果你觉得眼花,那就隐藏吧; 5.支持倒计时模式,智能判断下个整点或者半点,为你开启倒计时模式; 6.音律计时,如果你不想看,那就用听的吧,倒数时刻为你声音播报,真是方便; 7.强大的皮肤功能:纯色皮肤+炫彩皮肤,总有一款适合你; 二、为ZK用户量身打造闹钟功能,定时提醒,活动不错过;

Screenshots

Bark3 screens
ZK助手3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Bark at none against ZK助手's shown. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Bark sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per year and ZK助手 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Bark against 4.8 for ZK助手. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 110 and 108 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of Bark's written reviews are positive against 96% of ZK助手's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, ZK助手 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Bark versus ZK助手: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarkZK助手
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (110 ratings) — better4.8 (108 ratings)
Positive reviews98.4% of reviews — better96.2% of reviews
Number of ratings110 — better108
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer丰 黄文雪 程

Customer experience

Bark

All ratings109 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive98.4%
Neutral1.6%
Negative0.0%

ZK助手

All ratings107 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.9%

Bugs and requests

Bark

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ZK助手

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Picture in Picture function is not working for ios 14.8.1
  • Phone gets hot with Dynamic Island feature
  • No calibration available

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add virtual location function
  • Add calibration function
  • Improve Picture in Picture for older iOS versions

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bark

Subscriptions1
  • Continuous support$2.691 Year
One-time1
  • One-time donation$2.69
3 purchases

ZK助手

One-time3
  • 请作者喝可乐$0.99
  • 给作者加鸡腿$0.99
  • 支付¥12移除广告$1.99

Questions

Is Bark free?
Bark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZK助手 free?
ZK助手 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bark or ZK助手?
Bark is rated higher. Bark averages 4.9 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while ZK助手 averages 4.8 from 108 ratings.
Do Bark or ZK助手 have ads?
ZK助手 shows ads; Bark does not.
Which is updated more often, Bark or ZK助手?
Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, and ZK助手 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Bark was updated on October 25, 2026 and ZK助手 on October 27, 2026.

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