ARPen vs Custom Widgets
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ARPen
Create 3D drawings and models in mid-air using a marker or a custom Bluetooth pen. Explore advanced geometry creation, object manipulation, and depth visualization. Export your creations as STL files.
- Draw freehand in mid-air
- Create simple and complex geometries
- Manipulate objects in 3D space
- Explore depth visualization
- Export models as STL files
- Use marker or custom Bluetooth pen
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The ARPen application enables you to draw in mid-air. By tracking a marker, lines can be created that keep their position in the real world. Printing out a marker is all that is needed to test out this interaction. Or you can build a custom Bluetooth pen to have more options. The pen can be built using simple electronic components and machinery in your local Fab Lab. Detailed instructions are available at http://hci.ac/arpen-ios. With this app you can: - paint freehand in mid-air - create simple geometry shapes like cubes - create complex geometries using sweeps, lofts, revolutions, and merge&intersect operations - explore techniques for moving, rotating, and scaling objects in mid-air - explore different menu techniques - explore depth visualization techniques to show the position of the pen tip relative to other objects in the scene - export the sketch or model as an *.STL file This application is part of the Personal Photonics project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of their Open Photonics call. For more information, visit https://hci.rwth-aachen.de/arpen
Custom Widgets
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Widgetly puts what matters most on your home screen: countdowns, life progress, goals, and daily motivation. Build beautiful, functional widgets in minutes with zero design skills required. 11+ WIDGET TYPES Time & Life Awareness - Life Counter: your age in months, weeks, or days - Years Remaining: visualize your life as a dot grid - Year Progress: see how much of the year has passed - Day Progress: track hours as they go by Calendars & Countdowns - Month Countdown: days left this month - Month Calendar: minimal calendar view - Month Grid: all 12 months at a glance - Countdown: days until any future event - Count Up: days since a meaningful date Goals & Motivation - Progress Ring: circular progress for any goal - Custom Text: quotes, reminders, mantras DESIGN IT YOUR WAY - Live preview while editing - Small, Medium, and Large sizes - 10 color themes - Multiple text styles and dot shapes - Pixel LED displays and clean minimal looks SIMPLE TO USE 1. Pick a widget type 2. Choose size and style 3. Save and add to Home Screen Done. Stop scrolling past a boring home screen. Make it yours. ------ Privacy Policy: https://dazarang.com/apps/widgetly/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://dazarang.com/apps/widgetly/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Custom Widgets at 5.0 against ARPen's 2.5. Custom Widgets also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months). ARPen's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.2 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads 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
Both are free to download. Custom Widgets sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. ARPen asks for nothing beyond the download.
Custom Widgets holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
ARPen ships an update every 4 months, Custom Widgets every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARPen | Custom Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.2 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RWTH Aachen University | DENA AZARANG |
In-app purchases
ARPen
No in-app purchases
Custom Widgets
- Widgetly Plus Week$0.997 Days
- Widgetly Plus Year$14.991 Year
- Widgetly Plus Lifetime$29.99









