Monologue vs Lucas' Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Monologue
A minimalist journaling app for private reflection. It offers secure cloud synchronization, powerful search, and versatile data export options to preserve your thoughts and memories across devices.
- Minimalist writing interface
- iCloud data synchronization
- Text search functionality
- Multiple data export formats (txt, md, pdf, json)
- Touch ID/Face ID privacy protection
- Image export of text
- Customizable font settings
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A private space for your thoughts, in words and in your own voice. Monologue keeps the focus on personal expression. Save the small moments, passing ideas and feelings you would rather keep to yourself. Write when a thought arrives, or record the voice and emotion behind it. Come back later to read or listen again. FEATURES [Write and search] Create and edit personal notes. Search the text of all your written records to find a thought you remember. [Archive and revisit] Browse notes by year and month, see record counts, search within a month and filter with the calendar. Sort from newest to oldest or the other way around. [Export and import notes] Export a date range as TXT, Markdown, PDF or JSON. JSON note backups exported by the current version can be imported again. Review a validated preview before importing; duplicate records are skipped and existing notes are not overwritten. [Voice recording] Record, pause, resume and listen before saving. Edit your recording’s title. During playback, view the waveform, seek to a moment, skip 15 seconds forward or back, and choose speeds from 0.5x to 2x. Recording pauses when you leave the app. [Organize and export audio] Browse recent recordings by date, archive by year and month, search titles and filter dates. Export one recording, a selection or your entire library as M4A files, or a ZIP organized by year and month, for safekeeping or sharing. [Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets] Rediscover a random note from your past. Choose medium or large Home Screen widgets, or a rectangular Lock Screen excerpt. Switch to another note on the Home Screen and tap the text to open the original. [iCloud note sync — membership] Sync written records between devices using the same Apple Account. Restore notes already synced to iCloud after changing phones or reinstalling the app. [Face ID / Touch ID app lock — membership] Require the biometric authentication supported by your device to enter the app and access your notes and recordings. [Notes as images] Turn written records into images and save them to Photos, ready to keep or share. [Your reading preferences] Choose from built-in fonts, adjust the number of preview lines in the list and follow the system's light or dark appearance. [Batch management] Touch and hold a record or use the More menu to select and delete multiple notes or recordings. When iCloud note sync is enabled, deleting notes also syncs those deletions to iCloud. Check your selection before deleting. MEMBERSHIP iCloud note sync and the Face ID / Touch ID app lock require a one-time in-app purchase. There is no automatic renewal. DATA AND PRIVACY Voice recording is enabled by default. Hide its tab in Settings; saved recordings remain available when you turn it back on. Audio is stored only on this device. It is not synced with iCloud or included in system device backups. Export important recordings yourself; deleting the app deletes local audio. JSON backup and import are for written notes. Exported audio is for safekeeping and playback outside the app; audio reimport is not currently supported. Widgets display random past notes on the Home Screen or Lock Screen. The app lock does not hide widget text. If your notes contain text you do not want others to see, do not add widgets, or remove those already added. A world of your own. Words for yourself, and a voice you can return to.
Lucas' Clock
This app offers a unique approach to timekeeping by displaying only the hour hand, encouraging a more fluid perception of time. Its minimalist design ensures easy readability from a distance, with an option to briefly view the minute hand. It aims to improve your sense of time estimation.
- Clock without minute hand
- Clean, minimal interface
- Easy to read from a distance
- Tap to show minute hand
- Works on all orientations
- 4 different colors
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In today's hectic life it seems that everybody is living by the count of each minute. But do you really need such exact times as 3:03 p.m. or 10:39 a.m. in your everyday life? Wouldn’t ‘just after three’ be entirely sufficient? And 14:54 and 15:12 seem very different while it’s not. It makes you think too much about something that is fluid and paced and pushed along the same speed always: time. Lucas’ Clock in short: # Clock without minute hand # Clean, minimal interface, easy to read at a glance from a distance # Tap to show minute hand for precise time reading (slowly disappears after 15 seconds, unless you tap again to make it disappear immediately) # Works on all orientations and screen sizes # No settings, No ads, No alarm # 4 different colors included (swipe left or right to change) This app makes time more real. Don’t think this is not precise enough, it takes a little getting used to. Ultimately your sense and estimation of time will improve. Perceiving time in this way comes actually from a historical perspective. Until the late eighteenth century tower clocks only had one hand, which showed the full hour. In fact, while measuring time was already important, the pace of life was definitely less frenetic compared to nowadays. Moreover, clocks had to be readable in the distance. With just one hand there was no risk to mix up hours and minute. This app follows just this design principle: it makes it easy to read at a glance from a distance. My grandfather Lucas made a beautiful clock. His clock was decorated with stars and the sun and only had one hand to indicate the hours. It inspired me to share this clock with you. Enjoy!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Monologue at Free against Lucas' Clock's $0.99. Monologue also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Lucas' Clock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On 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
Monologue is free to download; Lucas' Clock costs $0.99 up front. Monologue sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Lucas' Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.
Monologue ships an update every 2 months, Lucas' Clock every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Monologue | Lucas' Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 书旗 莫 | The RedHouse Apps |
Customer experience
Monologue
Lucas' Clock
In-app purchases
Monologue
- VIP$1.99
Lucas' Clock
No in-app purchases









