Comparison

Tot Pocket vs Start Now

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

Head to head
About

Tot Pocket

A minimalist app for collecting and editing text across Apple devices. Organize notes with color-coded dots and enjoy seamless iCloud synchronization. Supports Markdown for web use and offers a convenient keyboard interface with count tracking.

Highlights
  • Cross-device text collection
  • Color-coded note organization
  • Dark/Light mode support
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Markdown support
  • Keyboard text operations
  • Word and character counts
Features
Read full description

Tot is an elegant, simple way to collect & edit text across your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It’s your tiny text companion! ⁕ Less Is More Tot’s single window design and simple formatting controls mean no more hunting for that chunk of text. Seven color-coded dots let you organize your notes while keeping them from getting out of hand. ⁕ Dark / Light Mode Designed to look stunning both day and night, Tot takes full advantage of iOS and macOS themes. ⁕ Small Footprint Stays out of the way on the desktop with minimal chrome and can even be controlled via the Menu bar. On mobile, each dot is just a swipe away. ⁕ iCloud Sync Seamlessly syncs your text across iOS and macOS using iCloud so you can capture thoughts wherever you are. ⁕ Markdown Support Full support for rich or plain text and even automatically translates text to Markdown for handy use on the web. Have an RTF file you need marked up? No problem! ⁕ Killer Keyboard Tot puts common text operations on the keyboard and keeps track of word and character counts as you type. Available for iOS, macOS, and watchOS.

About

Start Now

This app helps you overcome procrastination by focusing on starting tasks with a simple, one-tap timer. Track your progress and build consistency with a clean, minimalist design.

Highlights
  • One-tap focus timer
  • Unlimited task creation (Pro)
  • Progress tracking
  • Daily and weekly stats
  • Gentle reminders
  • Minimalist design
Features
Read full description

Stop waiting. Start doing. Start Now helps you overcome procrastination by making it easy to begin. Instead of overwhelming to-do lists and complicated productivity systems, simply choose what you want to work on, tap Start, and build momentum one focused session at a time. Whether you're studying, working, cleaning, reading, writing, or tackling a personal project, Start Now helps you stop overthinking and start making progress. No complicated productivity system. No endless planning. Just action. Features: • One-tap focus timer • Create unlimited tasks (Pro) • View your progress • Track daily and weekly stats • Build consistency over time • Gentle reminders • Beautiful minimalist design Why you'll love Start Now: • Start a focus session with a single tap • Create and organize tasks that matter to you • Track every completed work session automatically • View your daily, weekly, and all-time progress • Stay motivated by seeing your consistency grow • Enjoy a clean, distraction-free interface designed to keep your attention where it belongs Built for real life: You don't need the perfect plan before you begin. Progress is built through small, consistent actions, and Start Now is designed to help you take that first step whenever you're ready. Use Start Now for: • Studying and homework • Work and side projects • Reading • Writing • Creative projects • Household tasks • Daily routines • Building better habits Start Now Pro: Upgrade to Start Now Pro to unlock unlimited tasks and support the continued development of the app. More premium features will be added over time at no additional cost for active subscribers. Privacy first: Your focus sessions and progress belong to you. Start Now is designed to help you spend less time managing productivity and more time actually getting things done. Small steps lead to big results. Start now. Terms of Use (EULA): https://startnowapp.framer.website/terms Privacy Policy: https://startnowapp.framer.website/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Tot Pocket4 screens
Start Now4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Start Now at 5.0 against Tot Pocket's 4.4. Start Now also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 68%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Tot Pocket's advantage is ratings volume (238 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Tot Pocket sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Start Now sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Start Now holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tot Pocket has 238 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Tot Pocket's written reviews are positive against 100% of Start Now's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Tot Pocket versus Start Now: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTot PocketStart Now
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (238 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings238 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe IconfactoryCHIAMAKA N EKWEGH

Customer experience

Tot Pocket

All ratings235 ratings
Positive80.9%
Neutral8.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive67.5%
Neutral13.4%
Negative19.1%

Start Now

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Tot Pocket

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Data loss when using certain features
  • Keyboard issues and UI bugs
  • Unreliable syncing between devices

Requested features

8 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Better share/export options
  • Ability to delete entire notes
  • More customization options
  • Apple Watch app
Show 3 more
  • Improved Markdown support
  • Timestamp for new notes
  • Home screen widget

Start Now

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tot Pocket

One-time1
  • Tot for iOS and iPadOS$19.99
1 purchases

Start Now

Subscriptions1
  • Start Now Pro Annual$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Tot Pocket free?
Tot Pocket is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Start Now free?
Start Now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tot Pocket or Start Now?
Start Now is rated higher. Tot Pocket averages 4.4 out of 5 from 238 ratings, while Start Now averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Tot Pocket or Start Now have ads?
Neither Tot Pocket nor Start Now shows ads.

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