MinimalLauncher vs (Not Boring) Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MinimalLauncher
This app offers a streamlined way to launch applications by displaying only their names, eliminating the need for icon grids and scrolling. It allows for extensive customization of app name appearance and offers advanced features like clipboard integration and URL scheme support.
- App names displayed instead of icons
- Customizable app name colors
- Insert line breaks and separators
- Clipboard content display and URL setting
- Change app icons
- Home widget support
- URL scheme support
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MinimalLauncher is a minimal launcher app that displays only app names. There are many launcher apps available on the App Store, and most of them launch apps by tapping displayed icons. With those launcher apps, when you register many apps, the screen quickly becomes filled with icons, and in some cases you need to scroll in order to launch apps located at the bottom. Although the purpose of using a launcher app is to quickly launch apps, I personally found it bothersome that scrolling adds an extra step. With this in mind, I thought it would be nice to have a launcher app that can display a large number of apps on one screen by listing only app names, and so I created MinimalLauncher. The number varies depending on the device's screen size and the font size and spacing settings for app names, but it is possible to display around 100 apps on one screen. *Please note that before removing the limitation via an in-app purchase, the number of apps that can be registered is limited to 10. After checking the usability, you can make an in-app purchase to remove the limitation and register apps without restriction. *Please note that this app does not have a feature that automatically sets a URL scheme when you select an app. By using Apple's official "Shortcuts" app, you can launch apps that do not have a URL scheme or whose URL scheme is unknown. For details, please refer to the following URL: https://broad-connect.net/2020/03/01/minimallaunchershortcut/ ◆Main Features ・A set of three launchers-MainLauncher, LeftLauncher, and RightLauncher-that can be switched instantly by swiping left or right. ・Freely set the color of each app name (separate colors can be set for Light Mode and Dark Mode) ・Insert line breaks or separators at arbitrary positions ・Display clipboard contents (enter "_CLIP_" as the app name) ・Set URLs using clipboard contents (enter "_ENCCLIP_" in the URL; for example, if you set the URL to "http://www.google.com/search?q=_ENCCLIP_", you can search Google using the clipboard contents) ・Change app icons ・Home widget support (there are limitations described below; please note that these apply) ・URL scheme support Launch: minimallauncher:// Add app: minimallauncher://add/?name=[Name]&url=[URL] *Please note that when using "_CLIP_" or "_ENCCLIP_", on iOS 16 and later, an alert related to pasting is displayed every time. This issue can be avoided by updating the OS to iOS 16.1 or later and changing the following settings in the Settings app. ①In the Settings app, select "MinimalLauncher" and then select "Paste from Other Apps". ②Change the setting to "Allow". *Please note that even after changing the setting to "Allow", notifications related to pasting will still be displayed. Due to iOS limitations, these notifications cannot be turned off. ◆Home Widget Limitations ・Since the home widget has a fixed size, it may not be able to display all registered apps. In that case, please adjust the settings by reducing the font size in the MinimalLauncher app's settings screen or by moving apps you want to prioritize toward the top. (If you tap the blank area of the home widget, the MinimalLauncher app itself will launch, so you can start apps that could not be displayed in the widget from there.) ・Due to iOS limitations, the home widget cannot access the clipboard. Therefore, it does not support the feature that displays clipboard contents using "_CLIP_". ・Due to iOS limitations, the home widget cannot directly launch each registered app. As a result, each registered app is launched after going through the MinimalLauncher app once. ・The launcher in the home widget is generated using a completely different mechanism from the launcher displayed in the MinimalLauncher app itself. Please note that, as a result, the layout, fonts, and other aspects may not be 100% identical to those of the launcher displayed in the app itself.
(Not Boring) Timer
This app offers a visually engaging and intuitive timer experience, inspired by simple egg timers. It features a unique overshoot function, a game-like interface with 3D animations, and customizable skins. Widgets provide quick access to timers for daily routines.
- Overshoot and stopwatch modes
- Game-like 3D interface
- Large, readable display
- Customizable skins
- Home screen widgets
- Screen always on option
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"Just astonishingly fun." — John Gruber A BETTER EVERYDAY TIMER I dreamt of a timer I could use every day that would simplify time and make the most of every moment it counted. Inspired by the simple egg timer, Timer more honestly represents time as a single dimension. No hours or seconds—just minutes. There's nowhere to get lost. Scroll to set. Tap to start. Get back to life. STOPWATCH & OVERSHOOT When time expires, it doesn't stop at 0. Timer flips and begins to count up. This turns out to be pretty useful if you missed the alarm and don't know how much time has elapsed or if you cook and just need another minute without the hassle of setting another timer. Or scroll down to 0, tap, and it becomes a stopwatch ready to measure any length of time. PLAYS LIKE A GAME, WORKS LIKE AN APP Next generation user interface designed and built in 3D with animation and sounds inspired by video games. BIG & READABLE Time you can read from across the room. Optional setting to keep your screen on during countdowns. SKINS Skins change the whole look and feel of the app. New skins and collaborations every season so you can keep it fresh. WIDGETS Drop a custom timer on your home screen for fast, one tap access to daily timers for coffee brewing, workouts, and other daily routines. SUPER!BORING Become a Super!Boring member and get all 5 Not Boring apps + skins + extras. We are 100% member-supported. No ads, no data gathering, no tracking. Just beautiful apps that make everyday life a little less boring. Plans: https://andy.works/plans Support: https://andy.works/support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: (Not Boring) Timer at 4.8 against MinimalLauncher's 1.0. (Not Boring) Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 1). MinimalLauncher's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. MinimalLauncher sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and (Not Boring) Timer sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
(Not Boring) Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: (Not Boring) Timer has 2.6K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 67% positive.
MinimalLauncher ships an update every 2 weeks, (Not Boring) Timer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MinimalLauncher | (Not Boring) Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.8 (2.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 67.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 217 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Akihiro Usui | Not Boring Software LLC |
Customer experience
MinimalLauncher
(Not Boring) Timer
Bugs and requests
MinimalLauncher
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
(Not Boring) Timer
Reported bugs
2 issues- Widget doesn't always start the timer correctly
- Sound doesn't work when phone is on silent mode
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for longer timers (over 90 minutes)
- Implement seconds option for more precise timing
- Integrate with Dynamic Island on newer iPhones
- Add alarm functionality
- Allow users to set custom timer intervals
In-app purchases
MinimalLauncher
- Snack-Sized Tip$0.49
- Restriction Removal$1.99
- Coffee-Sized Tip$1.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Lunch-Sized Tip$3.99
(Not Boring) Timer
- Super !Boring Monthly$7.991 Month
- Super !Boring Yearly2 variants$29.991 Year
- Andy Skin$4.99
- Chroma Skin$4.99
- Monsters Skin$4.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Opal Skin$9.99
- Karat Skin$9.99
- Cedar Skin$9.99
- !Timer Plus Lifetime$14.99
Questions
Is MinimalLauncher free?
Is (Not Boring) Timer free?
Which has better reviews, MinimalLauncher or (Not Boring) Timer?
Do MinimalLauncher or (Not Boring) Timer have ads?
Which is updated more often, MinimalLauncher or (Not Boring) Timer?
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