Comparison

Milki vs Zen

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

Head to head
About

Milki

This app helps you overcome procrastination by tracking your study and work sessions using the Pomodoro technique. Set custom daily targets for activities and visualize your progress with powerful charts to stay motivated and achieve your goals.

Highlights
  • Customizable daily targets
  • Actual vs. Target progress charts
  • Pomodoro technique focus timer
  • Activity tracking and metrics
  • Multi-device sync
  • Status levels and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Study timer with custom targets that will end your procrastination forever! Pomodoro time tracking with targets is your answer to getting more done. How much does it suck pulling an all nighter because you left your study to the last minute. Or the disappointment of your side project losing momentum. With Milki, you can set variable daily targets for each activity and track against them over a defined period e.g. 2 weeks or 2 months. The Actual vs. Target (worm) chart is incredibly powerful at keeping you on track, you can visually track your performance over the period. No other focus timer app does this, so I had to create one that did haha. Milki also uses the Pomodoro productivity hack of 25 minute intervals. With the combination of the Pomodoro technique & Actual vs. Target tracking, you will be shocked at the improvement for your study, work or side projects. CUSTOM TARGETS • Set variable daily targets for each activity e.g. Study or Side Project. • Actual vs. Target chart, the ultimate way to stay on track. • See how you are tracking against your targets over the defined period. FOCUS TIMER • Perform focus timer intervals. • Utilizes the Pomodoro Technique. • Short & long breaks between sessions. SYNC MULTIPLE DEVICES • One account for all your devices. ACTIVITIES • Create activities like Study, Work, Side Project, Life Admin or Chem 101. • Quickly switch between activities. • Charts and metrics for each activity. CLEAN & BEAUTIFUL DESIGN • Incredible design & animations. • Miki is seriously cute. CHARTS • Actual vs. Target charts, track your performance over time. • Charts for each activity, quickly switch between tasks / activities. • Daily, weekly, monthly charts for each activity e.g. Physics 101. STATUS LEVELS • As you do more sessions, you will climb the status levels and unlock more features! • Status Levels including NOOB, BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD & PLATINUM. • Gain access to exclusive features and benefits at each status level increase. LEADERBOARD • Streak leaderboard. • Daily, weekly, monthly & lifetime leaderboards! FEATURE REQUESTS • Email me directly if you have feature requests, at hello@milki.app LANGUAGES • English • Turkish • French • German • Italian • Brazilian Portuguese • Malay SAY HI My name is Chris, I developed Milki & I’m from Brisbane, Australia. I’m actively building features for Milki! Let me know if you have feature requests or suggestions. I will reply to your email ridiculously fast (if I am awake, Australia time zone). Email: hello@milki.app MILKI PRO • Sync multiple devices. • Customize session time. • Customize alarm sounds. • Customize long breaks. • Combined weekly & monthly charts. Milki offers auto-renewing subscriptions: • $11.99 billed annually. The subscription will automatically renew unless it is canceled more than 24 hours in advance of the period. Your account will be charged the subscription price within 24 hours of the period ending. To manage your active subscriptions, go to App Store settings. You can only get the introductory price once. The price above is in USD, prices may vary between countries & with local exchange rates. To read our policies, go to: • Terms & Conditions: https://www.milki.app/terms • Privacy Policy: https://www.milki.app/privacy-policy

About

Zen

A minimalist timer designed to improve focus through structured work and break intervals. It uses calming Japanese-inspired visuals and ambient sounds to create a peaceful work environment, helping users build better focus habits without distractions.

Highlights
  • Minimalist Pomodoro timer
  • Japanese-inspired visual scenes
  • Ambient sound cues for focus and breaks
  • Customizable focus and break durations
  • Keeps display awake
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

A calmer way to focus. Zen is a minimalist Pomodoro timer that helps you build better focus habits. Work in focused intervals, take short breaks, and repeat. It’s a simple way to bring a little more structure and calm to your day. Watch time flow, not count down. Instead of watching numbers tick away, watch a brushstroke slowly fill a beautiful Japanese-inspired scene. A gentle, visual way to see time passing without the pressure of a countdown. Find your rhythm. Choose your own focus and break durations, then let gentle sounds guide you through each session: - Focus: Soft rain accompanies your work session. - Break: A low, distant rumble signals it’s time to take a breather. - Back to focus: Birds signal the end of your break and the start of your next session. Less distraction, more focus. Explore five calming scenes, enjoy thoughtfully designed ambient sounds, and keep your display awake so your artwork stays in view. No dashboards, complicated statistics or unnecessary clutter. Just a beautiful timer to help you slow down, settle in and focus.

Screenshots

Milki4 screens
Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zen at none against Milki's 3. Milki's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Milki sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per year. Zen asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Milki holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Milki has 107 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of Milki's written reviews are positive against 80% of Zen's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Milki ships an update fortnightly, Zen every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Milki versus Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMilkiZen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (107 ratings) — better4.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews97.3% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings107 — better6
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher ODonnellAn Trinh

Customer experience

Milki

All ratings108 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews333 reviews
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.2%

Zen

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Milki

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional issues with timer counting
  • Pomodoro history not updating correctly for some users

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add widgets for easier access
  • Ability to adjust pomodoro and break times without paying
  • More detailed statistics and analytics
  • Ability to share progress with friends or classmates
  • Integration with other productivity/study apps

Zen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Milki

Subscriptions3
  • Miki Pro Subscription1 Year trial$11.991 Year
  • Miki Pro Subscription1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • Miki Pro Subscription1 Year trial$59.991 Year
None

Zen

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Milki free?
Milki is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zen free?
Zen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Milki or Zen?
Milki is rated higher. Milki averages 4.9 out of 5 from 107 ratings, while Zen averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Milki or Zen have ads?
Neither Milki nor Zen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Milki or Zen?
Milki ships an update fortnightly, and Zen every 6 months. Most recently, Milki was updated on November 3, 2026 and Zen on November 3, 2026.

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