Comparison

Nuj Alarm Clock vs Scientific Timer

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

Head to head
About

Nuj Alarm Clock

This alarm clock uses financial penalties to motivate users to get out of bed. Set alarms, challenges like scanning barcodes, and a penalty amount. If you fail to complete the challenge by the set time, the penalty is charged, often donated to charity. It features cloud-based cheat detection to prevent bypassing the alarm.

Highlights
  • Financial motivation for waking up
  • Barcode scanning challenges
  • Cloud-based cheat detection
  • Customizable penalties
  • Charitable donation options
  • Prevents turning off the alarm
Read full description

Nuj is the FIRST alarm clock that uses money to motivate you to get out of bed! Featured in FastCompany: "There’s nothing quite like a little financially motivated fear to get you moving in the morning" — from "These 5 alarm apps are sure to wake you up" Featured on local NBC and CBS TV stations: "...might be just what you need to finally break the snooze button habit" — from "What the Tech: App of the Day" → How it works: 1. Set an alarm time, and a get up time 2. Add a challenge to prove you got up, e.g. a barcode you have to scan 3. Set a penalty 4. If you don't prove you got up by completing the challenge, e.g. scanning one of the barcodes, by the get up time, you get charged the penalty For example: 1. Set an alarm for 7:00am with a get up time of 7:05am 2. Add the toothpaste and shampoo barcodes 3. Add a $10 penalty 4. Alarm goes off at 7:00am 5. Get up and scan the toothpaste barcode before 7:05am. Or, don't, and lose $10 (goes to charity) → Have you ever turned your phone off to avoid getting up from a different alarm clock app? Nuj is the ONLY alarm clock that includes cheat detection by storing alarms in the cloud! No more cheap tricks! ↓ Wondering if it really works? Just read some of our reviews from ecstatic users! ↓

About

Scientific Timer

Features
Read full description

Scientific Timer helps researchers keep complex experiments on schedule. It breaks multi-step protocols into timer-tasks, so every incubation, wash and spin gets its own timer, in order, and you always know what comes next. Tired of juggling kitchen timers across the bench, or losing track of which tube went in the centrifuge when? Start from a curated protocol or build your own, then run as many timer-tasks in parallel as your experiments need. FEATURES PROTOCOLS AS TIMER-TASKS Each step of a protocol becomes a timer-task with its name, duration and position. Start, pause and reset each one on its own, and see its progress at a glance. CURATED PROTOCOLS, READY TO RUN 12 protocols with 211 timer-tasks, already set up: 10x Chromium Single Cell 3' Gene Expression v4 and 5' Gene Expression v3, 10x Xenium In Situ Gene Expression, ScaleBio Single Cell RNA Sequencing v1.1, Twist Library Preparation EF 2.0, Beckman Coulter SPRIselect left-side and double-sided size selection, Qiagen QIAamp DNA Micro, Qiagen RNeasy Midi/Maxi, NEB Ligation, immunofluorescence on frozen sections and trypsinization. Choose the ones you use when you first open the app, and change your selection later in Settings. YOUR OWN PROTOCOLS Create protocols and timer-tasks of your own, up to 24 hours each, as a countdown timer or a stopwatch. Put steps in the order you run them and mark your favorites. RUN MANY AT ONCE Run as many timer-tasks in parallel as you need, across several protocols. Timers keep counting while the app is closed, and a timer that passes its target keeps going, shown with a "+", so you know exactly how far over it is. QUIET NOTIFICATIONS A subtle notification on your iPhone tells you when a timer-task is done, instead of another alarm ringing across the lab. SEARCH Find a protocol by name in your library, or a timer-task by name within a protocol. BACK UP AND SHARE Export the protocols you created to a file, and import them again on another iPhone or share them with your lab. ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE Works with VoiceOver and Voice Control, adapts to the largest text sizes, supports Dark Mode, respects Reduce Motion, and does not rely on colour alone. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Scientific Timer collects no data. No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs. Your protocols and timers stay on your iPhone. LANGUAGES The app and its curated protocols in English, French, Spanish and Simplified Chinese. REQUIREMENTS iPhone with iOS 18 or later. Privacy Policy: https://elyzeo.com/apps/scientific-timer/privacy.html

Screenshots

Nuj Alarm Clock4 screens
Scientific Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nuj Alarm Clock at Free against Scientific Timer's $0.99. Nuj Alarm Clock also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 16 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and in-app purchases 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

Nuj Alarm Clock is free to download; Scientific Timer costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nuj Alarm Clock ships an update every 2 months, Scientific Timer every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Nuj Alarm Clock versus Scientific Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNuj Alarm ClockScientific Timer
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.7 (87 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings87 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 16 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperSnowble Inc.Stephane Boutet

Bugs and requests

Nuj Alarm Clock

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Scanner fails to open despite app being active
  • App freezes during barcode scanning process
  • Alarm setup is confusing and unintuitive
  • Shortcut configuration issues on some devices
  • Deactivation process problematic when deleting app

Requested features

6 requests
  • Puzzle or math problems to ensure mental alertness
  • More charity options for penalty donations
  • Yearly subscription discount pricing
  • Additional physical activity verification methods
  • Customizable alarm sounds beyond shortcuts
Show 1 more
  • Batch alarm creation for recurring schedules

Scientific Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Nuj Alarm Clock

No in-app purchases

None

Scientific Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nuj Alarm Clock free?
Nuj Alarm Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scientific Timer free?
Scientific Timer costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nuj Alarm Clock or Scientific Timer have ads?
Neither Nuj Alarm Clock nor Scientific Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nuj Alarm Clock or Scientific Timer?
Nuj Alarm Clock ships an update every 2 months, and Scientific Timer every 16 months. Most recently, Nuj Alarm Clock was updated on November 7, 2026 and Scientific Timer on November 8, 2026.

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