Comparison

minical vs DateSmith Light

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

Head to head
About

minical

This app offers a minimalist and intuitive way to manage your schedule. View events at a glance with home and lock screen widgets, color-code them for easy distinction, and quickly edit them with smart suggestions. Stay organized with customizable notifications and cloud syncing.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Home & lock screen widgets
  • Event color-coding
  • Smart event editing
  • Customizable notifications
  • Cloud syncing
  • Event sharing
Features
Read full description

minical is a calendar app with a simple, intuitive minimalist design that lets you check your schedule at a glance. Designed for everyday use, it focuses on clarity and ease of use, allowing you to view your schedule through widgets without opening the app. ■ Simple, easy-to-use, and beautiful design - A monthly calendar that lets you view your schedule at a glance - Widgets on the home screen and lock screen that allow you to check your schedule (21 types on iPhone, 26 types on iPad) ■ Color-Coding of Events Easily distinguish your events for work, home, school, etc. - Color-code individual events - Group events by color in the calendar ■ Smart Event Editing View and edit events with just one tap. - Input suggestions (based on past events and event templates) - Quickly add standard events using “Event Templates” - Register notes, URLs, locations, and recurrences - URL preview (displays website thumbnails) - Integration with map apps (Apple Maps, Google Maps, Naver Map, Waze) ■ Event Notifications Never miss an important event. - Notifications at specified times (supports multiple alerts) - Summary notifications for all events of the day - Changeable notification sounds (7 types) - Icon badge display (today’s date, week number, and number of today’s events) ■ Cloud Integration Store your events in an external cloud service for an easy switch from other apps. - Sync with iCloud Calendar, Google Calendar, etc. - Backup function (save events to iCloud Calendar, Google Calendar, etc.) ■ Event Sharing Share your schedule with family and friends. Ideal for planning dates, trips, or preserving memories. - Share events (via iCloud or Google Calendar) ■ Customizable Design Personalize with stylish color themes without compromising the clean design. - Color theme settings (38 types) - Dark mode support - Font changes (10 types) - Holiday and weekday highlights - Changeable app icon (21 types) ■ Powerful Search Function Quickly find past and future events with minical. - Search for events by keyword or through the calendar ■ User-Friendly Worldwide Supports various cultures and languages. - Change the first day of the week - Display week numbers - Display holidays - Change language settings (48 languages) - Toggle between 12-hour and 24-hour displays - Change time zones - Display traditional calendar dates (in supported regions) ■ Accessibility Designed for ease of use by everyone. - Supports VoiceOver (screen reading) - Reflects text size settings from the Settings app - Adjustable event text size ■ Additional Features There are many more convenient settings and functions: - Copy events to multiple dates - Default event settings (calendar, notification time, event duration) - Dim display of past events - Change the order of calendar display - Integration with Focus mode and the Shortcuts app - Action buttons and control via Control Center - Display of event participants - Join buttons for web conferences (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex) --- Terms of Service: https://minical.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://minical.app/privacy minical uses some icons from icons8 (https://icons8.com/)

About

DateSmith Light

Enhance your iPhone's lock screen with a beautifully formatted date display. This app specializes in the premium space above your clock, offering customizable formats and reliable midnight updates. Track important events with a countdown mode and enjoy a minimalist, privacy-focused design.

Highlights
  • Custom date widget for above lock screen clock
  • Multiple widget formats
  • Personalized date formats
  • Countdown mode for events
  • Automatic midnight updates
  • Privacy-focused design
  • Battery efficient
Features
Read full description

DateSmith Light: YOUR LOCK SCREEN DATE PERFECTED DateSmith Light delivers what other widget apps don't - a beautifully formatted date display specifically designed for the premium space above your lock screen clock. With reliable midnight updates and customization options, DateSmith Light enhances your iPhone with information you need at a glance. ABOVE-CLOCK PERFECTION Unlike generic widget apps, DateSmith Light specializes in the coveted space above your lock screen clock. Our elegant date formats complement your iPhone's design language while delivering essential information at a glance. RELIABLE MIDNIGHT UPDATES DateSmith Light employs sophisticated background processing technology that ensures your date always updates precisely at midnight - even if your phone is asleep. Say goodbye to yesterday's date lingering on your lock screen! PERSONALIZATION OPTIONS Choose from multiple date format styles or switch to countdown mode to track days until an important event. Make your lock screen truly yours with the perfect date display that fits your needs. MINIMALIST DESIGN We focus on doing one thing perfectly - showing today's date in a clean, elegant format that enhances your lock screen. No clutter, no distractions, just the information you need. KEY FEATURES - Custom date widget designed specifically for the space above your lock screen clock - Multiple widget formats available for home screen and other widget areas - Personalized display with customizable date formats - Countdown mode to track days until important events - Automatic midnight updates with advanced background technology - Simple configuration - set it up once and forget it - One-time purchase - no subscriptions, no recurring fees - Extremely battery efficient design - 100% privacy focused - no data collection, no analytics - No internet connection required - Minimal storage footprint PRIVACY FIRST DateSmith Light is designed with your privacy in mind. We don't collect any data, require unnecessary permissions, or need an internet connection to function. Your date is your business. SIMPLE SETUP 1. Long press on your lock screen 2. Tap 'Customize' 3. Tap the widget area above the time 4. Find and select the DateSmith Light widget 5. Tap 'Done' DateSmith Light - The date widget that works your way.

Screenshots

minical4 screens
DateSmith Light4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DateSmith Light at none against minical's 4. DateSmith Light also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). minical's advantage is ratings volume (5.8K vs 2). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. minical sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. DateSmith Light asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DateSmith Light holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: minical has 5.8K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of minical's written reviews are positive against 100% of DateSmith Light's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

minical ships an update every 10 days, DateSmith Light weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
minical versus DateSmith Light: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterminicalDateSmith Light
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.8K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.8K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerminical Inc.Benjamin Staab

Customer experience

minical

All ratings5,805 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews1,058 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral6.2%
Negative14.3%

DateSmith Light

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

minical

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Events disappearing
  • Widget not displaying correctly
  • Incorrect date display on widgets
  • Inability to delete events

Requested features

11 requests
  • Apple Reminders integration
  • Travel time option
  • Ability to invite attendees
  • Dimming of past dates
  • Natural language input for events
Show 6 more
  • Weekly/daily view
  • Task/to-do list
  • Ability to change font, text size, and event colors
  • Stickers or emojis on calendar
  • Ability to update entire event series
  • Week number display on widgets

DateSmith Light

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

minical

One-time4
  • candy size tip$0.99
  • donut size tip$3.99
  • pizza size tip$9.99
Show 1 more
  • minical pro$11.99
None

DateSmith Light

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is minical free?
minical is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DateSmith Light free?
DateSmith Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, minical or DateSmith Light?
DateSmith Light is rated higher. minical averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.8K ratings, while DateSmith Light averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do minical or DateSmith Light have ads?
minical shows ads; DateSmith Light does not.
Which is updated more often, minical or DateSmith Light?
minical ships an update every 10 days, and DateSmith Light weekly. Most recently, minical was updated on September 23, 2026 and DateSmith Light on June 6, 2026.

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