Collections Database vs Truly Simple Timeline
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Collections Database
Organize anything with a personal database app. It offers over 20 field types, customizable layouts, and pre-built templates for common uses like books or expenses. Advanced features and iCloud sync are available.
- 20+ field types (text, number, picture, barcode, etc.)
- Customizable fields and display styles
- Pre-built templates (books, contacts, expenses, etc.)
- Organize with collections and subcollections
- Password, Face ID, and Touch ID protection
- iCloud synchronization across devices
- Advanced fields and calculations (Pro version)
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Collections is a personal database app to organize anything. 1. A field for every use Collections supports over 20+ field types: • Text, Number • Boolean • Picture • Select • Email, URL, Phone • Password • Date, Time • Color • Barcode And with the Pro version you can use even more advanced fields. • Document reference - Link documents together • Group - Add multiple values for a field • Formula - Create a formula for calculated values. Powerful formula editor with full support to math functions like SUM, AVG • Sources - Import documents from external APIs with Javascript 2. Customizable • Add and reorder fields • Add a separator between fields to better visualize them • Fields have different display styles like primary, secondary, thumbnail • Filter and sort data 3. Templates Collections includes basic templates to get started: • Books • Contacts • Expenses • Subscriptions • Credentials • Inventory • School 5. Advanced management Collections has different tools to help you creating the data model. SUBCOLLECTIONS Organize data into collections and subcollections. Simply said, they are like folders. LISTS A list contains items used in documents and it's very flexible. It could represent a Genre for a book or a Status like 'Available', 'Out of stock' for an object in the inventory. 6. Security • Protect collections using a password, Face ID or Touch ID • Sensitive data such as passwords are encrypted by default 7. iCloud Sync Data is synced automatically between devices through iCloud. 8. Apple's Shortcuts support Expand the app capabilities with Apple's Shortcuts support. 9. Pro version features • Add unlimited documents (free version is limited to 100 documents) • Add files to documents • Add advanced fields • Views • Grid • Use Summary to perform calculations across documents
Truly Simple Timeline
Build and visualize narrative arcs, story beats, and character involvement across novels or any project. Its drag-and-drop interface supports various event types and date spans, with cross-device functionality for easy planning and adjustments.
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Narrative arc and story beat tracking
- Single-date and duration events
- BC/AD date support
- Vertical and horizontal modes
- Cross-device functionality
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Truly Simple Timeline was built by a professional author to keep track of narrative arcs, story beats, and character moments across a novel. It’s a clean, tactile workspace where you can add events individually or in bulk, drag and drop them across centuries or hours, and adjust all your milestones whenever and however you please. Features: • Intuitive interface: Drag and drop events across hours, days, or centuries. • Flexible event types: Mix large-scale narrative arcs, single-date events, and duration periods seamlessly. • Paper-like design: Organize with a curated color palette of warm creams, slate blues, and earthy greens, paired with your own custom hues. • Reliable device sync: Your data flows effortlessly between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone, and your sync status is viewable any time. • Fully accessible: Built natively for Apple devices with full VoiceOver support, Dynamic Type, and high-contrast readability. • Share timelines: Export timelines, which can then be imported into another device running TS Timeline (where it can be viewed, edited, etc) • Pay once, keep forever: All core features are free. Unlock unlimited timelines with a single one-time, lifetime in-app purchase. No subscriptions, no ads, no hidden fees.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Collections Database at 87% against Truly Simple Timeline's 50%. Collections Database also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (187 vs 4). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Collections Database sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Truly Simple Timeline sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Collections Database holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Collections Database has 187 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Collections Database's written reviews are positive against 50% of Truly Simple Timeline's.
Collections Database ships an update fortnightly, Truly Simple Timeline every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Collections Database | Truly Simple Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (187 ratings) — better | 4.3 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 87.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 187 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Matteo D'Ignazio | Colin Wright |
Customer experience
Collections Database
Truly Simple Timeline
Bugs and requests
Collections Database
Reported bugs
2 issues- Keyboard issues when using search
- Inconsistent behavior between iOS and macOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Collaborative features for sharing databases
- More advanced reporting and visualization options
- Improved import/export functionality
- Ability to customize the appearance and layout
Truly Simple Timeline
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Collections Database
- Collections Ultra (Upgrade)$1.99
- Collections Pro$7.99
- Collections Ultra$9.99
Truly Simple Timeline
- Unlock Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Collections Database free?
Is Truly Simple Timeline free?
Which has better reviews, Collections Database or Truly Simple Timeline?
Do Collections Database or Truly Simple Timeline have ads?
Which is updated more often, Collections Database or Truly Simple Timeline?
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