Comparison

Desktop Astro Clock vs MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric

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

Head to head
About

Desktop Astro Clock

This utility app displays time in various formats, including Julian, Sidereal, and GMT. It offers always-on display options, moon and meteor shower information, and customizable clock configurations. Widgets and a watchOS app are also supported for enhanced functionality.

Highlights
  • Multiple time formats (Julian, Sidereal, GMT)
  • Always-on display with battery threshold
  • Moon phase and meteor shower information
  • Customizable display configurations
  • Widget support
  • WatchOS app with specialized displays
Features
Read full description

Desktop Astro Clock (formally known as: yabc - Yet Another Bedside Clock). This is a clock app that is designed to be run at the desktop, bedside or near a star map. It will display the time without turning off until the battery percentage drops below a user specified value. There are ten predefined, and one user defined display configurations. A single tap of the moon and star icon will bring up a red tinted clock showing the local sidereal time. In settings, you can add a moon display, meteor showers display, change colors, and configure the user defined clock display. Widgets are now supported and can be configured via Widget editing. A watchOS app is now included that displays a red tinted Modified Julian date, GMT Sidereal time, Moon, Moon name, and moon age in days. No ads, ever. Lock screen widgets include rectangular (two clock values look good here) and circular (for the current moon) Features: - Time display in various fixed formats - Time display in a user defined format + color - Always on display until a user specified battery level is reached (iOS) - Moon display with moon transit details and full moon names *(4)* - Meteor Shower information (when visible) with star chart locator - Blue moons are known by the tag [blue moon] added to the full moon name and a blue tint to the full moon image - Super moons are known by the tag [super] added to the full moon name Clock Times: - GMT - Greenwich Mean Time - GMST - Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time - Julian Date - Seconds since noon 1st January 4713 B.C. - LMST - Local Mean Sidereal Time *(3)* - Modified Julian Date - Julian Date - 2400000.5 Predefined displays: - Desk Clock - Day, Time, Date - ISO 8901 - yyyy-mm-ssThh:mm:ss+tz - ISO 8901 GMT - yyyy-mm-ssThh:mm:ssZ - Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time - 'HH'h 'mm's 'ss' - Julian - day.time in seconds since noon 1st January 4713 B.C. - Local Mean Sidereal Time - 'HH'h 'mm'h *(3)* - System Default - based on your iOS settings - Time HH:MM:SS, Month, Day - Time HH:MM - Time HH:MM:SS, Day, Month, Year - User Defined - you pick the format! Widgets (One or more): - Meteor Showers *(1)* - Moon - Moon with details - Moon Names *(4)* - Julian Date *(2)* - Sidereal Date *(2)* - User Defined Clock *(2)* WatchOS App: - Black background, Red tint, brightness adjustable with crown, shows Mofidied Julian Date, GMT Sideral Time, Moon face, Moon name, and Moon age *(3)* *(4)* - Corner complication shows Moon, Modified Julian and Local Sidereal time Lock screen Widgets: - Rectangular for clock values (i.e.: Julian date and Sidereal time) - Circular for the current moon *(1) If no Meteor shower is in progress, just an image is shown* *(2) Widgets do not support real time non-system clocks well. Updates will typically be between 15-60 minutes* *(3) If you select Local Sidereal Mean Time display, you'll also need to enable the setting to allow access to your location information (only needs your longitude for the calculations). Default will be Greenwich England* *(4) If you select Moon names, you'll also need to enable the settings to allow access to your location information (only need to check latitude > 0 for Northeren/Southeren hemishpere). Default will be at the equator*

About

MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric

This utility app displays time in multiple formats, including civil, solar, and metric. It offers a progress bar for the day's elapsed percentage and shows sunrise/sunset times. A converter tool allows for easy time conversions between different systems.

Highlights
  • Civil time with DST
  • Solar time based on sun position
  • Metric time (10,000 units per day)
  • Daily progress bar
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Time converter tool
Features
Read full description

The clock shows two different times in several different ways. Civil time is the current time in your time zone, taking daylight saving rules into account. Solar time depends on the position of the sun in the sky. Solar noon is when the sun is at its highest point. That moment depends on where you are, and on where the Earth is in its annual orbit around the sun. The time display shows hours and minutes in the way you're used to. It also shows a metric time. It breaks the day into 10,000 equal-sized pieces and keeps count of them over the course of the day. Midnight is 0000, and 9999 is the instant just before the next midnight. It also shows a progress bar for the percent of day elapsed. The clock shows sunrise and sunset times for both civil and solar days, in the hour and minute display and in metric. There's a "classic" display page that shows just solar metric, civil metric and civil hh:mm time. There's a converter page that allows you to type in a time, civil or solar, hours:minutes or metric, and convert to all the other available time types.

Screenshots

Desktop Astro Clock4 screens
MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric at 4.3 against Desktop Astro Clock's 3.7. MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desktop Astro Clock ships an update every 9 months, MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Desktop Astro Clock versus MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesktop Astro ClockMultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)4.3 (4 ratings) — better
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size416 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBEHR Consulting InternationalMichael Olson

Customer experience

Desktop Astro Clock

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Desktop Astro Clock

No in-app purchases

None

MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Desktop Astro Clock free?
Desktop Astro Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric free?
MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Desktop Astro Clock or MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric?
MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric is rated higher. Desktop Astro Clock averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Desktop Astro Clock or MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric have ads?
Neither Desktop Astro Clock nor MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Desktop Astro Clock or MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric?
Desktop Astro Clock ships an update every 9 months, and MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric every 3 weeks. Most recently, Desktop Astro Clock was updated on November 3, 2026 and MultiClock Civil/Solar/Metric on November 3, 2026.

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