# Bento vs Ripples

The clearest difference is rating: Ripples at 4.7 against Bento's 4.1. Ripples also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 54%). Bento's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bento sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Ripples sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ripples holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 326 and 230 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Bento's written reviews are positive against 93% of Ripples's.

Bento ships an update weekly, Ripples fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bento | Ripples |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (326 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bento-the-do-less-timer/id1595945715/reviews) | **[4.7 (230 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ripples-habit-tracker/id6502667826/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **326** | 230 |
| Positive reviews | 53.8% of reviews | **92.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 117 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Keep Productive Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1595945717) | [Mykola Harmash](https://appshunter.io/developer/1746395857) |

## What reviewers say

### Bento

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bento-the-do-less-timer/id1595945715)

This app offers a calm focus timer designed to enhance productivity for work and study. It utilizes Japanese-inspired themes and a distraction-free interface to help users achieve deep work states, manage tasks, and improve focus patterns with insightful analytics.

**Highlights:** Aesthetic Japanese focus scenes, Task limitation for reduced overload, Deep focus mode to block distractions, Customizable daily routines, Focus score and analytics, Focus booster for momentum

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bento Premium - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Bento Premium - Annually | $9.99 | per year |
| Bento Premium - Quarterly | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Bento Premium - Semiannual | $19.99 | per 6 months |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helps focus on important tasks
- 🎨 Beautiful and calming design
- 🕰️ Useful Pomodoro-style timer
- 📚 Bento methodology is insightful
- 👍 Simple and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes and crashes frequently
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 💰 Paid app now requires subscription
- 🔇 Limited music/sound options
- 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Titles randomly deleted
- Timer stops working unexpectedly
- Switching themes doesn't work
- Accessibility issues

**Requested features**

- Add more music/sound options
- Implement a widget for quick access
- Allow customization of Bento templates
- Sync tasks across devices
- Add an Apple Watch app


### Ripples

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ripples-habit-tracker/id6502667826)

This app helps you build and maintain new habits and achieve your goals. It offers a visual calendar grid to track your progress, detailed metrics, and the ability to log specific amounts for each action. You can also add notes, use Siri shortcuts, and view your progress with widgets.

**Highlights:** Visual calendar grid progress tracking, Vital metrics and analytics, Track specific amounts and custom units, Notes and journal entries, Siri shortcuts and automation, Interactive widgets

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Plus Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Powerpack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Powerpack Family | $17.99 | one-time |
| Ripples Plus Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Minimalist and clean UI design
- 🎨 Beautiful animations and fluid interactions
- 📱 Excellent widget implementation
- 🚀 Simple and intuitive to use
- 💰 One-time purchase (no subscription)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔔 Unreliable notification system
- 🐛 UI bugs affecting usability
- 💳 Purchase restoration issues
- 🔐 Lifetime purchase unlock problems
- ⚠️ No developer response to support issues

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working reliably
- UI bugs causing app to become unusable
- Restore purchases not functioning
- Pro features not unlocking after purchase
- Lifetime purchase redemption not working

**Requested features**

- Check-in reminders/notifications
- Apple Watch app and complications
- iCloud sync across devices
- Weekly and monthly habit tracking
- Filtering by categories or tags


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bento free?

Bento is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ripples free?

Ripples is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bento or Ripples?

Ripples is rated higher. Bento averages 4.1 out of 5 from 326 ratings, while Ripples averages 4.7 from 230 ratings.

### Do Bento or Ripples have ads?

Neither Bento nor Ripples shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bento or Ripples?

Bento ships an update weekly, and Ripples fortnightly. Most recently, Bento was updated on October 17, 2026 and Ripples on October 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*