# Shade Control vs Lunar Timer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shade Control at none against Lunar Timer's 1. Shade Control also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). Lunar Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lunar Timer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Shade Control asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shade Control ships an update every 4 months, Lunar Timer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shade Control | Lunar Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Size | 45 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HA Systems BV](https://appshunter.io/developer/1596283942) | [ATSUKO MOTOYAMA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868868796) |

## What reviewers say

### Shade Control

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shade-control/id1596283940)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lunar Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lunar-timer/id6757776396)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plan | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shade Control free?

Shade Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lunar Timer free?

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

### Do Shade Control or Lunar Timer have ads?

Lunar Timer shows ads; Shade Control does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shade Control or Lunar Timer?

Shade Control ships an update every 4 months, and Lunar Timer every 9 days. Most recently, Shade Control was updated on June 10, 2026 and Lunar Timer on September 11, 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.*