# Wallaroo vs Hands Time

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hands Time at freemium against Wallaroo's subscription. Hands Time also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 58%). Wallaroo's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (213 vs 13). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Wallaroo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Hands Time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Wallaroo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wallaroo has 213 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Wallaroo's written reviews are positive against 67% of Hands Time's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Wallaroo ships an update every 2 months, Hands Time every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Wallaroo | Hands Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (213 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wallaroo/id1630565980/reviews)** | [4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hands-time-minimalist-widget/id6462440720/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **213** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 57.8% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 53 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Iconfactory](https://appshunter.io/developer/281795483) | [yuhang lu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1703051763) |

## What reviewers say

### Wallaroo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wallaroo/id1630565980)

Discover and set exciting new wallpapers weekly for your iOS device. Easily customize your lock and home screens with exclusive content, from pop culture to nature. Interactive widgets let you display your favorites directly on your home screen.

**Highlights:** New wallpapers weekly, Easy lock/home screen setup, Interactive home screen widgets, Exclusive content, No ads or data collection, Diverse categories

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wallaroo Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Wallaroo Yearly Subscription | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Gorgeous, high-quality wallpapers
- ✨ Creative and unique art
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 📱 Optimized for various screen sizes
- 🖼️ Home/Lock Screen variants available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 High subscription cost/expensive
- 🔒 Paywall for most wallpapers
- ❓ Unclear pricing/hidden costs
- 👎 Limited free content
- 💧 Watermark on free wallpapers

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when sharing
- Wallpaper not changing after install
- Shortcut installation loop
- Share button crashes app
- App crashes on Mac Studio when sharing

**Requested features**

- More frequent wallpaper additions
- Higher resolution downloads (5k)
- More free wallpapers available
- No watermarks on free wallpapers


### Hands Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hands-time-minimalist-widget/id6462440720)

Customize your device's home screen with unique, minimalist time widgets. Choose from various themes and styles, add personal photos or colors, and enjoy fluidly animated clock hands. Offers light and dark modes, 12/24 hour formats, and real-time weather updates.

**Highlights:** 7 Themes, 10+ Styles, Customizable backgrounds with photos/colors, Ad-free minimalist design, Animated clock hands, Light and Dark modes, Real-time local weather

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Time Premium Passport Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Hands Time Pro Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wallaroo free?

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

### Is Hands Time free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Wallaroo or Hands Time?

Wallaroo is rated higher. Wallaroo averages 4.8 out of 5 from 213 ratings, while Hands Time averages 4.5 from 13 ratings.

### Do Wallaroo or Hands Time have ads?

Neither Wallaroo nor Hands Time shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Wallaroo or Hands Time?

Wallaroo ships an update every 2 months, and Hands Time every 2 weeks. Most recently, Wallaroo was updated on September 22, 2026 and Hands Time on September 23, 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.*