# Hourglass vs Aiko

The clearest difference is price: Hourglass at $0.99 against Aiko's $24.00. Aiko's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Hourglass costs $0.99 and Aiko $24.00 up front. Hourglass sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Aiko asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hourglass ships an update every 7 months, Aiko every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hourglass | Aiko |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$0.99** | $24.00 |
| Rating | — | **[4.7 (328 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aiko/id1672085276/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **328** |
| Positive reviews | — | 86.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#25** |
| Size | 11 MB | 1.7 GB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SNEH NILESH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1642734403) | [Sindre Sorhus](https://appshunter.io/developer/328077650) |

## What reviewers say

### Hourglass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-countdown-widget/id1642734401)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $5.99 | one-time |


### Aiko

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aiko/id1672085276)

**Currently charting:** #25 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Convert audio to text locally on your device using advanced AI. Export transcriptions as subtitles and fix common errors with a word-replacement feature. Supports over 100 languages for high-quality, private transcription.

**Highlights:** On-device AI transcription, OpenAI Whisper powered, Export as subtitles, Word replacement for corrections, Supports 100+ languages, Privacy-focused, no data leaves device

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Privacy-focused transcription
- 🚀 Accurate transcription
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎉 Free and open-source
- 💪 Powerful AI model (Whisper)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- ⏱️ Slow transcription speed
- 🔋 Resource-intensive
- 🤔 Inconsistent formatting

**Reported bugs**

- Repeated sentences
- Incorrect language detection
- Transcription loss on app exit

**Requested features**

- Support for multiple speakers
- Ability to select transcription model
- Export options for timestamps and speaker labels
- Background transcription mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hourglass free?

Hourglass costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Aiko free?

Aiko costs $24.00, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hourglass or Aiko have ads?

Neither Hourglass nor Aiko shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hourglass or Aiko?

Hourglass ships an update every 7 months, and Aiko every 6 weeks. Most recently, Hourglass was updated on October 26, 2026 and Aiko on October 25, 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.*