Emerald Chronometer vs TrueOffset
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Emerald Chronometer
Experience highly detailed mechanical watch faces with advanced astronomical and clock complications. Track celestial events, manage time with precision, and explore historical and future dates with interactive displays. Optimized for iPhone and iPod touch.
- Accurate astronomical data (4000 BCE - 2800 CE)
- Sun, Moon, and planet rise/set times
- Mechanical display of Moon phases
- Precise local and UTC time
- Chronograph with split timer
- World-time and calendar watches
- Interactive time-travel simulation
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These models of high-end mechanical watch faces contain many of the most complex "complications" found in real watches, plus refinements found nowhere else. All displays maintain the look and feel of real mechanical objects, but with the time and location accuracy of the iPhone. NOTE: This app (Emerald Chronometer) is optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch. Please also see Emerald Chronometer HD, a separate product optimized for the iPad. Astronomy features: - Highly accurate data from 4000 BCE to 2800 CE - Times of rise and set for the Sun, the Moon, and the 5 classical planets - The correct shape and orientation of the Moon in all phases but still using a mechanical display - Relative positions of the Sun, Moon, 6 planets and the constellations of the zodiac - "Compass functions" show the elevation and azimuth of the Sun, the Moon, and the 5 planets - The Equation of Time, solar time and sidereal time - Eclipse predictor (lunar node indicators and separation indicator) - User settable geographic location and timezone using an 80,000 city database - A unique face showing the rise and set times of all 5 classical planets plus the Sun and the Moon at once Clock features: - Day/date/month/year indicators, using mechanical wheels - Local and UTC time - Chronograph (stopwatch) with split timer, 1/10 sec accuracy - Alarm clock and interval timer; notifications are delivered in iOS 4 if the app is not running** - World-time watch with 24-city ring on one side and 4 subdials on the other - Calendar watch with rotating wheels showing a full month at a time - Most watches with 1/5 sec or 1/10 sec precision - Synchronized with standard atomic clocks via NTP There are 16 watches in all, with 27 total watch faces (including front and back sides). A setting is available to allow the display to stay on only when plugged in. Play with the watches by tapping on the crown and moving the hands, or press and hold on a date window to zoom through time to see the effect on the heavens. Then just use them to show you when it's time for a break. A complete description of each application feature can be found in the built-in Help screens and on the Emerald Sequoia LLC Web Site, which also includes a demo movie. A developer's blog may also be found at http://emeraldsequoia.com/esblog/ . If you are having any trouble with the application whatsoever, please see our FAQ on the support page listed below and then contact us through that page if your problem is not resolved. We take pride in responding promptly to all support email requests. **NTP accuracy is not guaranteed for alarm delivery if the app is not running. (NTP requires Internet access. Like all apps Emerald Chronometer can not change the device's internal clock.)
TrueOffset
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TrueOffset is a precision time utility for comparing time sources and measuring clock offset with clarity and confidence. Compare multiple Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, visualize the difference between them, and see how your device's clock aligns with selected references. A clean, instrument-style interface presents time as a measurement—focused on accuracy, not decoration. FOUR CLOCK FACES - 12-Hour Classic — Traditional analog display - 24-Hour Scientific — Full day on one dial - NTP Offset — Dual second hands show device vs. true time - Digital — Large display with millisecond precision UTC & TAI TIME SCALES Display Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and International Atomic Time (TAI) alongside your local time. UTC and TAI feature authentic deadbeat second hands that step crisply to each second, visually distinct from the smooth-sweep local time. TAI runs 37 leap seconds ahead of UTC—see both atomic time scales at a glance. PRECISION VISUALIZATION The NTP Offset view displays two second hands: your device clock (gray) and true NTP time (green). The offset magnifier shows drift on a ±10ms scale, so you can see sub-millisecond accuracy at a glance. DUAL-STACK COMPARISON A feature no other NTP app offers: compare IPv4 and IPv6 paths to the same server. Detect DNS misconfigurations, identify when address families route to different servers, and verify your network is delivering consistent time on both stacks. FLEXIBLE TIME SOURCES Compare against Apple, Google, Cloudflare, NIST, US Naval Observatory, global NTP pools, or add your own servers. Set any source as your reference and track offsets across all configured servers. QUALITY ANALYTICS Eight swipeable chart pages reveal the character of your time sources: - Dashboard — Sparkline overview of all servers - Offset History — Track drift over time - Histogram — Offset distribution analysis - Box Plot — Compare consistency across servers - RTT Scatter — Correlate latency with offset - Clock Sources — Decode reference clocks (GPS, PPS, Rubidium, Cesium) - Dual-Stack — IPv4 vs IPv6 path comparison - Rankings — Servers scored by jitter and round-trip time TrueOffset is designed for users who care about how accurate their time really is—and want to see the difference, not just trust it. --- In appreciation of Emerald Sequoia's Emerald Time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: TrueOffset at every 3 weeks against Emerald Chronometer's every 22 months. Emerald Chronometer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Emerald Chronometer ships an update every 22 months, TrueOffset every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Emerald Chronometer | TrueOffset |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (105 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 96.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 105 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | — | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 311 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scapa Flow, LLC | Richard Bollar |
In-app purchases
Emerald Chronometer
No in-app purchases
TrueOffset
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Emerald Chronometer free?
Is TrueOffset free?
Which is updated more often, Emerald Chronometer or TrueOffset?
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