# TimeTree vs ICS

The clearest difference is rating: ICS at 4.3 against TimeTree's 4.0. ICS also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). TimeTree's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 50%) and ratings volume (10 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ICS holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of TimeTree's written reviews are positive against 50% of ICS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

TimeTree ships an update every 8 months, ICS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TimeTree | ICS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timetree/id372842500/reviews) | **[4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ics-timescale/id1469322356/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **65.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 66 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 9.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Arizona and Penn State Universities](https://appshunter.io/developer/372842503) | [隽轩 樊](https://appshunter.io/developer/1463394496) |

## What reviewers say

### TimeTree

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timetree/id372842500)

Explore a vast public knowledge base of evolutionary timescales and divergence times among organisms. This app uses a hierarchical system to find and present molecular time estimates from scientific literature, allowing users to compare species and view summary statistics.

**Highlights:** Explore evolutionary timescales, View organism divergence times, Access scientific literature data, Hierarchical tree-based system, Compute summary statistics, Compare species divergence

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ICS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ics-timescale/id1469322356)

Access authoritative geological time scale data and information on Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs). Explore charts, detailed GSSP information, and relevant statistics.

**Highlights:** Demonstration of ICS chart, Detailed GSSP information, GSSP statistics, Authoritative data service

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TimeTree free?

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

### Is ICS free?

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

### Which has better reviews, TimeTree or ICS?

ICS is rated higher. TimeTree averages 4.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while ICS averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do TimeTree or ICS have ads?

Neither TimeTree nor ICS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TimeTree or ICS?

TimeTree ships an update every 8 months, and ICS every 2 months. Most recently, TimeTree was updated on October 16, 2026 and ICS on October 4, 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.*