Comparison

Zulu Time vs Julian

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Zulu Time

This app displays local and UTC (Zulu) time, along with multiple time zones, on your iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. It offers widgets for quick access and features for calculating future or past times with offsets, simplifying timezone conversions for various professions.

Highlights
  • Display local and Zulu (UTC) time
  • Multiple time zone display
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch complications
  • Future/past time offset calculations
  • Time zone conversion
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

An iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad app to see Local and Zulu time (GMT) or multiple time zones in a single glance. Includes Widgets for both the iPhone and Apple Watch. Useful for pilots in getting weather briefings and filing flight plans, or Ham radio operators to do timezone conversions. No more worrying about getting the timezone offset correct or Daylight Savings Time conversions. Easily convert from different time zones, including times in the future or past. On the iPhone: - Home and Lock Screen widgets - The Zulu Time page gives a quick view of both Zulu and Local times - The Offset Time page allows you to see Zulu and local time either in the future or past by entering an offset via the Offset button. Tapping either Zulu or Local times will allow you to enter a time in the future or past, synchronizing both Local and Zulu times with that offset. The offset only applies to this view (except on the iPad the offset applies to everything on the page) - The Multiple Zones page allows you to add as many time zones as you wish in a scrolling view. Clicking on any Time Zone will allow you to change it. on iPad: All information is combined on one screen. You have user customizable time zones on the right hand side. On the left, you have Zulu and Local time and one customizable time zone. The offset to see future or past time can be done via the Offset button or tapping any of either the Zulu, Local or Custom time buttons on the left. On the Watch: Complications available in all watch faces making for glanceable ZuluTime and access to the app, which gives offset able time computation.

About

Julian

This app provides a quick and efficient way to view and convert between 11 different types of dates, including standard Julian dates, Mars Sol dates, and Unix time. It features a calendar for easy navigation and allows copying dates to the clipboard. The current date can be displayed on the app icon and Apple Watch complications.

Highlights
  • 11 date type conversions
  • Calendar view
  • Copy to clipboard
  • App icon badge display
  • Apple Watch complications
Features
Read full description

Julian makes it simple to find any day of the year, convert dates, and understand your year at a glance on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Browse the calendar to explore past and future dates, or enter a day number to jump straight to the matching date. Choose the date format you prefer and instantly see the day of the year, year progress, days remaining, week number, and current quarter. Convert between calendar dates, ordinal dates, ISO 8601 dates, ISO week dates, Julian calendar dates, Julian Day Numbers, and Unix timestamps. Add or subtract days, weeks, months, or years, or calculate the exact time between two dates. Julian supports a wide range of astronomical and time counting systems, including CCSDS Julian Date, CNES Julian Date, Dublin Julian Date, Lilian Date, Mars Sol Date, Modified Julian Date, Rata Die, Reduced Julian Date, Truncated Julian Date, and Unix Time. Copy any date value with a tap, or copy and share a complete date summary. Save your favorite formats for fast access whenever you need them. Keep important date information visible with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets. Customize their layout, colors, and content. Larger widgets can show additional date values and calendar views without opening the app. On Apple Watch, quickly view yesterday, today, and tomorrow, look up any day of the year, and choose complications that match your watch face. Use Siri to retrieve date values and check your year progress. Add Julian actions to Shortcuts to convert dates, perform calculations, copy results, and open detailed date information. Personalize Julian with seven color themes, alternate app icons, and System, Light, or Dark appearance. Set your preferred first day of the week and choose which month begins your first quarter. For an instant glance, enable the optional app icon badge to show the current day of the year. Badge updates are silent and do not create banners or sounds. Notification permission is required. Use the International Fixed Calendar, with 13 months of 28 days, across Julian, widgets, and Apple Watch. Share a personalized image of today's date and year progress.

Screenshots

Zulu Time4 screens
Julian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Julian at Free against Zulu Time's $0.99. Julian also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 3 months). Zulu Time's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#75 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Julian is free to download; Zulu Time costs $0.99 up front. Julian sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Zulu Time asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Zulu Time against 4.8 for Julian. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.6K and 4.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Zulu Time's written reviews are positive against 67% of Julian's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zulu Time ships an update every 3 months, Julian every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Zulu Time versus Julian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZulu TimeJulian
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (2.6K ratings) — better4.8 (4.8K ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.6K4.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#75 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDerek SpearsJuan Carlos Perez

Customer experience

Zulu Time

All ratings2,609 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral10.2%
Negative11.2%

Julian

All ratings4,699 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

User reviews

Zulu Time

From 2.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Zulu time on command
  • 🔒 Robust security features
  • 👍 Easy to read and use
  • 👍 Excellent for aviation and radio operators
  • 👍 Customizable and syncs correctly

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Watch complication not updating consistently
  • 🐛 Local time not displaying correctly on widget
  • 🐛 Complication shows only hours, not full time
  • 🐛 Difficulty setting with Daylight Saving Time

Julian

From 4.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent for work/professional use
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 👍 Helpful for daily tasks
  • 👍 Convenient complication on Apple Watch

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Complication issues on Apple Watch (not updating, getting stuck)
  • 🐛 Date discrepancies between app and complication
  • 🐛 App not functioning properly after updates

Bugs and requests

Zulu Time

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Complication freezes after a few days
  • Zulu time loses accuracy over time on Apple Watch
  • Widget not updating local time properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add alarm feature
  • Allow landscape mode for bedside clock view
  • Provide option for always-on display
  • Add time zone map for quick reference
  • Show day of year in display

Julian

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Complication not updating correctly on Apple Watch
  • Date displayed incorrectly, one day behind
  • App not functioning properly after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Display current date along with Julian date
  • Add countdown/days remaining functionality
  • Display week number
  • Show Julian date on app icon

In-app purchases

None

Zulu Time

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Julian

One-time3
  • Short Cup$0.99
  • Tall Cup$1.99
  • Grande Cup$2.99

Questions

Is Zulu Time free?
Zulu Time costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Julian free?
Julian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Zulu Time or Julian?
Zulu Time is rated higher. Zulu Time averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Julian averages 4.8 from 4.8K ratings.
Do Zulu Time or Julian have ads?
Neither Zulu Time nor Julian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zulu Time or Julian?
Zulu Time ships an update every 3 months, and Julian every 2 months. Most recently, Zulu Time was updated on November 6, 2026 and Julian on November 6, 2026.

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