Binary vs Brutal Time
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Binary
This utility displays time using binary code represented by LED-style buttons. It offers customizable display modes, an alarm, and a countdown timer, making it educational for learning binary counting.
- Binary time display
- 24 or 12 hour mode
- Alarm clock functionality
- Countdown timer
- Customizable button colors
- Optional sound alerts
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Display time using LED-type buttons that correspond to binary values for the hours, minutes, and seconds. Educational for learning binary counting. Options: * 24 or 12 hour mode * Alarm Clock * Countdown Timer mode * Optional "beep" sound * Select a variety of colors for the buttons.
Brutal Time
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Brutal Time turns your iPhone into a brutalist desk clock. Put it on a charger and it fills the screen, edge to edge, with nothing but type. It tells time without decoration, distraction, or gimmicks. ON THE CHARGER StandBy widgets for every clock face, and widgets for the Home Screen. A full-screen, StandBy-style display for the app itself, with the status bar hidden so the clock owns the whole screen. Add a Shortcut and it opens by itself the moment you plug in. Always-On keeps it lit while charging and dims it after a few seconds, then lets the phone sleep again as soon as you unplug. FOUR TYPOGRAPHIC FACES Four distinct designs, each built on a different typographic system: digits locked to a ruled grid, editorial Swiss with a red accent, oversized poster glyphs cropped by the frame, and mono type over a dot-indexed field. Each reads as words or numerals, in dark or light, portrait or landscape. UNLOCK AMBIENT MOTION WITH THE FULL EDITION Each face can come alive. Continuous, ambient motion runs through the type — letters that breathe, sway, and resolve on their own unhurried rhythm, with several motions for every face. Calm and deliberate, never a screensaver. Ambient Motion is the only paid feature, and the Full Edition is a one-time purchase — buy it once, keep it forever. Everything else is free: every clock face, every typeface, every widget, the full-screen display and Always-On. Also included: - Three typefaces per face - Custom accent colors - Home Screen and StandBy widgets - No subscription. No ads. Ever. Brutal Time is shaped by brutalist design principles: visible structure, a restrained palette, and the removal of unnecessary ornament. Time is shown as type, grid, and rhythm — clear, functional, and deliberate.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Binary at none against Brutal Time's 1. Binary also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Brutal Time's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 13 months). On price and ads 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. Brutal Time sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Binary asks for nothing beyond the download.
Binary ships an update every 13 months, Brutal Time every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Binary | Brutal Time |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wyllys Ingersoll | Forager Lab LLC |
In-app purchases
Binary
No in-app purchases
Brutal Time
- Full Edition$4.99
Questions
Is Binary free?
Is Brutal Time free?
Do Binary or Brutal Time have ads?
Which is updated more often, Binary or Brutal Time?
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