Comparison

Lickety Split vs Visual Timer for Kids

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

Head to head
About

Lickety Split

This app transforms daily chores into engaging games for children using music and visual timers. It helps motivate kids to complete tasks like getting ready or cleaning up by making time tangible and fun, reducing the need for parental nagging.

Highlights
  • Musical countdown timers
  • Animated hourglass visual
  • Gamifies daily tasks
  • Motivates dawdling children
  • Customizable timers with in-app purchase
  • Parent and educator developed
Features
Read full description

"We need to leave the house in five minutes." "Brush your teeth for two whole minutes." "For the umpteenth time, please pick up your toys." Sound familiar? Telling a young child they have five minutes rarely works: five minutes feels different every time. So we made it a game. Lickety Split is the visual musical timer that turns daily tasks into a beat-the-clock adventure, so parents can be their child's champion instead of their task-master. Choose a task and start the timer. Classical music plays for exactly as long as the task should take, gently and then excitedly speeding up, while an animated character acts out the task and a Time Disc drains as time runs out. Kids feel the urgency without the pressure. When they beat the timer, everyone celebrates. Two kinds of timers: Beat the Timer: finish before the music runs out. - Ready to leave the house (5 minutes) - Getting dressed - PJs on - Getting ready for a meal - Cleaning up the room - Making the bed Count Down: turn waiting into a calm, visible experience. - Brushing teeth (a full two minutes) - Taking turns - Study time - Reading time Anything Timer: choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 or 20 minutes, each with its own perfectly matched song. Great for any new task, or for "Watch the timer and then we'll play together." Your Song, Your Length: time any task with a song from your own music. Timey the hourglass is free, with 18 different rewards. Premium adds four more characters, a train, a unicorn, a bee and a caterpillar, each with its own short animated stories for both kinds of timer. Premium is an optional yearly subscription ($1.99 a year in the US), behind a grown-up question. Made for small hands and busy grown-ups: - Tap the timer to pause; resume, start over or go home - Settings to hide the Time Disc or the numbers, skip the story intro or voice prompts, and choose what happens when time runs out - Anything that changes how a timer works, opens a link or involves a purchase asks a grown-up question first Why it works: For young children, time is an abstract idea that only makes sense when it is attached to something they can see and hear. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for focus, self-regulation and executive function, is among the last parts of the brain to mature. Lickety Split meets children where they are: the accelerating music, the animation and the Time Disc act as a gentle scaffold for attention and transitions, helping children build a real sense of time at their own pace. Especially loved by parents of children with ADHD, autism and sensory processing differences, for whom visual timers and clear sound cues can make an enormous difference with time blindness and transitions. It was designed for all children, and works beautifully for every family. Used and loved by: - Families building morning routines, bedtime routines and homework habits - Early childhood educators managing classroom transitions - Occupational therapists supporting children's daily living skills Available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Timers and music work fully offline. No ads, no tracking and no personal information collected: the app goes online only to verify purchases and send anonymous crash reports. Developed by parents and educational technologists, Lickety Split has been helping families raise confident, independent children since 2011. We hope it brings a little more calm, and a lot more cheering, to your family's day. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.swirlystudios.com/privacy

About

Visual Timer for Kids

This app helps children understand the concept of time by visually revealing a picture as a countdown progresses. It's designed to reduce stress and arguments around tasks, making routines like homework or brushing teeth more engaging and manageable for kids.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timer with picture reveal
  • 200+ kid-friendly pictures
  • Customizable background images and music
  • Personalize with own photos
  • Works in background with alerts
  • Reduces time pressure and arguments
Features
Read full description

Struggling to explain to your child what “5 minutes” really means? Need a simple way to motivate kids to finish tasks on time — without stress? Visual Timer for Kids turns time into something children can see. As the visual timer runs, a picture is slowly revealed, helping kids understand how time passes in a calm and engaging way. Perfect for daily routines like homework, cleaning up, brushing teeth, screen time, or quiet play. Why Kids Love It — and Parents Trust It ● Makes abstract time concepts visual and easy to understand ● Helps children stay focused and motivated ● Reduces reminders, arguments, and time pressure ● Especially helpful for younger children and kids with ADHD Key Features ● Visual countdown timer that reveals a picture as time passes ● 200 beautiful pictures designed for kids ● 25 background images to customize the experience ● 20 music themes including relaxing, acoustic, jazz, country, and rock ● 10 fun sound effects that play when time is up ● Add your own photos from the photo library ● Works in the background ● Notifications and alerts when the timer ends -------- How does this app help kids understand time? By showing time visually instead of just numbers, children can see how much time is left as the picture is revealed. Is this app good for children with ADHD? Yes. The visual progress, gentle music, and clear ending signal help improve focus and reduce overwhelm. What can my child use this timer for? Homework, chores, getting dressed, brushing teeth, screen time limits, reading, or quiet play. Can I personalize the timer? Yes. You can choose pictures, music, and even add your own photos. Does the timer work when the app is not open? Yes. The app works in the background and notifies you when time is up. Is Visual Timer for Kids free? The app is free to download and use, with optional premium features available via in-app purchase. -------- If you enjoy the app, please leave a review on the App Store. Your feedback really helps. Questions or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you. Support Email: AppsForParents@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/site/appsforparentsprivacy/

Screenshots

Lickety Split4 screens
Visual Timer for Kids4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Visual Timer for Kids at 1.5K against Lickety Split's 27. Lickety Split's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Lickety Split sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Visual Timer for Kids sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lickety Split holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Visual Timer for Kids has 1.5K ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Lickety Split's written reviews are positive against 72% of Visual Timer for Kids's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lickety Split ships an update every 11 days, Visual Timer for Kids every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lickety Split versus Visual Timer for Kids: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLickety SplitVisual Timer for Kids
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (27 ratings) — better4.5 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews68.6% of reviews72.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings271.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwirly Studios LLCNatalia Jakubczyk-Gajewska

Customer experience

Lickety Split

All ratings26 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive68.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative25.7%

Visual Timer for Kids

All ratings1,509 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral6.2%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive72.0%
Neutral7.3%
Negative20.7%

Bugs and requests

Lickety Split

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Visual Timer for Kids

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Sound doesn't work
  • App crashes

Requested features

4 requests
  • More app icon choices
  • Free way of watching an ad or something to get at least a second character
  • Automatic starting of the timer at the designated time with the picture covered
  • Option for anything more than one minute

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lickety Split

One-time1
  • Full Upgrade$1.99
12 purchases

Visual Timer for Kids

Subscriptions11
  • 1 Week Premium Subscription3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Timer for Kids Premium7 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • 1 Week Premium Subscription7 Days trial$7.997 Days
Show 8 more
  • 1 Month Premium Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • 1 Month Premium Subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Special Offer - 1 Year$19.001 Year
  • 3 Months Premium Subscription$19.993 Months
  • 1 Year Premium Subscription$24.991 Year
  • 1 Year Premium Subscription$29.991 Year
  • 6 Months Premium Subscription$39.996 Months
  • 1 Year Premium Subscription$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Lickety Split free?
Lickety Split is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Visual Timer for Kids free?
Visual Timer for Kids is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lickety Split or Visual Timer for Kids?
Lickety Split is rated higher. Lickety Split averages 4.8 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Visual Timer for Kids averages 4.5 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Lickety Split or Visual Timer for Kids have ads?
Neither Lickety Split nor Visual Timer for Kids shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lickety Split or Visual Timer for Kids?
Lickety Split ships an update every 11 days, and Visual Timer for Kids every 6 weeks. Most recently, Lickety Split was updated on October 22, 2026 and Visual Timer for Kids on October 21, 2026.

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