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

Lickety Split is a visual and musical timer for kids that turns everyday routines into a game. Each task has its own classical music, which plays for as long as the task should take and speeds up as time runs out, while an animated character acts out the task and a Time Disc drains. WHY IT WORKS "We need to leave in five minutes." That rarely works with a young child: research shows the prefrontal cortex, which handles focus, self-regulation and executive function, is among the last parts of the brain to mature. Music is a way in. A child follows a song long before they can read a clock, so Lickety Split puts the time left into the music. Five minutes becomes something a child can see and hear, and grown-ups get to cheer instead of nag. TWO KINDS OF TIMER 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: keep going until the music ends. - Brushing teeth (a full two minutes) - Taking turns - Reading time - Study time Anything Timer: a song of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 or 20 minutes for anything else. Your Song, Your Length: time any task with a song from your own music. Its length becomes the timer. MAKE IT YOUR FAMILY'S - Your own tasks: "Shoes on" or "Feed the cat", in your words, with a picture, of the length you choose - Your own prompts: record what the timer says before the song, in your voice - Your own songs: give any task a song of yours, or one of the app's 15 recordings - Routines: put tasks in order for the morning or bedtime. A Now and Next card shows what is happening now and what comes next, in the tasks' pictures, like a picture schedule - Children & profiles: up to six children on one device, each with their own character, routines and progress. No accounts MY DAY The win is the child’s own: they beat the music and tap “I Did It!” themselves. Today, a calendar and a Storybook bring routines and plans together. Plan school mornings, change a single day, and look back together in the evening. A family can choose something to try, like patience, and keep a few words, a drawing or a short voice story. Trying counts, on hard days too, with no points or streaks to keep up. CHARACTERS Timey the hourglass is free, with 25 rewards. Premium adds a train, a unicorn, a bee, a caterpillar and the dinosaurs, each with short animated stories for both timers, and Music Practice with Beaty: play, sing or clap, and Beaty listens and dances along (needs a microphone; nothing is recorded). Premium is an optional subscription, $2.99 a year in the US, behind a grown-up question. MADE FOR SMALL HANDS - A narrator says each task out loud, so a child who can't read yet can use it - Tap the timer to pause, resume, start over or go home - Settings hide the Time Disc or the numbers, skip the story intro or voice prompts, and choose what happens when the duck wins - Changing a timer, opening a link or buying anything asks a grown-up question first - Works with VoiceOver, Voice Control and Reduce Motion WHO USES IT Parents, for morning, bedtime and homework routines. Preschool teachers, for transitions and tidy-up time. Occupational therapists, for everyday skills. Visual timers are a familiar tool for children with autism or ADHD, and in small studies a visible timer lowered children's anxiety and inattention during timed tasks. Lickety Split is for all children. Spoken prompts in 21 languages, from English and Spanish to Japanese, Hindi and Arabic. No ads, no tracking and no accounts. Nothing your family makes is sent to us. Timers, music and characters work offline; the app goes online only for purchases, crash reports and optional iCloud. Made by parents and educational technologists, helping families since 2011. Terms of Use: 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 rating: Lickety Split at 4.9 against Visual Timer for Kids's 4.5. Lickety Split also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Visual Timer for Kids's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 28). 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 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per year and Visual Timer for Kids sells 10 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, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Visual Timer for Kids has 1.5K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% 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 November 6, 2026 and November 3, 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
Rating4.9 (28 ratings) — better4.5 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews72.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings281.5K — 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
Size203 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwirly Studios LLCNatalia Jakubczyk-Gajewska

Customer experience

Lickety Split

All ratings28 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative28.6%

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

Subscriptions1
  • Plus$2.991 Year
10 purchases

Visual Timer for Kids

Subscriptions9
  • 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 6 more
  • 1 Month Premium Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • 1 Month Premium Subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 3 Months Premium Subscription$19.993 Months
  • 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 4.9 out of 5 from 28 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 November 6, 2026 and Visual Timer for Kids on November 3, 2026.

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