Comparison

Magic Hour vs Kind Cue

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

Head to head
About

Magic Hour

This app helps photographers and cinematographers find the optimal times for shooting around sunrise and sunset. It provides precise calculations for 'magic hour' based on your location and offers moon phase information. Optional in-app purchases unlock advanced features like location selection and calendar integration.

Highlights
  • Magic hour time calculation
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Moonrise and full moon alerts
  • Weather forecast integration
  • Customizable notifications
  • Location-based planning
Features
Read full description

Magic Hour (also called golden hour) is the time of day around sunrise and sunset when the light is great for photography and cinematography. It is typically when the sun is between 6 degrees below the horizon to 6 degrees above. This sunlight is evenly dispersed and helps you create great pictures. Magic Hour makes it easy for you to know when magic hour is coming and how much time you have left once it begins. The app takes your location along with the current day and calculates when magic hour will occur. If the weather forecast is available we give that to you as well. What other light is cool to photograph in? The moon, of course. And you want a full moon for that. Our Moon Watch section lets you know the next moonrise and when the next full moon will appear. In addition to this, you can set up notifications on and before magic hour begins. And with our in-app purchase you can select locations other than your current one, view future magic hour times, and create calendar events for them. Data that is used with the Magic Hour App (e.g. locations, notifications, calendar events, etc.) remain local to your device and are not transmitted nor remotely stored.

About

Kind Cue

Features
Read full description

Kind Cue helps you keep up with the people you care about, even when you are not sure what to say. Add contacts, choose the relationship type, and set reminders for when you want to check in. When it is time, Kind Cue gives you ready-to-send message ideas so you are not stuck staring at a blank text box. Use Kind Cue to: * Keep track of people you mean to text * Schedule recurring check-in reminders * Choose messages based on relationship type * Get help starting conversations * Build a better habit of staying in touch Kind Cue is useful for friends, family, close friends, partners, and anyone else you want to keep connected with. It does not replace real conversation. It gives you the nudge and the words when reaching out feels harder than it should.

Screenshots

Magic Hour4 screens
Kind Cue4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kind Cue at none against Magic Hour's 1. Kind Cue also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Magic Hour's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Magic Hour sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Kind Cue asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, Kind Cue every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Magic Hour versus Kind Cue: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic HourKind Cue
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.2K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerelfinda appsPotato Studios Development llc

Bugs and requests

Magic Hour

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • 🐛 Time way off
  • 🐛 Can't change location
  • 🐛 Crashes all the time
  • 🐛 Can't see future dates anymore
  • 🐛 Widget doesn't update
Show 3 more
  • 🐛 Keeps crashing
  • 🐛 Can't determine magic hour at another location
  • 🐛 App crashes

Requested features

7 requests
  • 💡 Moonrise notification
  • 💡 Notification when magic hour ends
  • 💡 Blue hour option
  • 💡 Allow users to set their own background photo
  • 💡 Ability to plan shoots in different locations
Show 2 more
  • 💡 Companion app for planning sunsets weeks in advance
  • 💡 Custom alert tones

Kind Cue

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Magic Hour

One-time1
  • Add Locations Ability$0.99
None

Kind Cue

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Hour free?
Magic Hour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kind Cue free?
Kind Cue is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Magic Hour or Kind Cue have ads?
Neither Magic Hour nor Kind Cue shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Hour or Kind Cue?
Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, and Kind Cue every 10 days. Most recently, Magic Hour was updated on November 1, 2026 and Kind Cue on October 28, 2026.

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