Comparison

Smooth Clock vs CUE! Time Signal Sync

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

Head to head
About

Smooth Clock

Features
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Turn your device into a clock with a smoothly animated background. Features: - toggle between day and night mode - choose from 4 different animations - animate random, rainbow or gray colors - 3 different animation speeds - supports the 12 and 24 hour format

About

CUE! Time Signal Sync

This app provides highly accurate time synchronization using NTP, offering visual and auditory cues for precise second-level timing. It's ideal for professionals who need to catch exact moments, such as during events, filming, or technical work.

Highlights
  • NTP-based time correction
  • 57/58/59/00-second countdowns
  • Signal sounds and haptics
  • Voice announcements
  • Landscape display mode
  • Display dimmer and keep-awake mode
Features
Read full description

Make every 00-second moment easier to catch. CUE! is a time signal app designed for timer setup and field time checks. With NTP-based time correction, 57/58/59/00-second countdowns, signal sounds, haptics, and voice announcements, CUE! helps you catch the exact 00-second moment. It is useful for temporary illumination timer panels, facility equipment, electrical work, lighting and audio systems, events, exhibitions, filming, streaming, stage work, live shows, store displays, and any situation where second-level timing matters. ■ CUE!’s Time Correction Logic CUE! is not a clock that simply displays the result of a single NTP request. NTP responses can vary depending on network routes, congestion, Wi-Fi, mobile networks, and device conditions. CUE! collects multiple NTP samples during startup and manual sync, checking each sample’s round-trip time (RTT) and time offset. Slow responses and offset outliers are filtered out. CUE! prioritizes stable samples. The selected NTP time is linked to the device’s monotonic clock at the moment it is received. After that, the in-app time display advances by adding elapsed monotonic time to the NTP reference. During automatic sync, CUE! may keep the previous NTP reference instead of applying a low-confidence result. This helps prevent sudden jumps caused by unstable network responses. ■ 57/58/59/00-Second Cues CUE! starts its countdown at 57 seconds every minute. 57 sec: 3 seconds before 58 sec: 2 seconds before 59 sec: 1 second before 00 sec: CUE! At 00 seconds, the time and cue display change color, making the exact moment easy to recognize visually. It helps when setting timer panels, checking lighting and audio timing, starting streams or recordings, managing events, and confirming 00-second timing in the field. ■ Sound, Haptics, and Voice CUE! can notify you at 57/58/59/00 seconds with signal sounds and haptics. Signal sound can be turned on or off. Use sound when allowed, or turn it off and rely on the display and haptics. Haptics use different patterns for warning seconds and the exact 00-second cue. Haptics can also be turned on or off. Voice announcements help you understand timing even when your iPhone is in your pocket. Choose announcements every 1 minute, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour. CUE! supports English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean. Other languages fall back to English. ■ Landscape Display Turn your iPhone sideways to use a larger clock display. This is useful when placing your iPhone on a stand, near a lighting console, audio mixer, or timer panel. ■ Field Features CUE! includes: ・Display dimmer ・Keep-awake mode ・Rear flashlight control ・Cue color toggle ・Haptics ON/OFF ・Signal sound ON/OFF ・Portrait and landscape layouts ・Remove ads option ■ Recommended For ・Temporary illumination timer setup ・Facility equipment time setting ・Electrical work and field timing ・Lighting and audio timing checks ・Events, exhibitions, stages, and live shows ・Streaming, recording, and filming start cues ・Store display and timer control checks ・Checking every 00-second moment clearly ・Using a clock that always shows seconds ・NTP-based time checking CUE! is a field time signal app that supports the exact “now.” ■ Free to Use CUE! is free to download. Banner ads are shown in the app. To avoid interrupting important timing moments, CUE! does not use interstitial ads. You can remove banner ads with an in-app purchase. ■ Notes CUE! uses public NTP servers to support its in-app time display. However, differences may occur due to network conditions, device status, screen rendering, audio output, haptics, speaker latency, or Bluetooth device latency. CUE! does not guarantee millisecond-level synchronization, measurement accuracy, broadcast timing, or legal proof of time. However, it can be a useful support tool for timer setup, 00-second alignment, and second-level time checks in field environments.

Screenshots

Smooth Clock4 screens
CUE! Time Signal Sync3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CUE! Time Signal Sync at Free against Smooth Clock's $0.99. CUE! Time Signal Sync also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 11 months). Smooth Clock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CUE! Time Signal Sync is free to download; Smooth Clock costs $0.99 up front. CUE! Time Signal Sync sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Smooth Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smooth Clock ships an update every 11 months, CUE! Time Signal Sync every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 3 level
Smooth Clock versus CUE! Time Signal Sync: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmooth ClockCUE! Time Signal Sync
Price$0.99Free — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPiet JonasTAKAO OGASAWARA

In-app purchases

None

Smooth Clock

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CUE! Time Signal Sync

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Smooth Clock free?
Smooth Clock costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CUE! Time Signal Sync free?
CUE! Time Signal Sync is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Smooth Clock or CUE! Time Signal Sync have ads?
CUE! Time Signal Sync shows ads; Smooth Clock does not.
Which is updated more often, Smooth Clock or CUE! Time Signal Sync?
Smooth Clock ships an update every 11 months, and CUE! Time Signal Sync every 8 days. Most recently, Smooth Clock was updated on September 25, 2026 and CUE! Time Signal Sync on September 10, 2026.

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