Comparison

Calendar Planner CircleTime vs Bento

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

Head to head
About

Calendar Planner CircleTime

This app reimagines your schedule as a flowing circle, syncing with natural rhythms like sunrise, sunset, and moon phases. It offers a clear, clutter-free visual representation of your day, integrating with your activity data for a holistic view of time and movement.

Highlights
  • Circular daily timeline visualization
  • Syncs with sun, moon, and weather
  • Integrates Apple Activity Rings
  • ADHD-friendly visual clarity
  • Customizable routines and reminders
  • Widgets and Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

UNDERSTAND TIME AS A WHOLE Most calendars organize time into boxes. But time unfolds through rhythms and cycles. CircleTime is a visual calendar that reflects that reality. Plan your day, week, and month with a clear visual calendar that helps you understand time as a connected whole. Events, reminders, tasks, weather, daylight, moon phases, and activity come together in one connected view. The circular view gives clarity at a glance. You see when the day begins, when light fades, when routines fit, and when rest comes. Less overwhelm, more focus. Discover patterns that traditional calendars often hide. Understand how your plans, movement, and natural rhythms fit together throughout the day. Instead of switching between apps, lists, and trackers, everything is organized in a single timeline that helps you stay focused, reduce overwhelm, and plan with greater clarity. FEATURES • See your entire day, week, and month at a glance • Never lose track of events, reminders, or tasks • Plan with daylight, weather, and lunar awareness • Understand when your activity happens, not just how much • Stay focused with a visual timeline that reduces overwhelm • Keep your schedule close with widgets and Apple Watch PRIVACY FIRST Your data stays private on your device. No tracking. No ads. Just clarity. INTEGRATIONS Works seamlessly with Apple Calendar, Apple Weather, HealthKit, and iCloud. Follow your schedule, your activity, and the natural cycles around you. A calendar that finally feels like time itself. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Bento

This app offers a calm focus timer designed to enhance productivity for work and study. It utilizes Japanese-inspired themes and a distraction-free interface to help users achieve deep work states, manage tasks, and improve focus patterns with insightful analytics.

Highlights
  • Aesthetic Japanese focus scenes
  • Task limitation for reduced overload
  • Deep focus mode to block distractions
  • Customizable daily routines
  • Focus score and analytics
  • Focus booster for momentum
Features
Read full description

Stop getting overwhelmed with long to-do lists. Used by 50,000+ productivity enthusiasts. Bento is not a to-do list app. It's a focus companion. We believe in doing less, and finishing more. Using the calming Japanese themes, stay focused and get things done by packing your focus box. Your focus box is limited to up to 3 tasks. The goal is getting the right things done, not everything. Popular with ADHD, everyday users struggling with to-do list apps and overwhelmed individuals who need better focus. Start your first focus timer today! Bento Features - Aesthetic Timer: Our Japanese focus scenes are designed for calm and minimalism. - Focused Productivity: Limit your focus to up to 3 tasks to help reduce overload and burnout. - Deep Focus Mode: Block distractions, enter deep work states and stay focused with intention. - Custom Routines: Start a daily custom routine from your morning routine to deep focus start. - Focus Booster: Build momentum with your focus & stay engaged as you work. ADHD is one of our most popular use cases. Helping you to beat task paralysis, support better focus & deep work. Use Cases - Study Timer: Perfect for revision and exam preparation. The ultimate timer for study. - Work Timer: Enter flow states at work by embracing the focus box, focus score & scenes. - Reducing Burnout: Stop overwhelm by using a calm, low stimulation timer like Bento Focus. - Neurodiverse Focus: This focus timer is ADHD friendly and popular with the neurodivergent community. - Pomodoro Lovers: Bento focuses works as a pomodoro timer for entering cycles of focus. Plus focus badges, app icons, new themes released monthly, focus achievements and unique Japanese focus scenes. Bento is for everyone who wants to stay focused and reduce distractions. FREE TRIAL & PRICING Start a free trial for Premium for full features. Free version includes: 1 theme, timer mode. Auto-renewal can be canceled anytime via Apple settings. PRIVACY & TERMS: https://www.bentofocus.com/privacy https://www.bentofocus.com/terms SEND US FEEDBACK: https://www.bentofocus.com/feedback

Screenshots

Calendar Planner CircleTime4 screens
Bento4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Calendar Planner CircleTime at 4.6 against Bento's 4.1. Bento's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Calendar Planner CircleTime sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Bento sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calendar Planner CircleTime holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 339 and 338 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 55% and 54% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calendar Planner CircleTime ships an update fortnightly, Bento weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Calendar Planner CircleTime versus Bento: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalendar Planner CircleTimeBento
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (339 ratings) — better4.1 (338 ratings)
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews — better53.8% of reviews
Number of ratings339 — better338
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGalilea, d.o.o.Keep Productive Ltd

Customer experience

Calendar Planner CircleTime

All ratings339 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral10.6%
Negative34.8%

Bento

All ratings326 ratings
Positive75.5%
Neutral7.4%
Negative17.2%
Written reviews119 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral14.3%
Negative31.9%

User reviews

Calendar Planner CircleTime

From 339 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Innovative visual design
  • 🎨 Beautifully designed
  • ✨ Unique concept
  • 🔄 Good syncing capabilities
  • 👍 Intuitive for some users

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Steep learning curve
  • 😵 Confusing to use
  • 🤷 Not intuitive
  • 💸 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 App locks up

Bento

From 338 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helps focus on important tasks
  • 🎨 Beautiful and calming design
  • 🕰️ Useful Pomodoro-style timer
  • 📚 Bento methodology is insightful
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App freezes and crashes frequently
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 💰 Paid app now requires subscription
  • 🔇 Limited music/sound options
  • 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive UI

Bugs and requests

Calendar Planner CircleTime

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Occasional syncing delays
  • Padlock screen locks app
  • No 'cancel' button on lock screen
  • Force-quit required to escape lock
  • Color dots not working
Show 9 more
  • Outer rings for month/date in English (when app is in Spanish)
  • Home icon doesn't show date/number of events
  • App doesn't work on iPhone 6+
  • Event created in app doesn't appear in app
  • App doesn't start
  • Crashes every time it's opened
  • Operates like a beta version
  • Lag in displaying when switching views
  • Control points are too small

Requested features

16 requests
  • Add widgets
  • Add tasks to calendar
  • More alarms
  • Widgets for Home Screen
  • Moon phase widget
Show 11 more
  • Day/week/month widgets
  • Ability to control notifications
  • Add other calendars
  • Choose week start day (Sunday/Monday)
  • Shared calendar integration (Google Calendar)
  • More integration
  • iPad version
  • Make June at bottom, December at top
  • 12hr time option
  • Legend for colors
  • Improved labeling and documentation

Bento

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Titles randomly deleted
  • Timer stops working unexpectedly
  • Switching themes doesn't work
  • Accessibility issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more music/sound options
  • Implement a widget for quick access
  • Allow customization of Bento templates
  • Sync tasks across devices
  • Add an Apple Watch app

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Calendar Planner CircleTime

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Premium7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Half-Yearly Premium7 Days trial$20.006 Months
  • Yearly Premium Family7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium Family$119.00
4 purchases

Bento

Subscriptions4
  • Bento Premium - Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Bento Premium - Annually1 Year trial$9.991 Year
  • Bento Premium - Quarterly7 Days trial$12.993 Months
Show 1 more
  • Bento Premium - Semiannual7 Days trial$19.996 Months

Questions

Is Calendar Planner CircleTime free?
Calendar Planner CircleTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bento free?
Bento is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Calendar Planner CircleTime or Bento?
Calendar Planner CircleTime is rated higher. Calendar Planner CircleTime averages 4.6 out of 5 from 339 ratings, while Bento averages 4.1 from 338 ratings.
Do Calendar Planner CircleTime or Bento have ads?
Neither Calendar Planner CircleTime nor Bento shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calendar Planner CircleTime or Bento?
Calendar Planner CircleTime ships an update fortnightly, and Bento weekly. Most recently, Calendar Planner CircleTime was updated on October 23, 2026 and Bento on October 25, 2026.

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