Calendar Planner CircleTime vs Bento
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Calendar Planner CircleTime ships an update fortnightly, Bento weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Calendar Planner CircleTime | Bento |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (339 ratings) — better | 4.1 (338 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews — better | 53.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 339 — better | 338 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 114 MB | 117 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Galilea, d.o.o. | Keep Productive Ltd |
Customer experience
Calendar Planner CircleTime
Bento
User reviews
Calendar Planner CircleTime
From 339 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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- 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
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- 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
Calendar Planner CircleTime
- Monthly Premium7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Half-Yearly Premium7 Days trial$20.006 Months
- Yearly Premium Family7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Lifetime Premium Family$119.00
Bento
- Bento Premium - Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Bento Premium - Annually1 Year trial$9.991 Year
- Bento Premium - Quarterly7 Days trial$12.993 Months
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- Bento Premium - Semiannual7 Days trial$19.996 Months
Questions
Is Calendar Planner CircleTime free?
Is Bento free?
Which has better reviews, Calendar Planner CircleTime or Bento?
Do Calendar Planner CircleTime or Bento have ads?
Which is updated more often, Calendar Planner CircleTime or Bento?
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