Comparison

DekaClock vs Strange Clocks

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

Head to head
About

DekaClock

This app offers an alternative time display system based on base 10. It divides the day into 100,000 deka-5 periods, with 5 tiers of measurement for precise timekeeping. The display uses single-digit numbers separated by colons for a unique time format.

Highlights
  • Base-10 time system
  • 5 tiers of measurement
  • Unique time format (e.g., 5:0:0:0:0)
  • Deka-5 periods shorter than a second
  • Alternative to traditional timekeeping
Features
Read full description

Did you ever notice, the time of the day is based on odd numbers? So, a day is split into 24 hours, an hour is split into 60 minutes and a minute is split into 60 seconds. Strange, isn't it? Since in many cultures nowadays our numbering system is based on the base of 10, the usual time structure as stated above, leads to some strange counting artefacts. DekaClock attempts to solve this by introducing a time-system strictly based on the base 10. The different tiers required will not be named hour, minute, etc. to avoid confusion, but rather "deka-1, "deka-2", ..., at least until a better naming comes up. "Deka" is the greek name for 10, so the name is very suitable. Since the duration of a second is a very tangible and the shortest time-period in the traditional time scheme, the DekaClock needs to come up with something similar. A traditional day has 24 * 60 * 60 = 86,400 seconds. So, the DekaClock day has 100,000 deka-5 periods, since ist has to be a number by an integer power of 10. Naturally by this, the DekaClock scheme has 5 tiers to give an accurate time of the day: deka-1, deka-2, deka-3, deka-4 and deka-5. A deka-5 period therefore is slightly shorter than a second, concretely 0.864 seconds. But this is close enough to "feel" the ticking of the clock correctly, as the passing of time in DekaClock shows. To give the full time of the day, consequently 5 single digit numbers from 0 to 9 are required. They are given separated by a colon each. For example midday is 5:0:0:0:0, 6am is 2:5:0:0:0 and 6pm is 7:5:0:0:0. So, a deka-1 period of time is a tenth of a full day of 24 hours, thus encompasses 2 hours and 24 minutes. The time of day "9 deka-1" as example refers to 9:36pm on our standard clock. A good time to go to bed.

About

Strange Clocks

Features
Read full description

Strange Clocks turns "what time is it?" into a small daily puzzle. Instead of one clock face, you get 15, each a different, real way humans (and machines) have told time throughout history: from a Cold War-era German clock made of lamps to the way a resistor's color bands encode a number. Every clock is stranger than the last, but none of them stay strange for long. Each one ships with a short animated guide that highlights exactly what to read and when, plus a live calculation line so you can watch the math happen in real time. WHAT'S INSIDE - 15 unusual clocks: Berlin Clock, Word Clock, Binary Clock, Cistercian Clock, Fibonacci Clock, Tix Clock, Hex Clock, Maya Clock, Moon Clock, Polar Clock, Resistor Clock, Decimal Time, Internet Time, Roman Hours, and the Prague Orloj. - An animated how-to-read guide for every single clock, no exceptions. - Widgets for Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy, in small and medium sizes. - Clock Wall mode: turn your iPhone, or the inner display of iPhone Duo, into a live wall of clocks, screensaver-style. - 10 languages: English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Korean, and Italian. ONE CLOCK ON US Pick any clock as your gift and keep it free, forever: live in the app, on your widgets, and in StandBy. Every how-to-read guide is free for all 15. Want them all? A single one-time purchase of $1.99 unlocks every clock. No subscription, no recurring charges, no ads, and no tracking, ever. PRIVACY Strange Clocks doesn't collect your data. The one place it asks for location, to compute local sunrise and sunset for the Roman Hours clock, is used entirely on your device and never leaves it. Fifteen clocks. One phone. Zero reasons to know what time it "normally" is.

Screenshots

DekaClock4 screens
Strange Clocks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DekaClock at none against Strange Clocks's 1. Strange Clocks's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Strange Clocks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DekaClock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DekaClock ships an update every 2 months, Strange Clocks every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
DekaClock versus Strange Clocks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDekaClockStrange Clocks
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarsten TraupeKIP Networks

In-app purchases

None

DekaClock

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Strange Clocks

One-time1
  • Unlock all 15 clocks$1.99

Questions

Is DekaClock free?
DekaClock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strange Clocks free?
Strange Clocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DekaClock or Strange Clocks have ads?
Neither DekaClock nor Strange Clocks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DekaClock or Strange Clocks?
DekaClock ships an update every 2 months, and Strange Clocks every 3 days. Most recently, DekaClock was updated on October 27, 2026 and Strange Clocks on October 29, 2026.

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