Comparison

Lil Planner vs Gentle Timer

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

Head to head
About

Lil Planner

This app provides a visual scheduling tool designed for children, particularly those with ADHD or autism. It helps build routines, increase focus, and reduce anxiety through an easy-to-use and engaging interface with fun rewards.

Highlights
  • Visual scheduling
  • Timers
  • Routine building
  • Habit formation
  • Reward system
  • Anxiety reduction
Features
Read full description

The #1 visual schedule app for kids, ADHD, and autism. Easy routines, fun rewards. • Increase focus • Build good habits • Reduce anxiety • Stop meltdowns We made Lil Planner with parents and kids in mind: everything is big, easy to read, and easy to use. We also made it FUN -- fun enough to hold your attention AND theirs, hopefully long enough for you to make plans together. Great for: • Toddlers and preschoolers • ADHD, autistic, and neurodivergent kids • Kids that have a hard time with transitions • Older kids and grownups that want a fun way to stay organized • Visual learners We originally created Lil Planner for our own family. Now we're excited to share it with other families. "Let's check our Lil Planner!" has become a daily refrain in our house. We think it will become one in yours, too. Terms of Use: https://www.lilplanner.com/terms

About

Gentle Timer

This app offers a visually appealing, ad-free timer for focus, productivity, and managing children's routines. It supports various timer types, including countdown, Pomodoro, and interval, with extensive customization options for backgrounds, music, and themes. It also includes helpful everyday tools like a calculator and breathing exercises.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timers
  • Pomodoro focus sessions
  • Interval training timers
  • Multi timer support
  • Customizable backgrounds and music
  • Everyday utility tools
Features
Read full description

Gentle Timer turns ordinary waiting into a calm, happy little moment. Set a time, choose an adorable animated character, a dreamy background and soothing music — then relax and watch a friendly countdown carry you to the finish. Most timers feel cold and stressful. Gentle Timer is the opposite — warm, playful and beautifully animated, so brushing teeth, focusing, cooking, working out or winding down all feel a little better. THE MAIN EVENT: A TIMER YOU'LL ACTUALLY ENJOY • A big, friendly countdown with a cute character that glides across the screen as time ticks down — time you can SEE • Hundreds of animated characters, backgrounds and effects — dreamy scenes, sparkle trails and joyful completion celebrations • Calming music while it runs and a gentle chime when it ends — or play your own tracks from your music library, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music or Amazon Music • Your pet turns up partway through to cheer you on — "You've got this!" … "Almost there!" • Dozens of pets to pick from — yours waits with you on the Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island, on the timer, and through focus sessions. Poke it and the whole screen goes sparkly. • Add or remove time on the fly, pause anytime, and follow along on your Lock Screen with Live Activities SO MUCH MORE INSIDE • Pomodoro — focus-and-break cycles that help you get real work done • Interval — work/rest rounds for HIIT and workouts, with 3-2-1 countdown beeps • Focus — open-ended focus sessions with task names and a history of your time • Multi-Timer — run up to six timers side by side • Presets — one-tap timers for brushing teeth, screen time, tidying up and more • Stopwatch — clean and simple, with laps • Breathing — guided four-phase breathing to slow down and reset • Tools — a counter, dice / coin / spinner, and a full scientific calculator MAKE IT TRULY YOURS • Pick characters, backgrounds, music, effects for every mode • Draw your own characters and backgrounds — or turn any photo into one, right from your camera or library • Set your own encouragement messages, sounds and gentle haptics BUILT TO FEEL CALM No clutter. No pressure. No jarring alarms. Every detail is designed to lower stress instead of adding to it. LOVED BY • Parents & kids — brushing teeth, tidying up, screen-time limits, smooth transitions • Students — Pomodoro study sessions and focus tracking • Focused work — deep-work sprints and mindful breaks • Fitness — interval and HIIT training • Everyday life — cooking, naps, laundry, breathing and winding down FREE — NO ADS, NO SUBSCRIPTION Gentle Timer is free to download and use — every mode, plenty of characters, backgrounds and music, and no ads, ever. Love it and want more? One optional, one-time unlock adds the full collection plus the tools to create your own — pay once, keep it forever, never a subscription. Supports Family Sharing — one purchase covers your whole family. Download Gentle Timer on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — and make your next minute a little more delightful.

Screenshots

Lil Planner4 screens
Gentle Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lil Planner at 4.9 against Gentle Timer's 4.6. Lil Planner also leads on ratings volume (4.1K vs 354) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). Gentle Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Lil Planner sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and Gentle Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lil Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lil Planner has 4.1K ratings behind it against 354, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 94% of Lil Planner's written reviews are positive against 100% of Gentle Timer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lil Planner ships an update every 9 days, Gentle Timer every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lil Planner versus Gentle Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLil PlannerGentle Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (4.1K ratings) — better4.6 (354 ratings)
Positive reviews94.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.1K — better354
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size147 MB203 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpace Sweater, LLCJOHNNY LI

Customer experience

Lil Planner

All ratings4,121 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews181 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.3%

Gentle Timer

All ratings354 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

User reviews

Lil Planner

From 4.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helps a lot
  • 👍 Great app with timers and planner
  • 👍 Improves kids' listening and behavior
  • 👍 Helps with organization and routine
  • 👍 Visually appealing and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Requires payment to add multiple profiles
  • 🔒 Lacks ability to customize schedules

Gentle Timer

From 354 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😍 Adorable and cute visuals
  • 🎵 Fun and pleasant music/sounds
  • 👍 Smooth, snappy, and easy to use
  • 🎨 Artistic and whimsical design
  • 🚀 Great functionality and performance

Room to improve

  • 💰 More free options desired
  • 🔇 Occasional sound issues (no sound)
  • 📱 Landscape mode not supported
  • ⏳ Seconds not displayed on countdown
  • ⬆️ Seconds set in increments of 10

Bugs and requests

Lil Planner

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Issues with adding new profiles
  • Confusion around login and profile setup

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow adding multiple profiles
  • Add evening and night schedule options
  • Provide more customization options

Gentle Timer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • No sound issues reported
  • Seconds not displayed on countdown
  • Landscape mode not working

Requested features

8 requests
  • More free options
  • Landscape mode support
  • Ability to set specific seconds
  • Toggle off motion on settings menu
  • Cat character option
Show 3 more
  • View of all timers set all time
  • Ability to create 'Goals' (e.g., set 40 hours)
  • Dinosaur character option

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Lil Planner

Subscriptions7
  • Lil Planner Plus3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Lil Planner Plus3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Lil Planner Plus7 Days trial$35.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • Lil Planner Plus$41.991 Year
  • Lil Planner Plus7 Days trial$41.991 Year
  • Lil Planner Plus7 Days trial$47.991 Year
  • Lil Planner Plus7 Days trial$59.991 Year
1 purchases

Gentle Timer

One-time1
  • Go Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Lil Planner free?
Lil Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gentle Timer free?
Gentle Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lil Planner or Gentle Timer?
Lil Planner is rated higher. Lil Planner averages 4.9 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while Gentle Timer averages 4.6 from 354 ratings.
Do Lil Planner or Gentle Timer have ads?
Neither Lil Planner nor Gentle Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lil Planner or Gentle Timer?
Lil Planner ships an update every 9 days, and Gentle Timer every 3 days. Most recently, Lil Planner was updated on September 22, 2026 and Gentle Timer on September 22, 2026.

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