Comparison

Hourglass vs Dot It Down

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

Head to head
About

Hourglass

This app offers a simple and user-friendly hourglass experience. Set your desired time, pause it as needed, and enjoy the soothing visual of falling sand. It's designed for moments of calm and focused time management.

Highlights
  • User-friendly hourglass interface
  • Set custom timer durations
  • Pause and resume timer
  • Soothing falling sand animation
  • Comforting visual experience
Features
Read full description

Watch the sand fall and enjoy a calmer way to keep track of time. Hourglass is a simple visual timer that lets you enjoy the gentle motion of falling sand while counting down your time. Use it for studying, focused work, reading, breaks, meditation, or any moment when you want time to feel a little more peaceful. Unlike an ordinary digital timer, Hourglass gives you a visual sense of time passing as the sand slowly falls. Perfect for: • Studying and focus sessions • Work and productivity • Reading and hobbies • Pomodoro sessions • Meditation and quiet time • Relaxing breaks Features: • Set any timer duration you like • Relaxing falling-sand animation • Quickly restart recently used timer durations • Notifications when the timer finishes • Customize sand and background colors with Pro • Show or hide the remaining time with Pro Whether you're studying, working, meditating, or taking a break, Hourglass gives you a simple and calming way to experience time. standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Dot It Down

This task management app helps you organize everyday chores and habits without overwhelming you with overdue reminders. It automatically carries forward incomplete tasks and allows for flexible rescheduling, designed to reduce mental load and work offline.

Highlights
  • Automatic task carry-forward
  • Flexible future date resetting
  • Customizable reminders
  • Quick task addition
  • Offline functionality
  • Privacy-focused, local data storage
Features
Read full description

DiD is a simple task app built for those who don't want a whole system to manage their everyday. It's built around a simple idea: your task list should work the way your mind does. Not a graveyard of overdue reminders, but a running list that moves forward with you. Designed for home managers, busy parents, and scattered thinkers, use it for: ... The bill you nearly forgot.
 ... The wet laundry in the washer. ... The habit you’re TRYING to build.
 ... A book you were recommended. ... The detergent you need to buy.

 Key Features: 
 ... Incomplete tasks from today are automatically carried forward to tomorrow if "Push if incomplete" is on for the task. No overdue or RED notifications. Life is random, and you shouldn't feel guilty about not being able to keep up ALL THE TIME. DiD keeps up with you!

 ... "Reset future dates on completion" for pushed repeating tasks to adjust the future dates based on when you actually complete it. Some days you need a break from routine and want to jump back in without resetting the whole system.

 ... Only set reminders for the tasks you want so you're not bombarded with notifications. DiD is designed to free up your mental load, not add to it.

 ... Had a random chore pop into your head. Don't break the flow. Add a task quickly on the homepage without getting sucked in. DiD is designed for quick use, not to maximize your time in the app.

 ... Privacy first. Your data lives on your phone. No data collection or selling. You have total ownership over your data.

 ...That means it works completely offline. On a hike. In a plane. In that corner of your home the WIFI doesn't reach.

 ... No subscription. Just a one time payment to buy the offline app, and use it for life.

Over time, you’ll notice patterns in your one-off tasks and turn them into routines. Changing towels. Watering plants. Swapping toothbrushes. All the small things bouncing around in your mind finally have a place to live.

DID helps you stop juggling tasks in your head and start living in the present.

Screenshots

Hourglass3 screens
Dot It Down4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dot It Down at 5.0 against Hourglass's 4.5. Dot It Down also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Hourglass's advantage is ratings volume (255 vs 2) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, in-app purchases, 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. Hourglass sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Dot It Down 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

Dot It Down holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hourglass has 255 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hourglass ships an update weekly, Dot It Down every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Hourglass versus Dot It Down: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHourglassDot It Down
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (255 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings255 — better2
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFocaccia, Inc.Ammani Nair

Customer experience

Hourglass

All ratings255 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative50.0%

Dot It Down

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hourglass

Subscriptions1
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Hourglass Timer Pro$3.99
1 purchases

Dot It Down

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$14.99

Questions

Is Hourglass free?
Hourglass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dot It Down free?
Dot It Down is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hourglass or Dot It Down?
Dot It Down is rated higher. Hourglass averages 4.5 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while Dot It Down averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Hourglass or Dot It Down have ads?
Hourglass shows ads; Dot It Down does not.
Which is updated more often, Hourglass or Dot It Down?
Hourglass ships an update weekly, and Dot It Down every 3 days. Most recently, Hourglass was updated on October 15, 2026 and Dot It Down on October 1, 2026.

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