Comparison

Screen Smart vs Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)

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

Head to head
About

Screen Smart

Features
Read full description

Screen Smart is loved by parents because it: - Breaks the spell of your child’s screen addiction. - Makes children responsible of their screen time. - Builds knowledge in Math, Geography and Language based on parents and child interests. Our promise to Children - Help you take control of your screen time with a healthy balance of fun and meaningful learning. Our promise to parents - No more fighting over screen time. - A predictable and fair mechanism for your child to learn and be awarded with screen time. - You control subjects learned based on your child’s interests and needs. We created Screen Smart because we see screen addiction among children as one of the largest challenges of our time. We are parents ourselves, so we know exactly how difficult it is to avoid that children end up as screen zombies. We have kept the app simple to drive healthy educational breaks because we know that it works. Once you have passed the initial threshold to install Screen Smart on your child’s device, and explained to your child that they are now in control of their screen time, the reward is less arguing and you will notice that your child actually learns with our app. In contrast to many of the educational apps that exists, your child needs to use Screen Smart to gain screen time. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have ideas how we can improve Screen Smart. By downloading and sharing, you're contributing to reducing screen addiction among children around the world.

About

Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)

This app offers a visually engaging countdown timer designed for various uses, from managing work breaks and children's activities to focusing on tasks. It features unique visual styles that reveal or pixelate photos as time elapses, making time management more interactive and fun.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timer
  • Photo reveal and pixelate styles
  • Customizable alert sounds and colors
  • iCloud timer synchronization
  • Live Activities support
  • Guided Access for kids
  • AirPlay and tvOS support
Read full description

Time’s Up! is a fun, visual timer that you’ll actually want to use. Whether it’s for you, your kids, or someone else, Time’s Up! will make counting down much more engaging. Timers can be used at work and at home, whether you’re making sure you take a break or telling kids it’s bedtime. Timers exist everywhere, but none of them are fun and visually appealing — and that can be important when you’re dealing with kids big and small! Time’s Up! has the features you need to make time fun again. ——————— What’s the difference between “Time’s Up! — Visual Timer” and “Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)”? The free-to-download version of Time’s Up! lets you try the app five times before upgrading via in-app purchase. “Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)” is the same app but available paid-upfront with no limits in the app itself. “Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)” exists so educators can purchase the app through Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) for Education. It also excludes any third-party frameworks and analytics from the app. ——————— Time’s Up! isn’t just for kids and workaholics. The possibilities are endless: • Adults who need to set timers to stop them from working for too long without a break. • Kids who don’t want to do their homework but can be convinced to work in smaller chunks. • Setting reading or other activity timers before bed time. • Helping bigger kids focus on an activity for a set amount of time. • Setting timers for exercises — put Time’s Up! on your TV screen using AirPlay and turn a timer into the focal point for your exercise group. • Anything that’s based on a specific amount of time! What makes a timer fun? Time’s Up! has 5 fun styles to choose from, including: • “Reveal” a photo from your Photo Library as the seconds tick down. • “Pixelate” makes a photo more clear as a timer gets closer to completion. • “Puzzle” breaks a photo into jigsaw puzzle pieces and then puts the pieces into their places as time progresses. Alternatively, there are more traditional clock faces if you just want a simple timer. Timers can be customized with their own alert sound and color, too. Other key features include: • Sync your timers between iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV using iCloud. • See your timers on your Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and Apple Watch with Live Activities (requires iOS 18). • Guided Access to prevent kids from switching apps and changing timers, making sure only you have the power to control time. • Airplay and tvOS support so you can put a timer up on a TV screen. • Get audio updates each minute or countdown the last 10 seconds. • On macOS, you can float the timer window above other apps so it’s always visible. Time’s Up! has no ads or data trackers. We believe your data is your own and we don’t collect any of it.

Screenshots

Screen Smart4 screens
Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Screen Smart at Free against Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)'s $5.99. Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)'s advantage is device support (5 vs 2). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

Screen Smart is free to download; Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Screen Smart ships an update every 5 weeks, Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Screen Smart versus Time’s Up! Timer (VPP): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreen SmartTime’s Up! Timer (VPP)
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating—4.4 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.015.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeyond Ability ABOverdesigned, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Screen Smart

No in-app purchases

None

Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Screen Smart free?
Screen Smart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) free?
Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Screen Smart or Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) have ads?
Neither Screen Smart nor Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Screen Smart or Time’s Up! Timer (VPP)?
Screen Smart ships an update every 5 weeks, and Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) monthly. Most recently, Screen Smart was updated on October 10, 2026 and Time’s Up! Timer (VPP) on September 28, 2026.

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