Comparison

Routine vs Routine Timer & Habit Planner

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

Head to head
About

Routine

Build a structured daily schedule with time-blocks, notes, and music. Incorporate morning and evening reflections, and utilize flexible features like 'Late Start' and 'Day Off' to adapt to your needs. Personalize the app's appearance with various visual styles and colors.

Highlights
  • Time-blocking with start and duration
  • Notes, todos, and music links per block
  • Morning and evening reflection prompts
  • Flexible 'Late Start' and 'Day Off' options
  • Eight visual styles and custom accent colors
  • Lock Screen Live Activities and Home Screen widgets
  • Cloud-synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Features
Read full description

Routine helps you live by a daily rhythm. Set your wake time. Build your day in time-blocks. Add notes, todos, and music. Morning and evening reflection questions to bookend the day. Late Start when you start late. Day Off when you need one. The routine flexes; you don't break. Eight visual styles, including Solar — a gradient that follows the sun. Custom accent colors per routine, or per block. On iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Cloud-synced. Live Activities on the Lock Screen. Home Screen widgets. Free for everyone. No paywall, no Pro features. If Routine helps your days, support development with a Monthly, Yearly, or Forever subscription. Either way, everything's unlocked. My dog keeps a routine. I built this app for us. We hope you like it too! — Daniel & Mac • Time-blocks with start, duration, purpose • Notes, todos, and music links per block • Morning and evening reflection questions • Late Start when you start late • Day Off without losing your place • Eight visual styles, including Solar • Custom accent colors per routine or per block • Lock Screen Live Activities and Home Screen widgets • iPhone, iPad, and Mac — cloud-synced Questions or feedback? getroutineapp@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://getroutine.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://getroutine.app/privacy

About

Routine Timer & Habit Planner

Features
Read full description

RUU is an app that helps you get through your daily routines. Unlike a regular to-do list, it shows only what to do right now, with a timer. That means less time wondering, “What was I supposed to do next?” RUU is especially useful for people with ADHD who struggle with procrastination, planning backward from a deadline, or forgetting things. WHO RUU IS FOR • You want your morning routine to go more smoothly • You often notice the time you meant to leave has already passed and end up late • You have tried habit apps before but stopped using them after a few days WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH RUU ● Build your own routines Just put the tasks you do every day in order. ● Do one task at a time with a timer See how much time is left for each step and focus only on what you are doing now. ● Hear the current task out loud Even when your hands are full, you’ll know what to do next. ● Run routines from your Apple Watch Keep going without opening your iPhone and getting pulled into something else. ● “Quick mode” for hard days Turn it on to skip every nonessential task at once. Use it to skip cleaning or studying on days when you’re at your limit. ● Add branches Put different paths into a single routine. For example: rainy days or sunny days, weekdays or weekends. WHAT RUU DOES NOT DO × Streak tracking RUU does not include statistics showing how many days you have kept a habit going. Breaking a streak can hurt a little. And if that makes you abandon the habit itself, the tracking has defeated the point. If you’re okay with that, give RUU a try! I hope it makes each day a little easier. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Routine4 screens
Routine Timer & Habit Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

Routine and Routine Timer & Habit Planner are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Routine sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Routine Timer & Habit Planner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Routine ships an update weekly, Routine Timer & Habit Planner every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Routine versus Routine Timer & Habit Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoutineRoutine Timer & Habit Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel DavisHiroto Shizuka

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Routine

Subscriptions2
  • Routine Pro (Monthly)$0.991 Month
  • Routine Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Routine Pro (Lifetime)$29.99
2 purchases

Routine Timer & Habit Planner

Subscriptions2
  • RUU Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • RUU Premium (Yearly)14 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Routine free?
Routine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Routine Timer & Habit Planner free?
Routine Timer & Habit Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Routine or Routine Timer & Habit Planner have ads?
Neither Routine nor Routine Timer & Habit Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Routine or Routine Timer & Habit Planner?
Routine ships an update weekly, and Routine Timer & Habit Planner every 5 days. Most recently, Routine was updated on October 9, 2026 and Routine Timer & Habit Planner on October 31, 2026.

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