Comparison

Pixlay vs the hubbub

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

Head to head
About

Pixlay

This app offers a customizable pixel display for your device, featuring a clock, date, live weather, timers, cryptocurrency prices, and sunrise/sunset times. It also tracks battery status and provides a visually appealing interface.

Highlights
  • Pixel clock and date display
  • Live weather updates
  • Intuitive timer and day counter
  • Bitcoin prices and BlockTime
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Device battery status tracking
  • Customizable feature selection
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a retro LED display. Put it on a stand on your desk or nightstand, and Pixlay shows the time, the weather, your next meeting and much more in glowing, animated pixels. Got an old iPhone in a drawer? Give it a new job. HOW IT WORKS • Pixlay keeps the screen on and cycles through your views on its own • Swipe for the next view, tap to open the settings • Pick the views you like and set the pixel size, with a live preview of every view • Tip: keep your device on its charger FREE VIEWS • Clock – 12 or 24 hours, small or large • Date – the month as a pixel calendar with today glowing red, plus weekday and week number • Calendar – your next event, how long until it starts, and the next 12 hours in your calendar colors • Weather – animated pixel weather for your location with today's low and high, in °C, °F or K • Day count – an animated hourglass counts the days to your big date, with fireworks when it's here • Marquee – your own text scrolling by like an LED sign • Tasks and notes – six to-dos to tick off and a note that stays in sight • Also: greeting, stopwatch, time to sunrise or sunset, battery WIDGET The pixel clock for your Home Screen and StandBy, in small or medium. PIXLAY PRO Unlock every view, make Pixlay your own and remove the ads: • Pixel Paint – paint your own pixel pictures, or turn a photo into pixel art • Ambient scenes – starry sky, rain, snow, aquarium, campfire, fireworks and the Game of Life, to match the weather or at random • Night mode – dimmed or red from sunset to sunrise, or at your own times • Forecast – the next 12 hours as pixel columns: temperature, then chance of rain • Weather details – barometer with trend, wind with its direction, chance of rain • Steps – today's steps from Apple Health, with a bar to your daily goal • Birthdays – "Anna turns 30 in 3 days" • Progress – how much of the year, month, week and day (or workday) is done • World clock – two cities with day or night at a glance, 61 cities to choose from • Moon – today's phase as a pixel moon • Timer with alarm • Bitcoin – price and block height • Your own order and time for every view • No ads, ever Pixlay also runs on Apple Vision Pro. YOUR PRIVACY • Pixlay reads your step count from Apple Health on your device only. It is never stored, shared or used for advertising. • Birthdays, tasks, notes and pictures stay on your device. STEPS FROM APPLE HEALTH (Pixlay Pro) See how many steps you have taken today, next to a pixel sneaker and a bar towards your daily goal. With your permission, Pixlay reads your step count from Apple Health. It stays on your device and is never shared. Ideas and feedback are always welcome: Settings → About → Contact us. SUBSCRIPTION Pixlay is free to use with ads. Pixlay Pro is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms & Conditions: https://twentysixcode.com/terms-conditions-pixlay Terms of Use (EULA): https://twentysixcode.com/pixlay-end-user-license-agreement-eula Privacy Policy: https://twentysixcode.com/privacy-policy-pixlay

About

the hubbub

Transform your device into a beautiful, always-on display for essential information. Get real-time weather, transit times, and a clear clock without needing to interact with your phone. Designed for calm, focused daily awareness.

Highlights
  • Always-on display
  • Customizable clock
  • Real-time weather updates
  • Live transit arrival times
  • Landscape-first design
  • No ads or tracking
Features
Read full description

creating daily calm in the hubbub. the hubbub turns your phone or tablet into a beautiful always-on display console. Set it on your counter, nightstand, or shelf, and without ever picking it up, you'll know everything you need to move through your day. No scrolling. No rabbit holes. Just your information, always in view. Getting started takes two minutes. Tell us the lines you take and the direction you go and we find your nearby stations automatically. Enter your city or use your location for weather. That's it. What's on your display Clock A large, beautiful time display that auto-scales to fill your screen. Always on, always readable from across the room. Weather Current temperature, feels-like, and today's high and low. Enter your city or use your location. Updates every 30 minutes. Transit Times Live MTA subway and bus arrival times for your lines. Tell us your commute and we find the right stations automatically. Know when to leave without looking it up. Designed to live on your counter, not in your pocket. - Landscape-first: Optimized for horizontal viewing. Dock your phone on a stand and it becomes a beautiful home display. - Always on: The screen stays awake so your dashboard is ready every time you glance up. No tapping, no unlocking. - Your data, only: No ads, no tracking, no social feed. the hubbub shows your information and nothing else. Built for New York City. Live MTA data for subway lines across the five boroughs. More cities coming soon.

Screenshots

Pixlay4 screens
the hubbub3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: the hubbub at 5.0 against Pixlay's 3.7. the hubbub also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and device support 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. Pixlay sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. the hubbub asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

the hubbub holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Pixlay's written reviews are positive against 100% of the hubbub's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pixlay versus the hubbub: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixlaythe hubbub
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTorben SteenTime For Ventures LLC

Customer experience

Pixlay

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

the hubbub

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pixlay

Subscriptions2
  • Pixlay Pro Month$1.991 Month
  • Pixlay Pro Year$11.991 Year
None

the hubbub

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixlay free?
Pixlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is the hubbub free?
the hubbub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixlay or the hubbub?
the hubbub is rated higher. Pixlay averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while the hubbub averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Pixlay or the hubbub have ads?
Pixlay shows ads; the hubbub does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixlay or the hubbub?
Pixlay ships an update every 3 weeks, and the hubbub every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pixlay was updated on October 25, 2026 and the hubbub on October 8, 2026.

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