SurlfBird vs Timegrapher Advanced
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SurlfBird
This utility app extracts URLs from .url files on your iPhone or iPad. It then opens the URL directly in Safari, streamlining the process of accessing saved web links from your desktop.
- Extracts URLs from .url files
- Opens URLs directly in Safari
- Supports shared file storage integration
- Simple and lightweight utility
- No extra internet traffic
Read full descriptionHide full description
SurlfBird solves a long-standing problem. You run a Windows desktop computer and an iPhone/iPad side by side. You use a shared file storage like ownCloud, Nextcloud, Dropbox, WebDAV or something similar to transfer your data between the devices. This works fine for office documents, text documents. If, like me, you like to save URLs from internet sessions in your shared storage for later reading or as a reminder, you will find a .url file when viewing the replicated storage on the iOS device. You can copy its contents to the Notes application and click the link there. Now you have SurlfBird to help you. Just share the url file with SurlfBird and it will grep the URL from the .url file and open Safari with that URL. Very small and simple application, no extra internet traffic or anything.
Timegrapher Advanced
This app transforms your iPhone into a portable mechanical watch timing instrument. It provides clear, live readings for rate, beat error, and amplitude, with customizable charts and automatic sensitivity sweeps for optimal data capture.
- Live rate, beat error, and amplitude measurements
- Dual-line tick/tock paperstrip chart
- Automatic sensitivity sweep for optimal settings
- Adjustable lift angle and manual BPH
- Customizable chart colors and scales
- Calibration profiles for hardware timegraphers
Read full descriptionHide full description
Timegrapher Advanced turns your iPhone into a portable watch timing instrument—ideal for hobbyists, collectors, and professionals who want quick, clear readings at the bench or on the go. Place a mechanical watch on a piezo or on top of an external mic, press Start, and watch a live screen measure the rate (s/d), beat error (ms), and amplitude (°). Core measurements • Rate in seconds per day • Beat error in milliseconds • Amplitude in degrees (with adjustable lift angle) • Manual BPH for common beat rates • Sensitivity control plus an auto sensitivity sweep to find a clean pickup level Chart that works like a real timegrapher • Dual-line tick/tock paperstrip with progressive slope from rate • Line separation tracks beat error (near-overlap when BE is excellent) • Portrait dashboard or full-screen landscape chart with rate, BE, amp, BPH, and lift • Customizable colors, scale (±100 to ±999), and optional scale gridlines • Optional live tick waveform pip to confirm clean escapement sound Automatic sweep • Sensitivity sweep will scan through your microphone's sensitivity range to autodetect the optimal setting used for capturing data • Sensitivity sweep uses a weighted algorithm to measure signal, noise, captured data, events, and elects the best data on a scoring mechanism Calibration you control • Factory default tuned from real multi-watch sessions • Create and edit profiles against your hardware timegrapher (gold standard) • One-tap Calibrate after 20 seconds of live data to capture app raw and bake offsets Workflow with Timegrapher Logging (separate app) • Optional deep-link integration: measure an orientation (including isochronism / 24h rows) in Advanced, then Capture and Send straight into Logging Built for real use • Metrics clear to −/− when the watch is off the mic—no frozen last reading • Quiet-room friendly piezo/mic workflow with optional tick noise filtering • Diagram noise reduction for a calmer strip • Clean, focused UI Whether you’re regulating a custom build, checking a Rolex, or logging a full position set, Timegrapher Advanced gives you a clear chart and numbers you can trust—and align to the instrument you already use.
Screenshots
Verdict
SurlfBird and Timegrapher Advanced are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SurlfBird against 5.0 for Timegrapher Advanced. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
| Parameter | SurlfBird | Timegrapher Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | — | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dokumenta (LU) | DANIEL DAVID RICKS |
Customer experience
SurlfBird
Timegrapher Advanced
In-app purchases
SurlfBird
No in-app purchases
Timegrapher Advanced
No in-app purchases









