Lily pad vs Tempo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lily pad
This app offers a gentle approach to time management, reducing stress during daily tasks like meal prep or getting ready. It aids in building routines, overcoming procrastination, and achieving a better activity balance.
- Manually adjust visual timer
- Create multiple timers
- Distraction-free time tracking
- Build routines
- Reduce stress with time management
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Enjoy a gentle time awareness by having our visual timer as an aid. We created this app to have less stress during activities that require time management. Like preparing to go outside or making a meal. It also helps to build up routines, to get started with things one postpones, or get a better balance between activities. Features: - Manually adjust your visual timer - Create multiple timers - Keep track of the time, free from distraction
Tempo
This app transforms countdown timers into clear visual progress indicators, helping you stay focused on tasks like work, study, or cooking. It offers multiple visualization options and a distraction-free interface, working reliably offline without requiring an account.
- Multiple visualization options
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Works offline
- No account setup
- Reliable background operation
- Privacy-focused
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If you have ever looked up and lost an hour, you do not need another number counting down. You need to see time move. Tempo turns time into something you can watch. A dandelion loses its seeds. An eclipse closes over. A snowman gives in to the sun. Glance at your phone from across the room and you know how much is left — no reading, no math. BUILT FOR TIME BLINDNESS Numbers are abstract. If your brain does not track elapsed time on its own, "20 minutes" means nothing until it is already gone. Tempo makes time spatial instead, so you feel it draining rather than having to calculate it. FROM ONE MINUTE TO ONE YEAR Most timers stop at an hour. Tempo has six scales: • MINUTE — a focus sprint or a short break • HOUR — the meeting, the work block • DAY — how much of today is actually left • MONTH — the deadline that still feels far away • SEASON (Pro) — the three months you keep meaning to use • YEAR — the one nobody shows you The longer scales run live against the real calendar. Open Tempo in October and the year is already most of the way gone. That is not a gimmick — for anyone who loses whole weeks, seeing it is the point. SEVEN VISUALIZATIONS Dandelion, Dots, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, and Thunderstorm. Pick the one your brain actually reads, and set it as your default. ON YOUR WRIST AND LOCK SCREEN An Apple Watch app and Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets keep your current scale in view without opening anything — so checking the time stops being the distraction. BUILT TO STAY QUIET • No account, no sign-up, no email • Works entirely offline • No streaks, no badges, no guilt mechanics • No ads, ever Tempo will not fix your relationship with time. It just makes time visible, so the hours stop disappearing without warning. Free: the Dots visualization and five of the six scales — MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, MONTH, and YEAR. A one-time Pro purchase adds Dandelion, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, Thunderstorm, and the SEASON scale. No subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Tempo at 5.0 against Lily pad's 3.6. Lily pad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Tempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Lily pad asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tempo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 2 respectively.
Lily pad ships an update every 6 days, Tempo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lily pad | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Freek Lever | Foundry24 LLC |
Customer experience
Lily pad
Tempo
In-app purchases
Lily pad
No in-app purchases
Tempo
- Tempo Pro$4.99









