# Lesscreen vs Hourglow

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lesscreen at none against Hourglow's 2. Hourglow's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hourglow sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Lesscreen asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lesscreen ships an update every 12 months, Hourglow every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lesscreen | Hourglow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Size | 10 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shenzhen Jirry Jirry Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605746308) | [Suna Ordulu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1754727111) |

## What reviewers say

### Lesscreen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lesscreen-screen-time-limit/id6670793617)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hourglow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglow-screen-time-blocker/id6766261424)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Annual | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lesscreen free?

Lesscreen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hourglow free?

Hourglow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Lesscreen or Hourglow have ads?

Neither Lesscreen nor Hourglow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lesscreen or Hourglow?

Lesscreen ships an update every 12 months, and Hourglow every 3 months. Most recently, Lesscreen was updated on October 12, 2026 and Hourglow on August 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*