Comparison

Circle timer vs Mastery

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

Head to head
About

Circle timer

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This is a timer that lets you visually check the remaining time. The pie chart gradually disappears, and when it completely disappears an alarm will sound. The time can be set from 1 to 60 minutes You can measure the time exceeded by changing the settings. This can be useful for studying for exams, etc. Please give it a try.

About

Mastery

Features
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Mastery β€” Stop feeding distractions. Start building power. Most people don’t have a time problem. They have a standards problem. You say you want discipline, then hand your day to social apps, random scrolling, and mood-based decisions. Mastery is built to end that cycle. Mastery turns your habits and skills into a score-driven progression system with real consequences, real momentum, and real proof that you’re changing. The killer feature: Non-Negotiable Mode This is where Mastery separates itself from soft productivity apps. Set a habit as non-negotiable, choose distracting apps, and those apps stay locked until you complete the habit. No fake β€œnudges.” No gentle reminders. If the work isn’t done, the distractions stay closed. You can configure it your way: β€’ Set global blocked apps for your full discipline system β€’ Add extra blocked apps to specific habits β€’ Choose active weekdays β€’ Run all-day locks or custom time windows If you keep breaking promises to yourself, this is the feature that stops the bleed. Free vs Premium The free version of Mastery allows tracking up to 3 habits or skills. With a Mastery subscription, you can unlock unlimited habit and skill tracking, allowing you to build a complete discipline system around everything that matters to you. What you get with Mastery β€’ Habit + skill tracking in one clean system β€’ Daily completions with clear limits and progress states β€’ Mastery Points for actions that move your life forward β€’ Leveling system and chapter progression (100 completions per chapter) β€’ Mission system that rewards consistency and challenge milestones β€’ Daily check-ins for momentum β€’ Journaling for reflection and self-accountability β€’ Full journey timeline of completions, check-ins, missions, and level-ups β€’ Reminder system with scheduling options β€’ Home screen widget support β€’ Deep links for fast access to specific habits How it works 1. Create your habits and skills. 2. Mark the most important ones as non-negotiable. 3. Block your biggest distractions. 4. Execute daily, earn points, level up, repeat. Simple structure. High standards. No excuses. Who Mastery is for β€’ People tired of β€œstarting over on Monday” β€’ Builders, athletes, creators, students, operators β€’ Anyone ready to trade comfort for progress If you want another cute habit tracker, this isn’t it. If you want a system that pushes you to keep promises to yourself, welcome to Mastery. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Circle timer3 screens
Mastery4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mastery at Free against Circle timer's $0.99. Circle timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Mastery is free to download; Circle timer costs $0.99 up front. Mastery sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Circle timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circle timer ships an update every 4 days, Mastery every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences Β· 1 level
Circle timer versus Mastery: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCircle timerMastery
Price$0.99Free β€” better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.4 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size1 MB27 MB
Age rating4++12
Developerhideo nakamuraAdam Kovacs

In-app purchases

None

Circle timer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Mastery

Subscriptions2
  • Mastery Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Annual$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Mastery Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Circle timer free?
Circle timer costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mastery free?
Mastery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Circle timer or Mastery have ads?
Neither Circle timer nor Mastery shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circle timer or Mastery?
Circle timer ships an update every 4 days, and Mastery every 2 weeks. Most recently, Circle timer was updated on October 5, 2026 and Mastery on October 3, 2026.

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