Comparison

Lost Time vs Systems

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

Head to head
About

Lost Time

This app helps you visualize your life's progress by tracking your efforts, habits, and projects on a single timeline. It offers flexible tracking formats and prioritizes user privacy with no ads or data tracking.

Highlights
  • Visual timeline of efforts
  • Flexible tracking formats
  • Habit and project logging
  • Privacy-focused, no ads
  • Pattern and streak identification
  • Customizable activity tracking
Read full description

Your entire history in one view. Record what you do. See how your efforts add up over days, months, and years. TRACK EFFORTS, NOT GOALS Lost Time lets you build your own history, without deadlines, stress, or fixed goals. Create an Effort for anything you want to keep track of. Log a workout, a page you read, a project step, a walk — any event. Add notes to turn your records into a personal journal. NO DEADLINES. NO STRESS. Lost Time does not tell you what to do. It does not tell you when to do it. Do things your way. SEE YOUR ENTIRE HISTORY Use the Activity view to see all your Efforts together. See daily patterns, routines, streaks, gaps, and long-term progress in one place. View your history across weeks, months, and years. EXPLORE YOUR EFFORTS OVER TIME Use the Graph panel to see how an Effort changes over time. Choose a timeframe. Compare your activity across different periods. Find patterns in your history. TRACK ALMOST ANYTHING Use Lost Time for habits, fitness, reading, mood, sleep, health metrics, learning, and long-term projects. When you create an Effort, choose the scale that fits what you want to track: • Checkmarks for yes/no activities • Numbers for distance, weight, pages, hours, and other values • Intervals and sequences for activities that build over time • Ratings for mood, energy, intensity, and other levels • Notes for thoughts and other details HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE Choose from different layouts, panels, and views. Customize scales, colors, and shapes. Organize your Efforts with tags. Use Home Screen widgets. PRIVACY FIRST Your data stays on your device. • No accounts • No ads • No tracking • No data sent to a server FREE PLAN Use the Free plan for as long as you want. Track up to 10 Efforts. View the last 30 days in the Activity view. Use nearly all core features. UPGRADE TO PRO Track up to 250 Efforts. Unlock unlimited access to the Activity view. Get more customization options and features. ---- Screenshots may show features or larger data sets that are available in paid plans. ---- Preview music: “Background Opener” by BFC Music (bfcmusic.me). ---- Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Systems

This app helps you create and follow repeatable workflows to avoid missing crucial steps. Capture any process, from morning routines to business procedures, and check off progress as you go. Reduce mental load and minimize errors by relying on structured systems instead of memory.

Highlights
  • Reusable checklist systems
  • Daily progress tracking
  • Calendar and timeline views
  • Categories, favorites, and search
  • Shareable links
  • Import and export support
  • Calendar integration
  • iCloud Sync (Beta)
Features
Read full description

Systems – Never Forget a Step Again Most mistakes do not happen because you do not know what to do. They happen because one small step gets missed. You leave for work and forget your charger. You hand over a rental property and forget to photograph the utility meters. You prepare an Airbnb and forget to restock the coffee. You launch a website and forget to test the contact form. You deliver a client project and forget to send the invoice. Systems helps you capture repeatable workflows so nothing gets overlooked. Instead of relying on memory, sticky notes, scattered documents, or rebuilding the same checklist over and over, create a System once and run it whenever you need it. A System can be anything: • A morning routine • A travel packing list • A client onboarding process • An Airbnb turnover workflow • A website launch checklist • A restaurant opening procedure • A monthly bookkeeping process Why Systems Works To-do lists are for one-time tasks. Systems are for things you do repeatedly. When a process is written down, you do not have to remember every step. Just follow the System and focus on getting it done. How It Works 1. Create a System from a repeatable process 2. Break it into clear, actionable steps 3. Run it whenever you need it 4. Check off progress as you go 5. Improve your workflow over time Features • Reusable checklist Systems • Daily progress tracking • Calendar and timeline views • Categories, favorites, and search • Shareable links and deep links • Import and export support • Calendar integration • iCloud Sync (Beta) Built for People Who Think in Systems Pilots use checklists. Restaurants use opening and closing procedures. Businesses use standard operating procedures. Systems brings the same clarity and consistency to everyday life and work. Perfect For • Small business owners • Freelancers and consultants • Property managers and Airbnb hosts • Creators and professionals • Anyone who wants less mental load and fewer mistakes Subscription Required Systems is a subscription-based app. Start a renewable subscription with a 3-day free trial to explore all features before you're charged. Choose the plan that works best for you and cancel anytime during the trial if it's not the right fit. Start building your personal library of Systems today and stop relying on memory for the things that matter. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Lost Time4 screens
Systems4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lost Time at 100% against Systems's 0%. Lost Time also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Lost Time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year and Systems sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lost Time ships an update every 5 weeks, Systems every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lost Time versus Systems: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLost TimeSystems
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAPSalin CompanyAdam Kovacs

Customer experience

Lost Time

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Systems

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Lost Time

Subscriptions3
  • Basic$12.991 Year
  • Plus$19.991 Year
  • Pro$29.991 Year
4 purchases

Systems

Subscriptions3
  • Systems Pro Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Systems Pro (1 Month)3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Systems Pro (1 Year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Systems Pro (Lifetime)$49.99

Questions

Is Lost Time free?
Lost Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Systems free?
Systems is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lost Time or Systems have ads?
Neither Lost Time nor Systems shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lost Time or Systems?
Lost Time ships an update every 5 weeks, and Systems every 4 weeks. Most recently, Lost Time was updated on October 30, 2026 and Systems on October 30, 2026.

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