Comparison

Study Timer vs Meanwhile

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

Head to head
About

Study Timer

This app helps you focus on tasks with customizable timers, motivational quotes, and visual progress tracking. It prioritizes user privacy by storing all data locally on your device. Features include Pomodoro timers, repeating sessions, and lock screen integration.

Highlights
  • Customizable timed tasks
  • Dynamic Island and Live Activity integration
  • Pomodoro timer with customizable cycles
  • Repeating sessions scheduling
  • Visual progress tracking chart
  • Motivational quotes
  • No data collection
Read full description

Keep your focus sharp, your privacy protected, and your productivity soaring. From motivational quotes and task names, to a progress chart that displays your daily focus for each task, along with separate cards for historical data, Study Timer - Shadow Task is the perfect app for students, hobbyists, professionals, and anyone looking to track and master their time. Everything you do stays on your device and never leaves the app. We believe that unnecessary data collection is a violation of your trust. That’s why we don’t collect any data. We listen to your feedback. If there’s a feature you’re dying to see, an annoying software bug, or confusing design choices that drive you crazy, simply select Submit Feedback in the Settings sheet and drop us a note. We’ll get the issue fixed or the feature added as soon as possible! Key Features: - Customizable Timed Tasks: Create, edit, and delete tasks with ease. Set individual durations for both session and break times, tailoring each task to fit your needs. - Dynamic Island and Live Activity: View timer intervals and progress from your lock screen or in the Dynamic Island while concentrating in another app. - Pomodoro: Stay productive with timed work intervals followed by breaks. The work-break cycle can be customized for each task, giving you full control of your focus. - Repeating Sessions: Need a task to repeat? Schedule how many times you want your work-break combo to cycle, helping you maintain consistent progress. - Visual Progress Tracking: Track your progress with an intuitive chart that resets daily. Get insights on your total focus time across days, weeks, months, and years. - Motivational Quotes: Make your focus time personal by drawing inspiration from other people. You can even enter your own quotes! - No Data Collection: Your privacy matters. Shadow Task stores all data locally on your device, ensuring that your personal task history and progress remain completely private. Why Shadow Task? Shadow Task goes beyond just a basic timer. It gives you the flexibility to customize your focus sessions while ensuring you get the breaks you need to stay energized and avoid burnout—all while preserving your privacy. With its easy-to-use interface and powerful tracking features, you’ll be able to see your productivity soar. What’s more, Shadow Task allows you to take control of your time and productivity. Every moment you focus is one less moment spent on distractions and one more moment to spend meaningfully. Shadow Task helps you save time and focus on what really matters. Download Shadow Task today and take control of your time, one task at a time. We’re here to cheer you on the whole way!

About

Meanwhile

This minimal focus timer helps you reduce scrolling, dedicate time to hobbies, or concentrate on work. It features an app blocker to control phone usage and an analytics dashboard to track time spent. An optional one-time purchase unlocks additional themes, focus soundtracks, and ambient sounds.

Highlights
  • Minimal focus timer
  • Full-screen mode
  • Multiple themes
  • App blocker
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Focus soundtracks
  • Ambient sounds
Features
Read full description

Start doing more of the things you love with Meanwhile! The first aesthetic and minimal focus timer, with full-screen and multiple themes! Whether you'd like to scroll less, do more of your favorite hobby, or focus on some important work, Meanwhile can assist. With Meanwhile, there is no extra nonsense and no subscriptions either! Take control of your phone usage and break bad scrolling habits with the built-in app-blocker, and gain insights with the extensive analytics dashboard. Find out where you're spending your time so you can spend it on more of the things you love! With Meanwhile Pro, you'll gain access to 3 visual themes, 90 minutes of focus soundtracks, and 6 unique ambient sounds. With our sound mixer, you can control the levels of each sound and create your own background tracks for the ultimate focus sessions. Meanwhile Pro is a one-time purchase! Buy it once and own it for life.

Screenshots

Study Timer4 screens
Meanwhile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Study Timer at free against Meanwhile's free with in-app purchases. Meanwhile's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Study Timer sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Meanwhile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Study Timer against 5.0 for Meanwhile. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Study Timer ships an update monthly, Meanwhile every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Study Timer versus Meanwhile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStudy TimerMeanwhile
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.6
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB318 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCurvachip LLCSunnyside Creative Co. LLC

Customer experience

Study Timer

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Meanwhile

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Study Timer

One-time3
  • Cup of Coffee$2.99
  • Pomodoro Patron$4.99
  • Deep Work Donor$9.99
1 purchases

Meanwhile

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime Membership$9.99

Questions

Is Study Timer free?
Study Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Meanwhile free?
Meanwhile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Study Timer or Meanwhile?
Study Timer and Meanwhile are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Study Timer or Meanwhile have ads?
Neither Study Timer nor Meanwhile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Study Timer or Meanwhile?
Study Timer ships an update monthly, and Meanwhile every 10 days. Most recently, Study Timer was updated on October 3, 2026 and Meanwhile on October 4, 2026.

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