# Lightmark vs Effortime

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Effortime at none against Lightmark's 3. Effortime also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lightmark sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Effortime asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lightmark ships an update every 3 weeks, Effortime every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lightmark | Effortime |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightmarkprivate-diary-and-time/id6740918794/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 14 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [璐 秦](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526979591) | [The Jin Studio Corp](https://appshunter.io/developer/1006842652) |

## What reviewers say

### Lightmark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightmarkprivate-diary-and-time/id6740918794)

This app encourages honest self-reflection by allowing users to record thoughts, emotions, and memories without the ability to edit entries after submission. It supports text, voice, photos, and videos, offering a multi-sensory journaling experience. A unique visual timeline helps users see their journey over time.

**Highlights:** Uneditable entries, Text, voice, photo, and video recording, Tag system for organization, Annual 'Lightmap' visualization, Daily timeline archive, Minimalist interface

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |


### Effortime

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/effortime/id6758000589)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lightmark free?

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

### Is Effortime free?

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

### Do Lightmark or Effortime have ads?

Neither Lightmark nor Effortime shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lightmark or Effortime?

Lightmark ships an update every 3 weeks, and Effortime every 3 days. Most recently, Lightmark was updated on October 24, 2026 and Effortime on October 4, 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.*