Comparison

The Start Button vs Terminal Tock

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

Head to head
About

The Start Button

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Tap Start. That's it. No pause. No reset. No undo. The timer begins when you do, and it never stops. This is not a habit app. Not a streak. Not a countdown. It is the time since you committed — still running, whether you open the app or not. ONE TAP A single Start. Done. THEN IT STAYS Elapsed seconds. The place you were. A widget on the Home Screen that keeps counting while you live the rest of the day. Share a snapshot when the number means something. Your start time lives on the device. Location is used only at the tap, to remember where you were. Nothing is sent to us. Tap once. Time keeps going.

About

Terminal Tock

Features
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Remember those gorgeous clocks at the airport? The ones with the mechanical digits that flip down with a satisfying clack? Yeah, we turned that into an app. You're welcome. Meet Tock — a split-flap clock for your iPhone and iPad that's so beautiful you'll check the time just to watch it move. The real deal. Every digit flips with physics-driven animation — gravity pull, overshoot, bounce, settle. We didn't just animate a number change. We simulated the whole mechanical dance. The colon pulses. The digits cascade on launch. World clocks that actually look good. Add cities from anywhere on Earth and watch their times tick in perfect split-flap sync. New York, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Auckland — wherever your people are, Tock keeps you connected without looking like a spreadsheet. Weather, because why not. Each city shows current temperature and conditions with minimal weather icons. Powered by Open-Meteo — no API key, no account, no nonsense. It just works. Home screen widgets. Small widget shows the time. Medium widget shows the time with seconds, city name, and AM/PM. Both look like tiny split-flap boards on your home screen. Finally, a widget that sparks joy. Customize everything. Toggle seconds on or off. Switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Add any city, remove any city. It's your clock — we just made it pretty. The highlights: Stunning split-flap animation with real physics Power-on cascade effect on launch 12-hour format with AM/PM Multiple world clocks with live weather Home screen widgets (small & medium) Add any city and timezone Fahrenheit or Celsius toggle Seconds display toggle Dark, premium aesthetic No ads. No subscriptions. No tracking. Privacy-first. Always. Tock runs entirely on your device. The only network requests are to Open-Meteo's free weather API — no accounts, no tracking, no analytics. We don't collect your data because we genuinely don't care what time zone you're stalking. Stop checking the time on a boring digital clock. Let Tock make it an experience.

Screenshots

The Start Button3 screens
Terminal Tock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Terminal Tock at 16.0 against The Start Button's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 7 level
The Start Button versus Terminal Tock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Start ButtonTerminal Tock
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHoi Mau HungDARREN,PAUL BRELESKY

In-app purchases

None

The Start Button

No in-app purchases

None

Terminal Tock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Start Button free?
The Start Button is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Terminal Tock free?
Terminal Tock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Start Button or Terminal Tock have ads?
Neither The Start Button nor Terminal Tock shows ads.

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