Comparison

microAI vs Time Pencil

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

Head to head
About

microAI

This app provides a private, local AI workspace that organizes your thoughts, projects, and files. It allows you to run AI chat on your device, manage AI models, and build a personal memory system for enhanced productivity and offline use.

Highlights
  • Private Memory Map
  • Local AI Chat
  • Long-Term Memory
  • Projects With Context
  • Chat With Local Files
  • Private Journal
  • GGUF Model Management
Features
Read full description

AI ON YOUR PHONE. POWERED BY YOUR DEVICES. Run private AI directly on your phone. Need more power? Connect your own computer and let it handle the heavy AI work while you keep using microAI from your phone. No sign-up. No cloud AI account required. Ask questions. Talk instead of type. Show AI a photo. Read a file. Work on a project. Save something for later. microAI brings local AI, your devices, and your private context together in one workspace. YOUR PHONE. YOUR COMPUTER. YOUR AI. Your phone can run compatible local AI models on its own. When you need more power, connect your own computer. Scan a QR code and your approved Mac or browser can run the model while you continue using microAI from your phone. That means you can move heavier AI work off your phone—reducing the load, heat, and battery use caused by demanding on-device inference. Use your phone when that is enough. Use your computer when you want more power. You choose where your AI runs. NO SIGN-UP. NO CLOUD AI REQUIRED. Local AI should not require another account. microAI can run compatible models directly on your devices without requiring a cloud AI account. Your computer can also become your own AI compute node. Open the microAI website on your computer, load a compatible local model, scan the QR code, and connect. No separate website account is required. DIFFERENT AI FOR DIFFERENT JOBS Not every task needs the same AI. microAI includes task-focused AI helpers: • Private Chat — Ask, write, plan, brainstorm, or talk. • Image Chat — Ask questions about photos and screenshots. • Voice Chat — Talk instead of typing. • Review Writer — Turn your experience into a clear review. • Photo Tagger — Create titles, descriptions, and keywords for photos. Choose which compatible model powers each job. Use a small model for quick everyday tasks, a vision model for images, or a stronger model running on your computer when you need more capability. TALK. SEE. READ. AI should work with more than a text box. Talk naturally with Voice Chat. Add a photo or screenshot and ask questions about what you see. Add a supported PDF, TXT, or Markdown file and ask questions about its contents. Use microAI for writing, research, documents, photos, ideas, and everyday questions. COME BACK WITHOUT STARTING OVER Your useful context should not disappear into old chats. Create Projects to keep related conversations, files, instructions, and context together. Save quick thoughts in Journal. microAI can remember useful context and bring it back when relevant. Memory Map gives you a visual way to explore your conversations, projects, journals, models, and memories. LOCAL AI WITHOUT THE USUAL SETUP You should not need to be an AI engineer to start using local AI. Find a compatible model, download it, and start. microAI keeps model discovery, downloads, switching, and resource management in one place. Advanced users can also import compatible GGUF models. Actual performance depends on your device, model, and connection. YOUR AI. YOUR DEVICES. YOUR DATA. When AI runs on your phone, compatible models process requests directly on your device. When you connect your own computer, the model runs on the computer you approve while you continue using microAI from your phone. Your model files stay on the device running them. You decide when a remote compute node is connected and used. Internet access may still be required for model discovery and downloads, purchases, ratings, app services, and certain system features. RUN AI YOUR WAY. On your phone when you want portability. On your computer when you want more power. No sign-up. No cloud AI account required. Your AI. Your devices. Your choice. Want to use your computer with microAI? Visit: https://linklocalai.com/ By using microAI, you agree to Apple's Standard End User License Agreement (EULA). Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Time Pencil

Visualize your schedule by drawing events directly onto a clock face. This app offers intuitive tap-to-edit functionality and haptic feedback for a tactile planning experience. It seamlessly syncs with your iOS Calendar and iCloud, and includes widgets for your home and lock screens, plus an Apple Watch app.

Highlights
  • Draw events around a clock
  • Tap to edit and move events
  • Haptic feedback for tactile precision
  • Automatic fading of past events
  • Syncs with iOS Calendar and iCloud
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch companion app
Features
Read full description

Time Pencil is a clock with some markers to visualize your day at a glance YOUR CALENDAR, AROUND THE DIAL Time Pencil reads your existing calendars and lays each event as a colored arc on the clock. Overlaps, gaps, the shape of a busy afternoon, it's all visible at once, the way time actually feels. DRAW YOUR DAY Block out focus time, a workout, a break, or "leave for the airport" by drawing an arc right onto the clock. Drop a note sticker anywhere. Planning becomes a one-second gesture instead of a form to fill in. ALWAYS IN VIEW • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets keep today's clock a glance away. • A Live Activity counts down your next block in the Dynamic Island. • Apple Watch support to carry your day on your wrist. MAKE IT YOURS • 12-hour or 24-hour dial. • Sky mode paints the clock with the real sky — dawn, daylight, dusk, night — as the day moves. • Zen mode strips everything back to the essentials. • Marker colors, hourly chimes, and more. Time Pencil speaks 20 languages, and no account is required to get started.

Screenshots

microAI4 screens
Time Pencil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Time Pencil at free against microAI's free with in-app purchases. microAI's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. microAI sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Time Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. 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 microAI against 5.0 for Time Pencil. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

microAI ships an update every 9 days, Time Pencil every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
microAI versus Time Pencil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermicroAITime Pencil
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.416.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB70 MB
Age rating9+4+
Developergenghong XieVineet Kapil

Customer experience

microAI

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Time Pencil

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

microAI

Subscriptions2
  • microAI Pro – Monthly$0.991 Month
  • microAI Pro – Yearly7 Days trial$5.991 Year
One-time2
  • Remove Ads$4.99
  • microAI Pro – Lifetime$9.99
2 purchases

Time Pencil

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is microAI free?
microAI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Time Pencil free?
Time Pencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, microAI or Time Pencil?
microAI and Time Pencil are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do microAI or Time Pencil have ads?
Neither microAI nor Time Pencil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, microAI or Time Pencil?
microAI ships an update every 9 days, and Time Pencil every 3 weeks. Most recently, microAI was updated on October 7, 2026 and Time Pencil on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons