Comparison

EmpireClock vs Brutal Time

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

Head to head
About

EmpireClock

This app provides a clean and stylish display of your current local date, time, and location on a single screen. It's designed for users who need to track time across different zones or desire an aesthetically pleasing clock interface. The app offers a minimalist design with easy copying of information.

Highlights
  • Current local date display
  • Current local time display
  • Current local location display
  • Minimalist design
  • One-tap copy feature
  • Stylish time display
Read full description

EmpireClock is a simple, elegant app that shows your current local date, time, and location in one beautiful screen. Whether you're working across time zones or just want a stylish time display, EmpireClock keeps you informed at a glance. With a minimalist design and one-tap copy feature, it’s the perfect clock companion for your Mac or iPhone.

About

Brutal Time

Read full description

Brutal Time turns your iPhone into a brutalist desk clock. Put it on a charger and it fills the screen, edge to edge, with nothing but type. It tells time without decoration, distraction, or gimmicks. ON THE CHARGER StandBy widgets for every clock face, and widgets for the Home Screen. A full-screen, StandBy-style display for the app itself, with the status bar hidden so the clock owns the whole screen. Add a Shortcut and it opens by itself the moment you plug in. Always-On keeps it lit while charging and dims it after a few seconds, then lets the phone sleep again as soon as you unplug. FOUR TYPOGRAPHIC FACES Four distinct designs, each built on a different typographic system: digits locked to a ruled grid, editorial Swiss with a red accent, oversized poster glyphs cropped by the frame, and mono type over a dot-indexed field. Each reads as words or numerals, in dark or light, portrait or landscape. UNLOCK AMBIENT MOTION WITH THE FULL EDITION Each face can come alive. Continuous, ambient motion runs through the type — letters that breathe, sway, and resolve on their own unhurried rhythm, with several motions for every face. Calm and deliberate, never a screensaver. Ambient Motion is the only paid feature, and the Full Edition is a one-time purchase — buy it once, keep it forever. Everything else is free: every clock face, every typeface, every widget, the full-screen display and Always-On. Also included: - Three typefaces per face - Custom accent colors - Home Screen and StandBy widgets - No subscription. No ads. Ever. Brutal Time is shaped by brutalist design principles: visible structure, a restrained palette, and the removal of unnecessary ornament. Time is shown as type, grid, and rhythm — clear, functional, and deliberate.

Screenshots

EmpireClock1 screens
Brutal Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EmpireClock at none against Brutal Time's 1. Brutal Time's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 8 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Brutal Time sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. EmpireClock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EmpireClock ships an update every 8 months, Brutal Time every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
EmpireClock versus Brutal Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmpireClockBrutal Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAsher BloomForager Lab LLC

In-app purchases

None

EmpireClock

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Brutal Time

One-time1
  • Full Edition$4.99

Questions

Is EmpireClock free?
EmpireClock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brutal Time free?
Brutal Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do EmpireClock or Brutal Time have ads?
Neither EmpireClock nor Brutal Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EmpireClock or Brutal Time?
EmpireClock ships an update every 8 months, and Brutal Time every 10 days. Most recently, EmpireClock was updated on October 3, 2026 and Brutal Time on October 11, 2026.

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