Comparison

StarTimer vs TextExpander

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

Head to head
About

StarTimer

This app helps you manage your time with smart scheduling and customizable timers. It offers real-time progress tracking, voice control, and a beautiful, privacy-focused design. Perfect for daily routines, focus sessions, and workouts.

Highlights
  • Smart scheduling with reminders
  • Recurring schedules for routines
  • Live Activities for real-time progress
  • Dynamic Island integration
  • Customizable icons and color themes
  • Siri Shortcuts for voice control
  • Privacy-focused, no data collection
Features
Read full description

Transform your productivity with StarTimer - the most beautiful and intuitive timer app for iOS. SMART SCHEDULING & REMINDERS Never forget to start important activities again. Schedule reminders to start your timers at specific times - perfect for daily meditation at 7 AM, workout sessions at 6 PM, or focus blocks throughout your workday. Set one-time or recurring schedules that fit your routine perfectly. LIVE ACTIVITIES & DYNAMIC ISLAND Watch your timer progress in real-time without opening the app. StarTimer's Live Activities appear in your Dynamic Island and Lock Screen, keeping you informed at a glance. EXPRESS YOUR STYLE Choose from 20 beautiful icons and 13 stunning color themes. From meditation bells to cooking timers, find the perfect visual match for every activity. "HEY SIRI, START MY TIMER" Voice control makes timing effortless. Create custom Siri Shortcuts for your most-used timers and start them hands-free. FEATURES YOU'LL LOVE * Smart scheduling: Set reminders to start timers at specific times * Recurring schedules: Daily meditation, weekly workouts, custom routines * Live Activities for real-time progress tracking * Dynamic Island integration on supported devices * 20 beautiful icons: meditation, cooking, workout, study, and more * 13 stunning color themes to match your style * Siri Shortcuts for voice-activated timing * Haptic feedback for satisfying interactions * Premium design that feels native to iOS PERFECT FOR * Daily meditation reminders at your preferred time * Scheduled Pomodoro sessions throughout your workday * Cooking timer reminders for meal prep schedules * Workout interval scheduling for consistent fitness routines * Study session reminders to maintain learning habits * Meeting prep timers and scheduled break reminders PRIVACY FOCUSED Your timer data stays on your device. No accounts, no tracking, no data collection. Just beautiful, private timing that respects your privacy. Whether you need a daily reminder to start your 2-minute meditation, a scheduled 25-minute focus session, or automated workout timer prompts, StarTimer transforms time management into a beautiful, effortless experience. Download StarTimer today and never miss another important activity with smart scheduling and elegant design.

About

TextExpander

Access your saved text snippets and expand them instantly across any app on your iPhone and iPad. This keyboard app offers features like autocorrect, emoji search, and swipe typing, making it easier to input frequently used phrases, addresses, or links.

Highlights
  • Instant text expansion via custom abbreviations
  • Customizable keyboard with swipe typing
  • Emoji search and suggestions
  • Autocorrect and long-press for accented characters
  • Snippet suggestions in the suggestion strip
  • Fill-ins for dynamic snippet content
Features
Read full description

Your TextExpander snippets, on your iPhone and iPad. Sign in with your TextExpander account to access your snippet library at your fingertips. Type ";addr" to expand to your mailing address. Type "zcal" to expand to a link to your schedule / availability. You can type it in Messages, in Mail, in Slack, in your CRM, in your EHR. You get the idea. Your shared snippets are readily synced with the rest of your team. A KEYBOARD WITH SNIPPETS, SWIPE, EMOJI, AND AUTOCORRECT Swipe across the keys, and TextExpander now matches your path to English words and to your abbreviations. Swiped abbreviations automatically expand to their snippets. Plus you have everything else that you'd expect in a keyboard: Autocorrect, emojis (searchable by name, with skin tones, and recents), long-press for accented characters, one-handed mode, haptic feedback, and undo/redo. SNIPPETS THAT COME TO YOU Start typing, and matching snippets appear in the suggestion strip beside your word suggestions. Tap it to expand it. You never need to go looking. PERSONALIZE AND CUSTOMIZE WHAT YOU TYPE Fill-ins give superpowers to your TextExpander snippets, and they work in the app as well. Type the abbreviation, complete your fill-ins, and send. WHAT YOU NEED A TextExpander account, created at textexpander.com. Then add the keyboard in Settings and switch on Full Access (TextExpander needs this to read your abbreviations and insert your snippets). Your snippets now work everywhere you type.

Screenshots

StarTimer4 screens
TextExpander4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TextExpander at Free against StarTimer's $2.99. TextExpander also leads on ratings volume (9 vs 1). StarTimer's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.6) and iOS requirement (16.2 vs 18.0). On 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

TextExpander is free to download; StarTimer costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

StarTimer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TextExpander has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
StarTimer versus TextExpander: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarTimerTextExpander
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.6 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings19 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.2 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB114 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSaptak SenTextExpander, Inc.

Customer experience

StarTimer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

TextExpander

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

StarTimer

No in-app purchases

None

TextExpander

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StarTimer free?
StarTimer costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TextExpander free?
TextExpander is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, StarTimer or TextExpander?
StarTimer is rated higher. StarTimer averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while TextExpander averages 3.6 from 9 ratings.
Do StarTimer or TextExpander have ads?
Neither StarTimer nor TextExpander shows ads.

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