TickBoom vs Cuebird
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TickBoom
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TickBoom turns your goals into real commitments instead of vague intentions. Set a goal, choose a duration, start the countdown, and work until the timer hits zero. At the end, you face a simple outcome: success or failure. Less procrastination. More action. A lot more things actually finished. Unlike a basic to‑do list or a standard timer, TickBoom adds urgency, accountability, and momentum. You are not just listing tasks – you are committing to them in real time. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH TICKBOOM: – Create time‑bound goals and commitments instead of endless lists – Track active time and real progress, session after session – Build daily streaks and monitor your success rate over time – Break down bigger goals into clear, manageable subtasks – Use Strict Mode to stay locked in until the countdown ends – Keep focus sessions live on your Lock Screen with Live Activities – Personalize the app with multiple visual themes that match your mood WHY THIS WORKS: Most productivity apps stop at planning. You write tasks, you feel productive… and then nothing moves. TickBoom pushes you one step further: it forces a decision. Did you actually do what you said you would do during that time block – yes or no? That simple success/failure loop is what builds momentum. Each finished session gives you a win. Each missed one is a signal you can see, measure, and improve. BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO STRUGGLE TO START AND FINISH: TickBoom is especially powerful if you: – Procrastinate on important but uncomfortable tasks – Open your laptop and drift between apps without real progress – Start many things but rarely bring them to the finish line – Feel overwhelmed by big goals and don’t know where to begin By turning every session into a commitment with a visible result, TickBoom helps you start faster, stay focused longer, and finish more often. PERFECT FOR: – Deep work sessions where you want zero excuses – Studying and revision blocks with a clear start and end – Work sprints for remote workers and freelancers – ADHD-friendly timeboxing with structure and feedback – Anyone tired of “soft” timers that are easy to ignore HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF TICKBOOM 1. Pick one concrete task, not a vague project. 2. Set a countdown that feels challenging but realistic. 3. Turn on Strict Mode when you really need to commit. 4. At the end, be honest: success or failure. 5. Use streaks and stats to see your real follow‑through improve. Over time, you will not just “plan better” – you will build a stronger identity: someone who finishes what they start. Download TickBoom and turn your goals into real commitments, one focused session at a time. We continue to develop new features for TickBoom. Your feedback is valuable, so please feel free to send us an email to help us improve: support@tickboom.app Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://windy-windflower-9a5.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-269a1994955d80968e25f2ac4f4986e0?source=copy_link
Cuebird
This app helps users manage daily routines with visual and auditory cues, breaking them down into timed, color-coded steps. It supports shared routines for households and adapts to individual timing to ensure tasks are completed on schedule.
- Timed, color-coded routine steps
- Shared household routines
- Visual time bar for routine overview
- Auditory cues and voice recordings
- Proportional routine compression
- Real alarms, not notifications
- Adaptive timing based on actual usage
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See the time, hear your next step, walk out the door on time. Cuebird turns any routine (morning, lunch break, bedtime) into small, timed, color-coded steps and moves you through them automatically. Built for neurodivergent adults. Kind to every brain. HOUSEHOLDS Link the people you live with into a household. Start a routine and everyone gets a gentle offer to jump in, landing where you already are, not back at step one. Joining is one tap, and sitting one out is free: nobody is ever told either way. Be in more than one household at once, your own and the one at your mum's, and every routine says which one it came from. It is all end-to-end encrypted. DO IT TOGETHER In the same room, run a routine in step. Everyone starts on a shared 3, 2, 1, and pause, skip, or a minute back move for the whole group at once, so nobody is left behind. Near each other it is instant. Apart, it stays in sync across your household. Want your own timing? One tap, and your routine keeps going on its own. INVITE BY TEXT, OR BY QR Send someone a link. They tap it and they are in, even if your phone is closed. Together in person? Show the code on your screen for them to scan. Either way, one tap and they are in the household. TIME YOU CAN SEE While a routine runs, the whole screen becomes the current step's color. From across the room, mid-shower, without reading: blue means shower, amber means coffee. A color bar of the steps shows the shape of your time before you start. OUT THE DOOR ON TIME Set when a routine starts and when you have to be done. Cuebird shows the window, adds up your steps, and tells you plainly whether they fit. Running late? One control compresses the routine so you still walk out on time. HEAR YOUR NEXT STEP A chime marks every transition, or let Cuebird speak: "Next: Shower, 10 minutes." A 30-second heads-up warns before longer steps end. Prefer quiet? Silent mode keeps it to haptics. You can also record any step in your own voice. Recordings stay on your device and never sync. REAL ALARMS, NOT NOTIFICATIONS Give a routine a start time and days, and it rings with the system's full-screen alarm: through silent mode, through Focus, even with the app closed. Tap Start and you are already in it. BUILT THE WAY YOUR WEEK ACTUALLY WORKS One routine can ring at several times, each with its own days: weekdays at 7:00, weekends at 9:00. Your list sorts itself around today, and the Schedule view shows everything that will ring this week. IT LEARNS YOUR REAL TIMING Cuebird records every run and shows how long your routine ACTUALLY takes versus what you planned: "Morning really takes 42 minutes, not 35." Then it updates your plan with one tap. STARTING IS ONE TAP Every routine has a play button right on its card, no menus between you and momentum. For the times you do not need a whole routine, Quick Timer and Ring Me At are one tap away. NO SHAME BUILT IN Pause says "no rush." Skipping is a first-class button, and if you skip by mistake you can undo it. Need a minute back? Take one. Finishing celebrates every run, and one missed day never breaks your streak. That is what the habit-formation research actually says. Cuebird never scolds you. EVERYWHERE YOU NEED IT - Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activity: glance without opening the app - Home Screen widget: start a routine in one tap - Apple Watch: your step and countdown on your wrist; pause, resume or skip from there - Siri and Shortcuts: "Start Morning in Cuebird," or run routines from your automations - Mac: runs on Apple silicon Macs too ONE PURCHASE COVERS YOUR FAMILY Family Sharing is on, so up to six family members get it with one purchase. You can also send any routine as a link, ready for their own times. ONE-TIME PURCHASE Buy it once. No subscription, no ads, no accounts, no analytics, no data collection. Your own routines sync through your private iCloud, no login ever. Households stay end-to-end encrypted, and Cuebird has no servers and cannot read any of it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TickBoom at Free against Cuebird's $0.99. TickBoom also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Cuebird's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). On ads 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
TickBoom is free to download; Cuebird costs $0.99 up front. TickBoom sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Cuebird asks for nothing beyond the download.
TickBoom ships an update every 3 weeks, Cuebird daily. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TickBoom | Cuebird |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Njelison Razafindrakoto | Michael Petrillo |
In-app purchases
TickBoom
- Premium Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
- Premium Annual Subscription7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime Subscription$79.99
Cuebird
No in-app purchases









