Showcase Clock vs Polaris
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Showcase Clock
Personalize your device with a unique clock that displays custom video backgrounds. Choose between digital or analog styles, manage video playlists, and enjoy silent playback. Multitask on iPad with multiple clock windows, each running its own video playlist.
- Digital and analog clock styles
- Rotating message display on analog clocks
- Silent video playback
- Multiple video playlist management
- Multitasking on iPad with multiple windows
- Adjustable video playback speed
- Customizable digital clock fonts and sizes
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Features: - Choose between elegant digital or classic analog clock styles - Display rotating messages on your analog clock - Enjoy silent video playback—no audio interruptions - Create and manage multiple video playlists - Multitask on iPad with multiple windows, each playing its own playlist - Adjust video playback speed to match your mood - Shuffle videos for a fresh experience every time - Customize digital clock fonts and sizes
Polaris
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Polaris turns the night sky as it actually looks from where you are into a living Home Screen widget — a quiet planetarium clock. ■ A real sky It plots ~9,000 stars from the Yale Bright Star Catalog, computed from your chosen city's latitude, longitude and sidereal time, so what's rising and where is faithful to the real sky right now. Star brightness and color (blue-white to orange) are true to life. No location permission needed — just pick a city. ■ Clock & calendar Layer an analog clock (10 frames × 5 hands × date fonts) or a digital clock (8 typefaces) over the stars. A monthly calendar and a corner date/weekday are available too. ■ More of the sky • Shooting stars streak by now and then • Star names label the bright ones — Sirius, Vega, and more • Constellation lines connect figures like Orion and the Big Dipper ■ Widgets Small, medium, large and extra-large are all supported. Each size saves its own design, so you can compose your Home Screen exactly how you like. There's also a clock-free "sky only" widget. ■ Details • Pure black background — quiet and striking on OLED • Switch between English and Japanese inside the app • 39 cities worldwide, plus automatic detection A bedside clock. The centerpiece of your Home Screen. The night sky, always in your hand.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Polaris at Free against Showcase Clock's $1.99. Showcase Clock's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, 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
Polaris is free to download; Showcase Clock costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Showcase Clock ships an update every 2 weeks, Polaris every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Showcase Clock | Polaris |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (9 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Fu Keung Kwan | Ryohei Horiuchi |
In-app purchases
Showcase Clock
No in-app purchases
Polaris
No in-app purchases









