Comparison

Ember vs Orbitimer

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

Head to head
About

Ember

This app helps you build and maintain daily routines and goals with a simple, satisfying interface. It offers features like smart reminders, streak protection, and detailed statistics to keep you motivated. Track habits you want to start or quit, and sync with Apple Health for automatic completion.

Highlights
  • Daily or weekly goal tracking
  • Smart, context-aware reminders
  • Streak protection and vacation mode
  • Apple Health sync for automatic completion
  • Quit habit tracking
  • Interactive home screen widgets
  • Full calendar editor for backfilling
Features
Read full description

Most habit apps charge $50–70 every year. Ember offers lifetime access for less than many apps charge for a single month. No account. No data collected. No catch. A fast, focused habit tracker that makes staying consistent feel simple and satisfying. DESIGNED FOR EASE OF USE See all your habits in a clean grid or list. Open the app, tap, and you are done. No clutter, hidden menus, or loading screens getting in the way. Every completion feels like a small win, so you actually want to come back tomorrow. BUILT AROUND YOU - Daily or weekly goals - Multi-tap habits for flexible targets - Morning, Day, Evening, or Night categories - Custom day end times for night owls - Drag to reorder habits to match your real routine EXCLUSIVE FEATURES Full Calendar Editor: Log habits on any past date, no matter how far back. Backfill entire weeks or months in minutes and bring over your history from other apps without starting from zero. Smart Reminders: Already hit your goal for the day? Ember stays silent. You only get nudges when you still have something to do, so reminders feel helpful instead of annoying. Apple Watch App: Log habits directly from your wrist in seconds. Perfect for the gym, walks, or moments when your phone is not nearby. Health App Sync: Add habits like Steps or Calories and they sync with Apple Health. The habit completes automatically once you reach your target. Quit Habits: Track what you want to stop doing, not just what you want to start. Perfect for quitting smoking, vaping, snus, or alcohol. Login Streak: Earn a streak for showing up. Get rewarded with milestones for opening the app and checking in. Milestone Icons: 14 milestone icons to unlock through pure consistency, from Wood (3 days) and Coal (7 days) all the way to Legend (1,000 days), plus 8 color styles you can switch to anytime. Your home screen becomes a visible reminder of how far you have come. Streak Protection: Stay consistent and earn protection. One missed day will not erase weeks of effort, so a bad day does not break your motivation. Challenge Mode: Make protection cost something. After it saves a day, that habit needs one extra check-in the next day. Vacation Planning: Freeze your habits before you travel or take a break. Your streaks stay safe and wait for you to return, instead of punishing you for living your life. Statistics & Reports: Monthly and yearly views, personal records, and weekly and monthly reports. Hit a number worth bragging about? Share it as a card. 5 Widget Styles: Tiles, List, Rings, Pulse, and Focus widgets. All are interactive, so you can log habits straight from your Home Screen without opening the app. PRICING Free to start, with up to 6 habits and no time limit. Premium adds unlimited habits, Streak Protection, Vacation Planning, and the milestone icons. Upgrade anytime: weekly, monthly, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Lifetime has no renewal date. It is yours forever. YOUR DATA No account required No tracking Secure iCloud sync between your devices Export your data anytime if you ever want to leave 19 LANGUAGES Available in English, Swedish, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Thai, Hindi, Indonesian, and more. Stop overpaying just to track your habits. Support: https://edgarpielb.com/ember/#support Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://edgarpielb.com/ember/privacy

About

Orbitimer

Features
Read full description

Orbitimer is an interval timer and metronome built around tempo and rhythm. Whether you're doing strength training and HIIT, staying focused while studying or working, practicing an instrument, or pacing a presentation, Orbitimer helps you break time into segments and keep a steady rhythm. ■ Today's Session - Choose a goal and the time you have to create a three-step plan on your device - Review and edit the draft before saving; existing sets and settings stay unchanged ■ Flexible interval timers - Arrange Work and Interval steps to build your own routine - Set a duration and title for each step, reorder by drag - Batch-generate rounds and rest periods with the interval generator ■ Precise metronome (with haptics) - Lock in tempo by BPM and note value (quarter, eighth, sixteenth) - Feel the beat through the Taptic Engine—great where you can't make noise - Accented downbeats ■ Per-step customization - Attach a photo, video, or recorded cue / background audio to any step - Encouragement messages and custom pre-end notifications ■ Effect packs - Built-in Standard, Energetic, Calm, and Business packs - Swap start/warning/end sounds and finish animations (fireworks / confetti / stars) - Create your own custom packs ■ Themes - 8 built-in themes plus a full custom theme editor - Export and import themes via share codes ■ Community - Discover and import timer presets and themes made by other users - Share your own presets and themes with everyone ■ Presentation mode (stealth notifications) - Route audio only to Bluetooth earphones, or use Apple Watch haptics only - Stay on time during meetings and talks without anyone noticing ■ Never stops your music - Mixes with Apple Music and other audio without interrupting playback - Turn sound off for a silent, haptics-only experience ■ Privacy & pricing - Completely free. No ads, no tracking, no account required - Your data stays on your device (with optional iCloud sync) - If you love the app, you can leave an optional tip to support development (tips unlock nothing—just our thanks) Universal app for iPhone and iPad. Start today's routine at your own rhythm.

Screenshots

Ember4 screens
Orbitimer4 screens

Verdict

The call

Ember and Orbitimer are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Orbitimer sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember ships an update fortnightly, Orbitimer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Ember versus Orbitimer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberOrbitimer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdgar PielbuschTomonori Kowatari

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ember

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Premium Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Ember Premium Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Premium Version$9.99
3 purchases

Orbitimer

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orbitimer free?
Orbitimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ember or Orbitimer have ads?
Neither Ember nor Orbitimer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or Orbitimer?
Ember ships an update fortnightly, and Orbitimer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ember was updated on October 30, 2026 and Orbitimer on November 9, 2026.

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