Comparison

Time Pencil vs Tempo

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

Head to head
About

Time Pencil

Visualize your schedule by drawing events directly onto a clock face. This app offers intuitive tap-to-edit functionality and haptic feedback for a tactile planning experience. It seamlessly syncs with your iOS Calendar and iCloud, and includes widgets for your home and lock screens, plus an Apple Watch app.

Highlights
  • Draw events around a clock
  • Tap to edit and move events
  • Haptic feedback for tactile precision
  • Automatic fading of past events
  • Syncs with iOS Calendar and iCloud
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch companion app
Features
Read full description

Time Pencil is a clock with some markers to visualise your day with time YOUR CALENDAR, AROUND THE DIAL Time Pencil reads your existing calendars and lays each event as a colored arc on the clock. Overlaps, gaps, the shape of a busy afternoon — it's all visible at once, the way time actually feels. DRAW YOUR DAY Block out focus time, a workout, a break, or "leave for the airport" by drawing an arc right onto the clock. Drop a note sticker anywhere. Planning becomes a two-second gesture instead of a form to fill in. ALWAYS IN VIEW • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets keep today's clock a glance away. • A Live Activity counts down your next block in the Dynamic Island. • Apple Watch support to carry your day on your wrist. MAKE IT YOURS • 12-hour or 24-hour dial. • Sky mode paints the clock with the real sky — dawn, daylight, dusk, night — as the day moves. • Zen mode strips everything back to the essentials. • Marker colors, hourly chimes, and more. FREE TO SEE YOUR DAY Your calendar around the clock and the widgets are free, forever. Unlock drawing, the 24-hour dial, and Sky and Zen modes with a one-time purchase or a monthly plan — with a free trial so you can try everything first. Time Pencil speaks 20 languages, and no account is required to get started.

About

Tempo

Effortlessly start focus sessions and track your progress with a simple, one-tap timer. Utilize preset or custom durations for focused work and smart breaks, with live updates to keep you on track. Designed for deep work and building consistent study habits.

Highlights
  • One-tap start/pause/stop
  • Preset and custom focus/break durations
  • Live Activities and notifications
  • Daily, weekly, and lifetime stats
  • Subtle haptic feedback
  • Distraction-free UI
Features
Read full description

Study faster with a simple, one‑tap study timer. Tempo makes it effortless to start a focus session, take smart breaks, and see your progress build every day. Why students, staff and creators love Tempo ONE-TAP Open the app, press play, and you’re focusing - no setup needed. POMODORO Classic presets built in: 25/5, 15/3 - or create your own focus + break durations. PROGRESS See Today, This Week, and All-time - sessions, focus time, breaks, and break time. STAY IN FLOW Live Activities on the Lock Screen, notifications, and gentle haptics keep you on schedule. DEEP WORK Designed with a clean, distraction‑free UI so it’s easier to start (and finish) sessions. Perfect for - Studying for exams, finals and certifications - Homework, reading, and problem sets - Deep work, writing, coding, and creative practice Features - One‑tap start / pause / stop - Preset library + custom presets (set focus & break minutes) - Live Activities & notifications for focus and break timers - Daily, weekly, and lifetime stats - Subtle haptic feedback - iPhone optimized; dark UI that looks great day or night Build a habit of focused study and work - one session at a time. Download Tempo and start your first 25‑minute session now. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Time Pencil4 screens
Tempo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Time Pencil at free against Tempo's freemium. Time Pencil also leads on iOS requirement (16.1 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Time Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Tempo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Time Pencil against 5.0 for Tempo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Time Pencil versus Tempo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTime PencilTempo
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVineet KapilANDREI MESINA

Customer experience

Time Pencil

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tempo

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Time Pencil

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime$14.99
5 purchases

Tempo

Subscriptions4
  • Tempo Pro - Weekly3 Days trial$0.497 Days
  • Tempo Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Tempo Pro - Annual$7.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Tempo Pro - Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Tempo Pro - Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Time Pencil free?
Time Pencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Time Pencil or Tempo?
Time Pencil and Tempo are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Time Pencil or Tempo have ads?
Neither Time Pencil nor Tempo shows ads.

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