Comparison

the hubbub vs WidgetBlocks

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

Head to head
About

the hubbub

Transform your device into a beautiful, always-on display for essential information. Get real-time weather, transit times, and a clear clock without needing to interact with your phone. Designed for calm, focused daily awareness.

Highlights
  • Always-on display
  • Customizable clock
  • Real-time weather updates
  • Live transit arrival times
  • Landscape-first design
  • No ads or tracking
Features
Read full description

creating daily calm in the hubbub. the hubbub turns your phone or tablet into a beautiful always-on display console. Set it on your counter, nightstand, or shelf, and without ever picking it up, you'll know everything you need to move through your day. No scrolling. No rabbit holes. Just your information, always in view. Getting started takes two minutes. Tell us the lines you take and the direction you go and we find your nearby stations automatically. Enter your city or use your location for weather. That's it. What's on your display Clock A large, beautiful time display that auto-scales to fill your screen. Always on, always readable from across the room. Weather Current temperature, feels-like, and today's high and low. Enter your city or use your location. Updates every 30 minutes. Transit Times Live MTA subway and bus arrival times for your lines. Tell us your commute and we find the right stations automatically. Know when to leave without looking it up. Designed to live on your counter, not in your pocket. - Landscape-first: Optimized for horizontal viewing. Dock your phone on a stand and it becomes a beautiful home display. - Always on: The screen stays awake so your dashboard is ready every time you glance up. No tapping, no unlocking. - Your data, only: No ads, no tracking, no social feed. the hubbub shows your information and nothing else. Built for New York City. Live MTA data for subway lines across the five boroughs. More cities coming soon.

About

WidgetBlocks

Create personalized widgets for your device with a wide range of customizable components. Design unique layouts, recolor elements, and resize them to perfectly match your style. Explore various supported components like time, photos, calendar events, and more.

Highlights
  • Create custom widgets
  • Recolor and resize components
  • Add time, date, and photos
  • Integrate calendar events and reminders
  • Include notes and countdowns
  • App launcher and music widgets
  • Weather and health data integration
Features
Read full description

With WidgetBlocks, you can make your own widgets! And not just in a preset matter, ACTUALLY make your own widgets with the ability to move, recolor, resize, and make your widgets, YOUR widgets! Supported components: Time Date Photo Calendar events Reminders Shape Drawing Note Countdown/up Links Weather* Music Battery Health App Launcher ...and more coming soon! Try WidgetBlocks today! - Noah :) Follow @nonosthings on Instagram and @noahsthings on Facebook for updates! *The weather block uses the WeatherKit and weather.gov API. Free users get 25 WeatherKit API calls a month and 75 API calls a month for paid users with WidgetBlocks Purple, an optional auto-renewing subscription, which also adds unlimited Dynamic Logic rules, custom accent colors, and alternate app icons. Payment is charged to your Apple Account, and the subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

the hubbub3 screens
WidgetBlocks3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: the hubbub at none against WidgetBlocks's 7. the hubbub also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). WidgetBlocks's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, rating 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. WidgetBlocks sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. the hubbub asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for the hubbub against 5.0 for WidgetBlocks. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

the hubbub ships an update every 3 weeks, WidgetBlocks every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
the hubbub versus WidgetBlocks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterthe hubbubWidgetBlocks
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTime For Ventures LLCNoah Novak

Customer experience

the hubbub

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

WidgetBlocks

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

In-app purchases

None

the hubbub

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

WidgetBlocks

Subscriptions2
  • WB Purple (monthly)$3.991 Month
  • WB Purple (yearly)$39.991 Year
One-time5
  • Extra Small Tip$0.49
  • Small Tip$1.00
  • Medium Tip$5.00
Show 2 more
  • Large Tip$10.00
  • Extra Large Tip$25.00

Questions

Is the hubbub free?
the hubbub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WidgetBlocks free?
WidgetBlocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, the hubbub or WidgetBlocks?
the hubbub and WidgetBlocks are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do the hubbub or WidgetBlocks have ads?
Neither the hubbub nor WidgetBlocks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, the hubbub or WidgetBlocks?
the hubbub ships an update every 3 weeks, and WidgetBlocks every 3 days. Most recently, the hubbub was updated on November 5, 2026 and WidgetBlocks on November 13, 2026.

Other comparisons