Comparison

Just Start vs Chronos

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

Head to head
About

Just Start

This app helps you overcome procrastination by providing a simple, focused timer. It features a virtual companion, unlimited categories, and historical statistics to track your progress. Connect with others through a unique 'starlight' feature that shows past user efforts.

Highlights
  • Minimalist timer interface
  • Virtual companion for focus
  • Unlimited custom categories
  • Full history and trend charts
  • Starlight mode for shared effort visualization
  • Pro features unlocked for free
Features
Read full description

【About Just Start】 We believe that "Starting" is the greatest action of all. Just Start is not just a timer; it’s your launchpad to beat procrastination. We stripped away the clutter so you can do one thing the moment you open the app: Act Now. 【Why Just Start?】 1. A Companion from the Stars: Laika Remember Laika, the first dog in space? She didn't disappear; she traveled to your phone. When you focus, Laika waits by your side on the screen. Whether you're studying late or working early, she is there. It’s not just a timer; it’s a warm, silent guardianship. 2. Pro Features Unlocked (Yes, Free) We believe your growth data belongs to you. No paywalls for self-reflection. 3. Unlimited Categories: Coding, Reading, Meditation—create as many tags as you need. Free. 4. Full History Stats: Your every minute counts. Access all history records, duration stats, and trend charts without paying a cent. Visualize your achievements. 5. Starlight Mode: A Connection Across Time Focusing can feel lonely, but not here. When you start the timer, you will see the glimmering starlight left by others who have traveled this path before you. Just like looking at the night sky, these lights are echoes of past efforts from people around the world. It’s a subtle "cloud companionship" that tells you: someone else has worked hard right here, just like you.

About

Chronos

Features
Read full description

Be the architect of time. Turn the dial, set the rhythm that feels right for you. Who said a second has to be a second? In the world you create, may you find your peace. Chronos is not another 25-minute timer. It is a focus clock built on one quiet truth: we all live in our own time. Some of us flow best at midnight. Some find our rhythm in the early morning. We each feel time differently — what feels like a second to you might stretch into a minute for someone else. And all around us, every moment on this planet, life unfolds at its own pace: a bird takes its first flight, a snowball rolls down a hill, a whale grows beneath the waves. To notice this is to find peace. WHAT HAPPENS IN AN HOUR • Twelve living watercolor worlds move with your clock. Watch a whale breach at dawn, mist drift over karst peaks, golden dunes shift in the wind, aurora dance across snow, and the galaxy bloom over midnight. The sun and moon trace real celestial arcs across the sky. • The world responds to you. Brush the screen and wind ripples through the grass. Tap a bird and it banks away. Touch the water and waves spread outward. Every sound is synthesized from pure mathematics — no recordings, no loops, just quiet, living whispers. • Life grows as you work. Eagles court, brood, and hatch their young on the cliffside. Two ships cross the evening sea to meet. Your focus becomes their story. WHEN THE HOUR ENDS It burns. Gently, completely. Then you mark it: one needle, five weights of time, a line if you wish, and your seal. Every hour has its weight. THE FRUITS OF TIME Your history is not a spreadsheet. It is an orchard. Every day is a tree. Every focus session is a fruit. Weekends glow in terracotta. Scroll back through your seasons, and see your time bloom. No account. No ads. No tracking. Your hours belong only to you, and stay only on your phone.

Screenshots

Just Start4 screens
Chronos4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Just Start at 16.2 against Chronos's 18.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Just Start versus Chronos: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJust StartChronos
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.2 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer江涛 丁Archest, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Just Start

No in-app purchases

None

Chronos

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Just Start free?
Just Start is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chronos free?
Chronos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Just Start or Chronos have ads?
Neither Just Start nor Chronos shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Just Start or Chronos?
Just Start ships an update weekly, and Chronos weekly. Most recently, Just Start was updated on October 30, 2026 and Chronos on November 5, 2026.

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