Comparison

Brief vs Simple Block Planner

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

Head to head
About

Brief

Features
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Brief makes it easy to save articles, links, and posts for later โ€” delivered straight to your email. Share any link from Safari, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, or any app. Brief sends it to your inbox with an AI-generated summary so you can decide what's worth reading. HOW IT WORKS โ€ข Tap Share on any link โ€ข Select Brief โ€ข Get an email with the link and summary No account needed. Just enter your email once and start saving. FEATURES โ€ข AI-powered summaries (via Gemini) โ€ข Works with any app's share menu โ€ข Add personal notes for context โ€ข Choose summary length (short or detailed) โ€ข Privacy-focused: email stored only on your device

About

Simple Block Planner

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Take control of your day with TimeTone โ€” the time blocking planner designed to help you organize every hour, build productive routines, and see exactly where your time goes. Whether you're a professional managing a packed schedule, a student balancing study sessions, a freelancer juggling projects, or a parent coordinating family life โ€” TimeTone gives you a clear, visual plan for your entire day. PLAN YOUR DAY, BLOCK BY BLOCK Create time blocks for every part of your day. Assign color-coded activities like Work, Exercise, Meals, Study, and more. See your full schedule at a glance on a clean, visual timeline. TEMPLATES & PRESETS Save your best days as reusable templates. Productive Workday, Study Day, Weekend Reset โ€” create once, apply anytime with a single tap. No more rebuilding your schedule from scratch. LIVE ACTIVITY & DYNAMIC ISLAND Always know what you're supposed to be doing. TimeTone shows your current block right on your lock screen and Dynamic Island with real-time progress tracking. WIDGETS FOR EVERY SCREEN Choose from 10 different widgets โ€” current block, next block, daily progress, today's schedule, and more. Keep your plan visible on your home screen and lock screen without opening the app. INSIGHTS & STATISTICS See where your time actually goes. Track daily and weekly patterns, completion rates, streaks, peak productivity hours, and detailed activity breakdowns. Understand your habits and improve over time. COLOR-CODED ACTIVITIES Create custom activities with unique colors and icons. Tag your time blocks to see exactly how you spend your day โ€” visualized in beautiful charts and breakdowns. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Get a morning briefing before your first block, reminders to plan tomorrow, and streak celebrations to keep you motivated. Plus, set custom notifications for any block. WORKS EVERYWHERE - Sign in with Apple or Google, or use as a guest - Cloud sync across all your devices - Dark mode support - Haptic feedback for a premium feel FLEXIBLE & FREE TimeTone is free to use with generous limits. Upgrade to Pro for advanced statistics, Live Activity, all widgets, unlimited activities, multiple notifications per block, and an ad-free experience. Privacy & Legal: Privacy Policy: https://incistudio.com/timetempo-privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: https://incistudio.com/timetempo-terms-of-service/ EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Built for people who believe that a well-planned day is a well-lived day. Download TimeTone and start owning your time.

Screenshots

Brief4 screens
Simple Block Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brief at none against Simple Block Planner's 3. Simple Block Planner's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Simple Block Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Brief asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brief ships an update every 3 months, Simple Block Planner fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Brief versus Simple Block Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBriefSimple Block Planner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel EnsigninciStudio LLC

In-app purchases

None

Brief

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Simple Block Planner

Subscriptions3
  • TimeTempo Pro Weekly7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • TimeTempo Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • TimeTempo Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Brief free?
Brief is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Block Planner free?
Simple Block Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Brief or Simple Block Planner have ads?
Neither Brief nor Simple Block Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brief or Simple Block Planner?
Brief ships an update every 3 months, and Simple Block Planner fortnightly. Most recently, Brief was updated on October 28, 2026 and Simple Block Planner on October 31, 2026.

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