PenTimer vs Routine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PenTimer
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PenTimer is a simple focus timer built around the classic 25-minute work and 5-minute break rhythm. Start a session, focus on your task, and stop whenever you’re done. Each session is saved using its real start and end time and stored as an event in Apple Calendar. These sessions are also shown as clear time blocks on a daily timeline, similar to how events appear in the Calendar app. There are no complex settings, no accounts, and no distractions. PenTimer is designed to stay out of your way and help you see how you actually spend your focused time throughout the day. Features Fixed 25-minute work sessions and 5-minute breaks Stop early or let the timer finish naturally Sessions saved as events in Apple Calendar Real start and end times recorded Daily timeline view with clear time blocks No accounts, no tracking, no ads PenTimer works entirely on your device and respects your privacy. Focus, one session at a time.
Routine
This app offers a fluid calendar, planner, and to-do list on a single canvas. Zoom from your year down to your day with ease, plan multi-day events, and track habits. It provides insights into your time usage and syncs privately across devices via iCloud.
- Fluid calendar canvas
- Zoomable daily to yearly view
- Block planning for tasks and habits
- Multi-day event planning
- Customizable color-coded tags
- Automatic carry-forward of unfinished tasks
- Location-based reminders
- Meeting link integration
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Build the day you want to repeat, and stop rebuilding it every morning. Most days are not new. They have a shape, and your phone should already know it. Welcome to your Routine. No onboarding questionnaire, no streaks to protect, and no collecting of your data. Download it, write out a day once, choose which days it runs, and it fills those days in for you. That's it. Today is the screen you live in. No week strip, no month grid, nothing to navigate. What is happening is in front of you, and anything else that comes up goes straight onto the day. Tomorrow holds every day ahead for a year, already filled in by your routines. Add to any of them. Lift a routine off a single day when life happens, and the rest of the week stays where it is. Someday is for the things with no date yet. Park them, and give them a day when you are ready. Give a block a time, a tag, a reminder, and a place. Name and color your own tags. Ask Siri to run a routine, add a block, or read your day back to you (coming in iOS 27). Put it on your Home Screen and Lock Screen, and open it on iPad and Mac. Your day stays yours. Everything syncs privately through your own iCloud, with no account to create and no one watching. You decide what your days look like, not an algorithm. Build it once, and let it carry you. Download Routine today and see the difference it will make in your life! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PenTimer at none against Routine's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Routine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PenTimer asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | PenTimer | Routine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | EMIRHAN SIMSEK | TD Studios, LLC |
In-app purchases
PenTimer
No in-app purchases
Routine
- Routine Pro Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
- Routine Pro Lifetime Subscription$9.99









