Comparison

PenTimer vs Routine

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

Head to head
About

PenTimer

Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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

PenTimer4 screens
Routine4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Routine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PenTimer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
PenTimer versus Routine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPenTimerRoutine
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.5 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB5 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperEMIRHAN SIMSEKTD Studios, LLC

In-app purchases

None

PenTimer

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Routine

Subscriptions1
  • Routine Pro Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Routine Pro Lifetime Subscription$9.99

Questions

Is PenTimer free?
PenTimer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Routine free?
Routine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PenTimer or Routine have ads?
Neither PenTimer nor Routine shows ads.

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