Comparison

The Artclock vs Needless Clock

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

Head to head
About

The Artclock

This app reimagines your desk clock with a fluid, visual representation of time. It uses dynamic layering and smooth animations to display the passage of hours and minutes through color and motion, offering a calming and aesthetic alternative to traditional timekeeping.

Highlights
  • Fluid representation of time
  • Dynamic color and motion
  • Adjustable transparency and depth
  • Satisfying hour reset animation
  • Visual hourly progress indicator
  • Minimalist customization (numbers/words)
Features
Read full description

Time isn’t just numbers; it’s a living canvas. Reimagine your desk clock. No ticking, no clutter—just color, motion, and time. The Artclock is a high-concept, kinetic timepiece designed for the modern aesthetic. It moves away from the ticking clock and toward a fluid representation of "the now." Experience a clock that breathes. The Artclock transforms the passage of time into a mesmerizing visual journey of light and color. Inspired by the natural rhythms of the day, The Artclock uses dynamic layering and smooth animations to show you exactly where you stand in the current hour. Watch as the minutes "slice" through a foreground of color, gradually revealing the foundation beneath. As the day turns to night, The Artclock follows the sun, shifting its palette to match the world outside your window. Features You’ll Love: Tailored Transparency: Use the custom glassmorphic slider to adjust the depth and intensity of the clock's layers. Fluid Transitions: Watch the hour reset with a satisfying sweep animation that resets the canvas. Visual Hourly Progress: See the hour pass through a growing circular reveal. Always On: Perfect for use as a dedicated desk clock or nightstand display. Minimalist Customization: Switch between numbers and words, and adjust transparency to match your style.

About

Needless Clock

This app offers a collection of living, animated clocks that display time through unique visual narratives. Interact with the scenes to alter elements and enjoy a calming visual experience that goes beyond simple timekeeping.

Highlights
  • Living, animated clock designs
  • Interactive visual elements
  • Customizable clock scenes
  • Scheduled display dimming
  • Short clock film creation
  • No ads or third-party tracking
Features
Read full description

People do not open Needless Clock merely to find out the time. More often, they want the glowing screen beside them to grow quiet without becoming empty: something to glance at between tasks, a little light at night, time passing without hurrying anyone along. Needless Clock is a collection of living, animated clocks. They all keep the same real time, but each inhabits a world of its own. Fish turn through water, birds arrive from far away, ants hurry under the weight of a treat, cars follow the painted lines of a car park, and a brush writes numerals in water. At the turn of a minute the picture wakes; once everything has found its place, only small movements, wings, shadows and breathing remain. TIME HAS ELEVEN PLACES TO GO Fish gather into figures. Touch the water and those nearby scatter, then swim home along their own curved paths. Birds perch on five wires. Some leave at the next minute, others find a new place, and now and then a distant bird crosses the clouds. Tap once and the sky sinks beneath the sea, the flock becoming fish of different forms. Ants carry biscuits, rock sugar, dried fish, winter-melon candy and leaves. Cars pull into bays. Metal blocks fall one by one. These digits are not displayed; they are made. Water runs from a brush onto stone and disappears first from the finest ends of the strokes. Oracle bone, bronze, seal and clerical scripts sit beside the hands of Wang Xizhi, Yan Zhenqing and Huang Tingjian, letting one numeral travel through centuries. A gnomon casts its shadow among the twelve Earthly Branches, its length changing through the twenty-four solar terms. There is also a wall of cooperating clock faces, a luminous word clock, figures revealed by paper and shadow, and mechanical flaps that fall like those once heard in stations and airports. GOOD JUST LEFT THERE Swipe to move between clocks. Tap to change a material, colour or world. Or choose a few favourites and let them rotate by themselves, from every minute to every hour. At night the display can dim on your schedule. Keep the screen awake, or hide the title, date and time zone until only time remains. It belongs on an iPhone stand, across an iPad, beside a Mac workspace, or spread quietly over the television in a living room. A MOMENT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU On supported devices, Share waits for the next minute. It keeps the stillness before the change and stops after the movement has come to rest, making a short clock film to save or send. No account, no advertising and no third-party tracking. The clocks and their calculations stay on the device. Location is off by default and, if enabled, is used only to let the car park grow dark near your own sunset. Supports Reduce Motion and VoiceOver. Made for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. May it do more than tell the time. May it keep the time with you for a while.

Screenshots

The Artclock2 screens
Needless Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Needless Clock at every 3 days against The Artclock's every 4 months. The Artclock's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Artclock against 5.0 for Needless Clock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Artclock ships an update every 4 months, Needless Clock every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
The Artclock versus Needless Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe ArtclockNeedless Clock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRien Heald路 林

Customer experience

The Artclock

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

Needless Clock

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

In-app purchases

None

The Artclock

No in-app purchases

None

Needless Clock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Artclock free?
The Artclock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Needless Clock free?
Needless Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Artclock or Needless Clock?
The Artclock and Needless Clock are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do The Artclock or Needless Clock have ads?
Neither The Artclock nor Needless Clock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Artclock or Needless Clock?
The Artclock ships an update every 4 months, and Needless Clock every 3 days. Most recently, The Artclock was updated on June 1, 2026 and Needless Clock on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons