Comparison

ReadySet vs Precursor

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

Head to head
About

ReadySet

This app helps busy parents establish and manage family routines for children. It provides visual countdown timers and step-by-step task lists to encourage independence and responsibility. Earn rewards like collectible stickers for completing tasks on time.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timer
  • Step-by-step task lists
  • Sticker rewards system
  • Syncs across devices
  • Recurring schedules
  • Customizable audio cues
  • Personal best tracking
Features
Read full description

Tired of repeating yourself every morning? ReadySet is built for busy parents to help their kids get ready on time. It shows your family exactly what needs to be done and how much time is left, so you can stop nagging and they can start taking responsibility. I built ReadySet with my two kids because they had zero sense of time, and I was exhausted from being the bad guy every morning. Now they race the clock instead of fighting me. HOW IT WORKS Create a routine with simple steps: brush teeth, get dressed, pack bag. Set a deadline. ReadySet shows a big visual countdown alongside the task list, so everyone always knows what's next and how much time is left. As each step is finished, it gets checked off. Complete everything on time? A collectible sticker is unlocked. No more "five more minutes" arguments. The timer doesn't negotiate. BUILDS REAL HABITS THROUGH CONSISTENCY Kids thrive on routine. When they see the same steps in the same order every day, those steps become automatic. Before long, your kids will remind you if something got skipped. That's when you know it's working. SYNCS ACROSS ALL YOUR DEVICES Your routine follows you through how mornings actually work. Start on the iPad in the kitchen, check progress from your phone while you pack the car, or let kids tick off tasks from their own device. Everything stays in sync, including the stickers. It's also a handy teaching tool. Pull up your phone and ask "what's left?" or "do we have enough time?" and let the app do the explaining instead of you. WHY KIDS LOVE IT - See exactly what they need to do, step by step - Visual countdown they can actually understand (kids can't estimate time, but they can see it disappearing) - Hear what's coming next without looking at the screen. - Check off their own tasks and feel proud - Earn stickers for beating the clock - Collect and display stickers on a virtual fridge - No competition with siblings, just personal wins WHY PARENTS LOVE IT - Morning routine runs itself without constant reminders - See task progress from anywhere in real time - Get notified when kids finish (or when they're running late) - Set it once, runs automatically on school days PERFECT FOR - Morning routines and school prep - Bedtime routines - Getting ready for sports, activities, or appointments - Homework time - Any routine where the family needs to be ready by a specific time FEATURES - Visual countdown timer designed for families with children ages 2 to 12 - Step by step task lists for each routine - Syncs across iPhone and iPad in real time - Recurring schedules (weekdays, specific days, one time events) - Sticker rewards with collectible packs - Customizable voice and audio cues - Optional task timers to help kids learn how long things take - Personal best tracking so kids can race their own record - Home screen widgets showing time remaining - Lock screen updates during active countdowns - Multi child support with individual progress tracking - Parent notifications when tasks are completed BUILT BY A PARENT, FOR FAMILIES I built ReadySet with my kids to solve our family's morning chaos. Every feature exists because we needed it. The visual countdown because my daughter couldn't understand "ten minutes." The sticker rewards because my son needed something to work toward. The lack of sibling competition because that always backfired. I hope it helps your family as much as it's helped mine. PRIVACY POLICY https://readyset.do/privacy TERMS OF SERVICE https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Precursor

This app offers a unique approach to screen time management by setting hourly limits for app usage. It aims to break the cycle of daily limit exhaustion and impulsive overrides by providing a sustainable, guilt-free solution that resets limits every hour.

Highlights
  • Set hourly app limits
  • Automatic hourly limit resets
  • Customizable limits by day
  • Friction to prevent impulsive overrides
  • Private by design, on-device processing
  • Optional Precursor+ upgrade
Features
Read full description

Most screen time solutions give you one daily limit. Often we spend the whole limit by late morning, leaving us locked out of our apps for the rest of the day and feeling stranded; all it takes is one vulnerable moment and we hit that tempting "Ignore Limit For Today" button. That one impulsive moment costs you not only your time, but also the motivation to keep working on whatever it is you meant to do. PRECURSOR BREAKS THE CYCLE With Precursor you can finally set an hourly app limit. For example, you allot yourself five minutes of social media scrolling per hour, and you can trust that Precursor will reset that limit at the top of the next hour. Every hour, all day, automatically. You get the brainrot break you needed, but the scroll ends right before it turns into a mindless habit. Your brain doesn't panic because you know you'll get more time to scroll in just a short hour. So you never have to feel guilty for ignoring a limit ever again. No streaks. No guilt. No shame. Just a sustainable screen time solution your day can lean on. HOW IT WORKS - Pick the apps (or group of apps) that you'd like to limit and give them an hourly allowance: 5, 10, or 15 minutes (Precursor+ extends limits up to 30). - Pick the specific days you want your limits to run (for example, on weekdays you can set stricter limits and on weekends you can set more lenient limits). - When the allowance is spent, those apps get blocked. - At the top of the next hour, your limit resets. - You set your limits once and that screen time rhythm repeats every hour, all day, automatically; so you never have to think about them again. - Precursor also allows you to stop your limits, for whatever reason, but we add some friction to help you in those impulsive moments: 1) Before stopping your limits Precursor will prompt you to write a short reflection on why you need to in this moment. 2) You can add a passcode to lock in your limit (consider allowing a trusted person in your life to set it for you if you know you'll likely bypass it). 3) Unlike other screen time solutions that give you an "ignore limit" prompt right there in the blocked app screen, Precursor requires that you intentionally open the Precursor app to stop your limits. Restrictions and punishments don't work. They never have. Precursor is built on one principle: Real change comes from one's own ability to be honest and accountable. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Precursor is built on Apple's Screen Time technology. Your app choices are opaque tokens: we never see which apps you pick, and neither can anyone else. Your usage history stays on your phone, and Insights are computed on-device. There are no accounts and no ads. Optional, anonymous usage analytics are off unless you turn them on, and they still never include which apps you choose. HONEST BY DEFAULT Precursor is free to use, with an optional Precursor+ upgrade for more groups, other reset windows, longer limits, scheduled active hours, and Deep Focus sessions. Available as a one-time Lifetime purchase if you prefer to own your productivity tools rather than subscribe. Monthly and Yearly both start with one month free. No subscription is required to keep the core, and the terms are spelled out plainly before anything renews. Please note: Deleting Precursor removes every limit. Precursor is an independently developed app by a one-person studio, Precursor Labs. Precursor+ Monthly and Yearly are auto-renewable subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and you can manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://precursorlabs.studio/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Apple's Terms and Policies: http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services

Screenshots

ReadySet4 screens
Precursor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Precursor at 5.0 against ReadySet's 4.8. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. ReadySet sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Precursor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Precursor holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReadySet ships an update every 9 days, Precursor every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ReadySet versus Precursor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadySetPrecursor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (9 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBotto Studio LLCPrecursor Labs

Customer experience

ReadySet

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Precursor

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

ReadySet

Subscriptions3
  • ReadySet Plus Weekly$1.997 Days
  • ReadySet Plus Monthly$3.991 Month
  • ReadySet Plus Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • ReadySet Plus Lifetime$49.99
3 purchases

Precursor

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly1 Month trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is ReadySet free?
ReadySet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Precursor free?
Precursor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ReadySet or Precursor?
Precursor is rated higher. ReadySet averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Precursor averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do ReadySet or Precursor have ads?
Neither ReadySet nor Precursor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReadySet or Precursor?
ReadySet ships an update every 9 days, and Precursor every 6 days. Most recently, ReadySet was updated on October 12, 2026 and Precursor on October 13, 2026.

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