Comparison

Tempo vs How Long Until?

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

Head to head
About

Tempo

This app transforms countdown timers into clear visual progress indicators, helping you stay focused on tasks like work, study, or cooking. It offers multiple visualization options and a distraction-free interface, working reliably offline without requiring an account.

Highlights
  • Multiple visualization options
  • Clean, distraction-free interface
  • Works offline
  • No account setup
  • Reliable background operation
  • Privacy-focused
Features
Read full description

If you have ever looked up and lost an hour, you do not need another number counting down. You need to see time move. Tempo turns time into something you can watch. A dandelion loses its seeds. An eclipse closes over. A snowman gives in to the sun. Glance at your phone from across the room and you know how much is left — no reading, no math. BUILT FOR TIME BLINDNESS Numbers are abstract. If your brain does not track elapsed time on its own, "20 minutes" means nothing until it is already gone. Tempo makes time spatial instead, so you feel it draining rather than having to calculate it. FROM ONE MINUTE TO ONE YEAR Most timers stop at an hour. Tempo has six scales: • MINUTE — a focus sprint or a short break • HOUR — the meeting, the work block • DAY — how much of today is actually left • MONTH — the deadline that still feels far away • SEASON (Pro) — the three months you keep meaning to use • YEAR — the one nobody shows you The longer scales run live against the real calendar. Open Tempo in October and the year is already most of the way gone. That is not a gimmick — for anyone who loses whole weeks, seeing it is the point. SEVEN VISUALIZATIONS Dandelion, Dots, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, and Thunderstorm. Pick the one your brain actually reads, and set it as your default. ON YOUR WRIST AND LOCK SCREEN An Apple Watch app and Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets keep your current scale in view without opening anything — so checking the time stops being the distraction. BUILT TO STAY QUIET • No account, no sign-up, no email • Works entirely offline • No streaks, no badges, no guilt mechanics • No ads, ever Tempo will not fix your relationship with time. It just makes time visible, so the hours stop disappearing without warning. Free: the Dots visualization and five of the six scales — MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, MONTH, and YEAR. A one-time Pro purchase adds Dandelion, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, Thunderstorm, and the SEASON scale. No subscription.

About

How Long Until?

Features
Read full description

How Long Until? makes waiting visible. Create a countdown for a date that matters. See how long remains, then keep track of the time since it happened. Add an optional time, choose a time zone, repeat an event weekly, monthly or yearly, and make every count feel like your own. Keep the next count on your Home Screen with a widget. On iPhone, you can also choose one event for the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Add local reminders, a photo, a color and one of seven visual styles. Your events stay on your device. There are no accounts, servers, analytics or ads. Export a backup whenever you choose, including photos, and restore it on another device yourself. How Long Until? is free and accepts no payments of any kind.

Screenshots

Tempo4 screens
How Long Until?4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: How Long Until? at none against Tempo's 1. How Long Until? also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Tempo's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Tempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. How Long Until? asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tempo ships an update fortnightly, How Long Until? every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Tempo versus How Long Until?: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTempoHow Long Until?
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFoundry24 LLCALEXANDER CHRISTIAN LOBO CAMARGO

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tempo

One-time1
  • Tempo Pro$4.99
None

How Long Until?

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is How Long Until? free?
How Long Until? is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tempo or How Long Until? have ads?
Neither Tempo nor How Long Until? shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tempo or How Long Until??
Tempo ships an update fortnightly, and How Long Until? every 5 weeks. Most recently, Tempo was updated on October 31, 2026 and How Long Until? on October 29, 2026.

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