Comparison

Effortime vs My Tiny Journal · Private

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

Head to head
About

Effortime

Features
Read full description

Effortime is a minimalist timer built for one purpose: to help you master a single skill through focused, consistent effort. There’s a saying: 10,000 hours make a master. Effortime turns that idea into a clear, motivating practice. Start the timer when you’re practicing. Pause when you stop. Your lifetime total never resets — it grows with you, session by session. Why Effortime • One skill, one goal: focus on what you want to master • Lifetime timer that never resets — persists across launches and devices • Millisecond-precision session timer for accurate tracking • Separate displays for session time and lifetime progress • Clear visual state: green glow when running, red when paused • Haptic feedback and subtle sounds for Start/Reset • Auto-pause when you leave the app or lock your device • Keeps the screen awake while running • Clean, focused design that gets out of your way Use Effortime for • Practicing an instrument • Learning a language • Coding or design drills • Sports and training • Any craft that rewards deliberate practice Build your mastery, one focused session at a time. Your 10,000 hours start now. What’s New (First Release) • Launch version of Effortime • Session and lifetime timers with millisecond precision • Auto-pause on background and screen lock • Haptic feedback and subtle sounds for actions • Minimal dark UI with breathing glow ring

About

My Tiny Journal · Private

Features
Read full description

My Tiny Journal is a private place to write, add photos, and keep the everyday moments you don’t want to forget. Write a sentence or fill a page. Add a photo when it helps tell the story. Return to your memories through Timeline, Calendar, Search, Favorites, and Random Memory. START FREE - Unlimited writing and reading in one Journal with unlimited yearly Volumes - One photo per memory - Timeline, Calendar, Search, Favorites, and Random Memory - Thoughtful writing prompts - Up to three optional daily reminder times, with private notification wording - Monthly reflections and summary statistics - Share cards for memories you choose to share - App Lock using supported device security - Backup, restore, import, and export without a purchase - Useful offline, with no account, ads, or third-party behavioral analytics OPTIONAL LIFETIME UNLOCK One purchase. No subscription. - Multiple Journals for different parts of life - Up to three photos per memory - Two-photo and three-photo collages - Premium Journal covers, themes, fonts, frames, and collage layouts Your memories remain yours. Your journal is stored locally on your device. Keep backups somewhere you control. Restore Purchases restores eligible Lifetime Unlock ownership on compatible devices using the same store account. Apple and Google purchases do not transfer between stores. Restore a Journal Backup recovers your memories separately; My Tiny Journal does not automatically sync your journal. My Tiny Journal is intentionally quiet: a warm, private place for ordinary moments that become meaningful over time.

Screenshots

Effortime2 screens
My Tiny Journal · Private4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Effortime at none against My Tiny Journal · Private's 1. Effortime also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 days). 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. My Tiny Journal · Private sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Effortime asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Effortime ships an update every 3 days, My Tiny Journal · Private every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Effortime versus My Tiny Journal · Private: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEffortimeMy Tiny Journal · Private
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB147 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Jin Studio CorpFrankly, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Effortime

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

My Tiny Journal · Private

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$19.99

Questions

Is Effortime free?
Effortime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is My Tiny Journal · Private free?
My Tiny Journal · Private is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Effortime or My Tiny Journal · Private have ads?
Neither Effortime nor My Tiny Journal · Private shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Effortime or My Tiny Journal · Private?
Effortime ships an update every 3 days, and My Tiny Journal · Private every 11 days. Most recently, Effortime was updated on October 4, 2026 and My Tiny Journal · Private on October 2, 2026.

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