Comparison

Timer for Kids vs Dancing Plate

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

Head to head
About

Timer for Kids

This app transforms abstract time into a visual gardening adventure for children aged 2-8. It helps manage transitions, morning routines, and bedtime resistance by making time tangible through a growing plant. Children are motivated by seeing their garden flourish as they complete tasks.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timer with growing plants
  • Customizable routines for daily tasks
  • Motivation and reward system
  • Friendly character guide (Poko the Hedgehog)
  • Ad-free experience
  • Sensory-friendly sounds
  • Parental gate for settings
Features
Read full description

Transform daily battles into fun gardening adventures with RoutinePal, the visual timer for kids that turns abstract time into a growing garden. Designed for parents of children ages 2 to 8, RoutinePal solves the struggle of transitions, morning chaos, and bedtime resistance. Instead of abstract numbers or stressful alarms, your child watches Poko the Hedgehog help a plant grow from a seed to a beautiful bloom as time passes. WHY PARENTS LOVE ROUTINEPAL Young children do not understand how long 5 minutes is. Traditional countdown apps or sand timers can be abstract or anxiety-inducing. RoutinePal makes time tangible. If the child stops the task, the plant stops growing. If they finish, they add a new flower or fruit to their garden collection. KEY FEATURES Visual Timer for Kids Replace the stressful red pie chart with nature. Watch a sunflower, strawberry, or carrot grow in real-time. This gentle approach reduces anxiety around transitions and helps children with ADHD or autism understand the concept of waiting and duration. Customizable Routines Create presets for every part of your day. Use it as a toothbrush timer, a get dressed countdown, a potty training timer, or for managing screen time limits. Motivation & Rewards The more routines your child completes, the bigger their garden grows. This built-in reward system encourages repeated positive behavior without the need for screen time or sugary treats as bribes. Poko the Hedgehog Meet Poko, your child's friendly guide. Poko encourages them when they start a task and celebrates with them when they finish. He acts as a neutral third party, taking the role of the bad guy away from the parent when time is up. Ad-Free Experience RoutinePal is a safe space for your child. There are no advertisements to distract them from their tasks or interrupt the reward moment. IDEAL FOR EVERY SITUATION Morning Routine: Make getting dressed and eating breakfast a race to bloom the flower. Bathroom Habits: A perfect 2-minute toothbrush timer or potty training companion. Focus Time: Excellent for homework, reading, or quiet time. Transitions: Smoothly transition away from the park, playdates, or tablets without the meltdown. HOW IT WORKS Select a Plant: Let your child choose what they want to grow (Sunflower, Strawberry, or Carrot). Set the Time: Use quick presets (2min, 5min, 10min) or the custom scroll wheel. Start: Poko plants the seed. Watch it Grow: As the countdown progresses, the plant grows through detailed stages. Harvest: When the timer ends, the plant is fully grown and added to your permanent garden collection. DEVELOPED FOR FAMILIES We understand that every child is different. RoutinePal includes a gentle completion sound that is audible but not jarring, making it sensory-friendly. A built-in parental gate ensures that settings and timer controls are kept safe from little fingers. Stop nagging and start growing. Download RoutinePal today and bring peace back to your daily routines. https://ilkerb.com/routinepal/terms-of-use

About

Dancing Plate

Features
Read full description

Dancing Plate is a tool for parents that helps children eat healthier and more varied meals, through play instead of pressure. Snap a photo of your child's plate, and AI turns each food into a friendly character your child can meet and get curious about. No bribes, no battles, just a new way in. Built for parents of young children, Dancing Plate helps you: • ⁠Get more variety on the plate. When the broccoli, the carrot, and the tomato become characters, new foods feel like an invitation rather than a demand. • Take the pressure off mealtimes. The characters do the inviting, so you don't have to. You move from enforcer to partner. •⁠ ⁠Keep it positive, always. No calorie counting, no portion tracking, no "clean your plate". Every food your child meets earns a cheer, and nothing is ever marked as a failure. •⁠ See the progress. Simple insights show how your child's food variety grows over time, across fruits, veggies, and protein, so you can celebrate what's working. •⁠ Keep it playful between meals. Open the Play area together for calm, educational games about recognizing foods, sorting them into groups, and building a balanced plate. Whether your child sticks to the same few foods or is just starting to explore, Dancing Plate helps you build healthy, varied eating habits that last. Positive reinforcement only, one meal at a time. No ads, no data sold. Meal photos are used to recognize the foods on the plate. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Timer for Kids4 screens
Dancing Plate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Timer for Kids at none against Dancing Plate's 2. Dancing Plate's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). 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. Dancing Plate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Timer for Kids asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Timer for Kids ships an update monthly, Dancing Plate every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Timer for Kids versus Dancing Plate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimer for KidsDancing Plate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB160 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerilker beriMaayan Yedidia Dotan

In-app purchases

None

Timer for Kids

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Dancing Plate

Subscriptions2
  • Dancing Plate Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Dancing Plate Premium Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Timer for Kids free?
Timer for Kids is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dancing Plate free?
Dancing Plate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Timer for Kids or Dancing Plate have ads?
Neither Timer for Kids nor Dancing Plate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Timer for Kids or Dancing Plate?
Timer for Kids ships an update monthly, and Dancing Plate every 4 days. Most recently, Timer for Kids was updated on October 15, 2026 and Dancing Plate on October 4, 2026.

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