Comparison

Random Reminders & Alarms vs Beacon

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

Head to head
About

Random Reminders & Alarms

This app delivers unexpected notifications to help you stay present and build habits. Its retro digital watch design offers a unique and engaging user experience, with options for standard notifications or disruptive alarms.

Highlights
  • Randomized notification timing
  • Retro digital watch design
  • Standard notifications
  • Pro alarms (bypass silent mode)
  • Customizable time windows
  • 13 retro sound options
Features
Read full description

Looks like a digital watch from the '80s. Goes off when you least expect it. Reminds you even in silent mode. Reminders on a fixed schedule are easy to get used to and start tuning out among everything else competing for your attention. Reminders you can't predict always grab it. That's why Random Reminders picks random moments within a window you set, so no reminder slips past you. WHO IT'S FOR * People with ADHD who need a random signal to check in on where their attention is right now * People practicing mindfulness: a random signal is a pause and a return to the here and now * Anyone building new habits: water, stretching, breathing, posture, gratitude DESIGN The whole app feels like a retro device in your hand. Physical switches, dot-matrix LED displays, tactile buttons with feedback. It's a reminders app that's a pleasure to use. TWO MODES * Notifications — standard alerts that respect silent mode and Focus. * Alarms (Pro) — break through silent mode and Focus. For the reminders that really matter. SOUNDS YOU'LL NOTICE 13 hand-picked retro sounds. Choose one or turn on shuffle — every random reminder grabs a little extra attention. HOW IT WORKS Create a reminder. Choose how many reminders per day. Set any time window: say, 9 AM to 9 PM. Pick the days of the week. The app takes care of the rest. PRICING * Free: 1 active notification reminder, 1 retro sound * Pro monthly: $0.99 * Pro yearly: $9.99 (with a 7-day free trial) * Pro forever: $29.99, one time, no recurring charges Pro unlocks alarms (iOS 26.1+), up to 3 active notification reminders, and all future Pro features. ABOUT THE LIMITS For technical reasons, active notifications are limited to 1 in the free version and 3 in Pro. Alarms run on a separate mechanism, so there's no limit on those. REQUIREMENTS * iOS 17+ for notification reminders * iOS 26.1+ for alarms * iCloud account for sync (optional) PRIVACY Your reminders sync through your private iCloud account. Nothing reaches our servers. For analytics we use Firebase and Mixpanel: only anonymous events like "reminder_created," never the text of your reminders. More in the privacy policy. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
 Privacy Policy: https://randomreminders.app/privacy
 Questions, bugs, or feedback: support@randomreminders.app

About

Beacon

This app helps individuals with ADHD manage tasks and time effectively. It breaks down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps and uses gentle reminders to keep users on track without causing overwhelm or guilt. It integrates with existing Apple Reminders and Calendar.

Highlights
  • One task at a time display
  • Visual countdown timers
  • Guilt-free task management
  • Task shrinking for easier starts
  • Task parking lot
  • Integration with Apple Reminders/Calendar
  • Smart capture and energy tags
Features
Read full description

Your to-do list keeps growing, time keeps slipping, and starting feels impossible. Beacon is the calm, ADHD-friendly way to finally get things done, one gentle step at a time. Beacon is a reminders app built for the way real brains actually work, especially brains that get overwhelmed by long lists, lose track of time, or freeze at the thought of beginning. Think of it as a calm external brain: it remembers, times, and shrinks your tasks, so you do not have to hold it all in your head. WHY BEACON FEELS DIFFERENT One thing at a time. Beacon shows your next action, not your entire backlog. Less overwhelm, more starting. Time you can actually see. Every task has a calm countdown, so "later" stops turning into "too late." No red alarms, no panic. Kind on the hard days. Miss something? There is no shaming OVERDUE, no broken streak, no guilt. Beacon reframes gently and celebrates every win, the small ones too. Shrink the first step. Any task can collapse into a two-minute starting move, so the hardest part, beginning, gets easier. Park it, guilt-free. Not ready today? Set a task aside in the Parking Lot and Beacon brings it back softly when the time is right. Nothing gets lost. WORKS WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY USE Beacon sits on top of Apple Reminders and Calendar, so you keep everything you already rely on. Say a reminder to Siri and it shows up in Beacon, sorted and doable. Check it off in Beacon and it syncs right back. No migration, no starting over. WHAT YOU GET Smart capture: brain-dump a messy thought and Beacon finds the task and the time for you. Focus timer and body-double sessions to help you start and keep going. Energy tags to match tasks to how you actually feel right now. Gentle, well-timed nudges instead of a wall of notifications. Home Screen widgets, Lock Screen Live Activities, and an Apple Watch app, so your next step is always a glance away. Private by design: no account, no tracking, no cloud sync. The only thing Beacon ever sends is an anonymous crash report. WHO IT IS FOR Beacon was made for people with ADHD, and that turns out to be a lot of us: anyone who has felt buried by their own list, lost time without meaning to, or been too hard on themselves for it. If that sounds familiar, welcome. TRY BEACON FREE Start with a 7-day free trial, then keep going with an affordable subscription. Cancel anytime. Beacon. Your calm external brain. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Beacon Pro gives you full access with a 7-day free trial, then a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://waypointapps.app/beacon/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Random Reminders & Alarms4 screens
Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Beacon at 5.0 against Random Reminders & Alarms's 4.5. 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. Random Reminders & Alarms sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Beacon sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Beacon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Random Reminders & Alarms ships an update every 4 days, Beacon every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Random Reminders & Alarms versus Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRandom Reminders & AlarmsBeacon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVladyslav KozlovWaypoint Apps LLC

Customer experience

Random Reminders & Alarms

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Beacon

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Random Reminders & Alarms

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$59.99
2 purchases

Beacon

Subscriptions2
  • Beacon Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Beacon Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Random Reminders & Alarms free?
Random Reminders & Alarms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beacon free?
Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Random Reminders & Alarms or Beacon?
Beacon is rated higher. Random Reminders & Alarms averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Beacon averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Random Reminders & Alarms or Beacon have ads?
Neither Random Reminders & Alarms nor Beacon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Random Reminders & Alarms or Beacon?
Random Reminders & Alarms ships an update every 4 days, and Beacon every 2 days. Most recently, Random Reminders & Alarms was updated on October 25, 2026 and Beacon on October 8, 2026.

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