Comparison

Sōon vs Hitoiro

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

Head to head
About

Sōon

Features
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A small headphones app for when the world is a bit much — and when you need a quiet break. Sōon plays nine ambient and colored noises. Pick three favorites, put them in order, set a timer if you like, and listen. No accounts, no subscriptions, no endless catalog — just the sounds you actually use. When you're ready to step away for a minute or two, Pause gives you three fixed patterns from the home screen — one to five minutes, with visual timing and gentle phase cues. If your sounds are playing, they pause while the session runs and pick back up when you're done. You can use Pauses on your own too, with no audio at all. Apple Watch keeps your favorites in sync and plays from your wrist, even without your iPhone nearby. Headphones required throughout. Also: widget, quick actions (long-press the app icon), Lock Screen and Dynamic Island controls, AirPlay, Siri and Shortcuts, dynamic app icon, and full accessibility support — VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion. We don't track how you use the app or who you are. Optionally save completed Pauses to Apple Health — off by default, entirely up to you. Listening History syncs with iCloud if you want it to — off by default. Export your full history as a JSON file from Data & Privacy any time. Features • Clean, minimal sheet UI — one tap to start listening; Reduce Motion supported (system setting and in-app switch) • No account. No subscription. • Nine curated ambient tracks — Purring and Heartbeat with synced haptics on iPhone; Heartbeat tempo 45–100 BPM • Pauses — paced-breathing sessions with fixed patterns; sōon provides the pace, not guidance; audio pauses and resumes; optional Apple Health log • Timer — stops playback automatically, with an optional notification • Apple Watch — favorites sync; play from the wrist without iPhone; Now Playing on the watch face; pure playback by design • Lock Screen and Dynamic Island controls, AirPlay, Light and Dark Mode with dynamic app icon; language follows iOS Settings • Listening History — on-device; optional iCloud sync (off by default); export as JSON from Data & Privacy • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, quick actions, Siri and Shortcuts • Accessibility — VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion; statement at https://kanso.fi/soon/accessibility.html

About

Hitoiro

Discover a new traditional Japanese color daily by mixing pigments. Dye a monthly creature with your creations and track your progress. Enjoy a mindful, offline experience with optional Pro features for expanded creativity.

Highlights
  • Daily traditional Japanese color discovery
  • Pigment mixing for custom colors
  • Dye a monthly creature with your colors
  • Offline daily ritual
  • Mindful color mixing in Zen mode
  • Color journal and results tracking
Features
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Choose from five pigments to mix and match a traditional Japanese color each day. Hitoiro is a hands-on color craft that takes just a few minutes. Make a color, see how closely it matches, and slowly dye the creature of the month. No art or paint experience is needed. YOUR COLOR OF THE DAY A color tied to Japan's seasonal almanac and 72 microseasons arrives each morning. Read its name and story, choose pigments from the palette, drop them into a dish, and stir with your finger. Before your brushstroke, you can add more pigment and stir again to adjust the color, or use Rinse the dish to start the mix over. Compare your paint with the target by eye. When you're ready, lay down one brushstroke and let it dry to see your matching score. You get one scored result per day. ONE MONTH, ONE CREATURE Every color you make dyes one part of the month's creature. The colors build with the season until a one-of-a-kind creature comes to rest on your folding screen. Your Book keeps each day's color sample and result. Days you miss remain blank—because the blank space is part of your month too. MIX FREELY IN ZEN Explore subtractive color mixing without scores or goals. It is a quiet place for mindful play with color, like a short meditation. A MINDFUL DAILY HABIT • The daily experience, records, monthly creature, and sharing are free • No account required • The daily ritual works offline; only purchases and restores need a connection • At most one notification a day • A traditional color connected to Japanese culture and its seasonal almanac, every day The Paint Box (Pro) expands your Zen palette from 5 to 23 pigments and adds three papers with different textures and bleeding effects. In the Book, decorate monthly pages with three scroll cloths and personalize the yearly folding screen with three additional papers. Yearly and lifetime purchases unlock the same materials. The daily color match stays free, with the same one scored result per day. Pro is for making your tools and Book your own. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sōon4 screens
Hitoiro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hitoiro at Free against Sōon's $3.99. Hitoiro also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). Sōon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads 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

Hitoiro is free to download; Sōon costs $3.99 up front. Hitoiro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Sōon asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sōon ships an update every 5 weeks, Hitoiro every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sōon versus Hitoiro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSōonHitoiro
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating—4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—91.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYoji HirabayashiKodai Aoyama

In-app purchases

None

Sōon

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hitoiro

Subscriptions1
  • Materials Box Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Materials Box Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Sōon free?
Sōon costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hitoiro free?
Hitoiro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sōon or Hitoiro have ads?
Neither Sōon nor Hitoiro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sōon or Hitoiro?
Sōon ships an update every 5 weeks, and Hitoiro every 4 days. Most recently, Sōon was updated on October 28, 2026 and Hitoiro on October 29, 2026.

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