Comparison

Local Hours vs Chronion

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

Head to head
About

Local Hours

Features
Read full description

Local Hours is a local-first time tracking app for iPhone and iPad. Track your work with widgets and quick actions, generate clean timesheets, and email approversβ€”without accounts, servers, or data lock-in. - Track from anywhere Start and stop a simple timer using home screen widgets, lock screen widgets, or the app itself. Add a short description when you stop so you remember what you worked on. - Folder-based storage All of your data lives as plain JSON files in a folder you choose. Back it up, sync it with iCloud, Dropbox, or another provider, or move it to a new deviceβ€”it's just files. - Automatic timesheets Generate weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly timesheets from your entries. See total hours, per-day breakdowns, and a clear summary before you send anything. - Email-ready exports Create an email draft with an embedded timesheet summary and optional CSV attachment. Quickly send your hours to managers, clients, or payroll without copying and pasting. - Smart reminders Configure when you want to be reminded (for example, Friday at 5pm) and Local Hours prompts you to send your latest timesheet so you don't forget. - Cross-device friendly format The storage format is shared with the Mac version and future platforms. Point both apps at the same cloud folder and your data stays in sync across all your devices. - Privacy by design No analytics, no tracking, and no online account. Everything stays on your device unless you choose to sync the folder via your own tools. Local Hours is open source, MIT licensed, and built for people who prefer simple tools that respect their data.

About

Chronion

Features
Read full description

Chronion is a focused, no-nonsense time tracking app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Whether you track work hours, study sessions, or personal projects, it gives you a clear picture of where your time goes β€” without getting in the way. Start and stop in seconds Each of your categories appears as a row with a single Start/Stop button. Tap once to begin tracking, tap again to stop. Multiple categories can run independently β€” switch between them freely throughout your day. Full session history Browse your sessions by day using the date picker. Every session is logged with its exact start and end time. Tap any session to open the detail view, where you can review, correct, or invalidate individual entries. Invalidated sessions are shown with a strikethrough and excluded from all totals β€” useful for accidental starts or duplicates. Manual adjustments Made a mistake? Forgot to start the timer? Use the built-in adjustment field to add or subtract minutes from any category on any day. Adjustments are logged as their own entries so your history stays accurate and auditable. Offline-first, iCloud-backed Time Tracker works fully offline. All data is saved locally first and synced to iCloud automatically when a connection is available. Switch between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac and your sessions follow β€” no manual export or import needed. The app handles sync conflicts gracefully and keeps all your devices consistent. Apple Watch The companion watch app lets you start and stop timers directly from your wrist. A watch widget keeps your active timer visible at a glance on your watch face, so you never have to pull out your phone just to check the time. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets Put your timers on your iPhone Home Screen or Lock Screen. The widget shows your active category and lets you start or stop tracking with a single tap β€” without opening the app. Weekly statistics The built-in stats view breaks down your tracked time by category across full calendar weeks. See daily totals, weekly totals, average hours per week, and average hours per day. Categories can be configured for a 5-day or 7-day week so your averages reflect your actual schedule. CSV export and import Export all your sessions as a CSV file for use in Numbers, Excel, or any other tool. Import existing CSV records to migrate from another app or restore a backup. Privacy by design Chronion requires no account, no login, and no subscription. Your data lives on your device and in your personal iCloud account β€” it is never sent to any external server or third party.

Screenshots

Local Hours4 screens
Chronion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Chronion at every 3 days against Local Hours's every 5 months. Local Hours's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Local Hours ships an update every 5 months, Chronion every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Local Hours versus Chronion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLocal HoursChronion
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch β€” better
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size7 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNimish GogriMarco Bormann

In-app purchases

None

Local Hours

No in-app purchases

None

Chronion

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Local Hours free?
Local Hours is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chronion free?
Chronion is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Local Hours or Chronion have ads?
Neither Local Hours nor Chronion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Local Hours or Chronion?
Local Hours ships an update every 5 months, and Chronion every 3 days. Most recently, Local Hours was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chronion on October 25, 2026.

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