Comparison

Hidden Arts vs Study Buddy Timer

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

Head to head
About

Hidden Arts

Features
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Every art history class you ever took forgot half the world. Hidden Arts exists for what got left out. Masterpieces from the courts of Mughal emperors. Sacred geometry from Ottoman mosques. Korean literati painters who never made it into Western textbooks. African ceremonial bronzes cast centuries before Europe arrived. This is 5,000 years of human creativity β€” curated from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's open access collection, one of the most rigorously documented art archives on earth. SWIPE TO DISCOVER A full-screen feed of high-resolution artworks β€” one masterpiece at a time. Each piece includes the artist's name, historical era, technique, and a contextual fact you won't find on most museum labels. SAVE WHAT MOVES YOU Double-tap any artwork to save it. Over time, your saved works become a personal gallery β€” a private collection shaped entirely by your curiosity. Export your collection or share aesthetic cards with anyone. LEVEL UP AS YOU EXPLORE Your curiosity earns you ranks. Every artwork you explore counts toward four Explorer Levels: Curious Visitor β†’ Apprentice Curator β†’ Art Historian β†’ Master Curator. Build a daily streak and unlock Persian & Ramadan Treasures as a 7-day reward. EXPLORE ACROSS 9 CIVILIZATIONS Free β€” no subscription needed: β€” Ancient Egypt β€” royal sculpture and sacred objects from the Nile, 2500 BCE–10 BCE β€” East Asian Painting & Prints β€” Joseon painting and Japanese woodblock traditions, 14th–19th century 7-day streak reward: β€” Persian & Ramadan Treasures β€” illuminated manuscripts and sacred decorative arts Unlock with Curator Membership: β€” Sacred Geometry & Calligraphy β€” patterns and scripts from mosques, courts, and palaces, 7th–19th century β€” African Ritual & Court Art β€” ceremonial masks and royal casting traditions, Sub-Saharan Africa β€” Indian Courtly Miniatures β€” Mughal and Rajput atelier traditions, 16th–19th century β€” Ancient Americas β€” Mesoamerican murals and Andean ceremonial metalwork, 1000 BCE–1500 CE β€” Asian Decorative Arts β€” ceramics and textiles across East and Southeast Asia β€” Indigenous Traditions β€” Navajo artistry and Oceanic ceremonial forms β€” Persian & Ramadan Treasures β€” included instantly with membership CURATOR MEMBERSHIP Unlock the premium collections, every future collection, unlimited saves, detailed journey stats, and early access to new content. Monthly: $9.99 Β· Annual: $39.99 (save 67%) Β· Start with a 7-day free trial. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Study Buddy Timer

Features
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Study with a chill buddy that grows and talks on tap. Pair with a friend, too. No rankings. Tap "Start", then "Stop" when you finish. No setup needed. The timer keeps running even if you close the app, and you can pause anytime. Every minute you study helps your buddy grow and level up. Taking a break won't shrink your buddy. Time your study without opening the app - While the timer runs, the elapsed time and your buddy appear on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with a ring that fills as you study - Start and stop from your Home Screen widget - Start and stop from Control Center or the Action button (iOS 18 or later) - Start timing automatically when an iPhone Focus turns on - Forgot to stop? After 3 hours you get one reminder, and you can adjust the end time later Plan what to study today - Study plans: list what to study today, then tap "Study this" to pick it and its subject before you start - Paste a study plan made with AI or anywhere else to add many plans at once - Pick events from your calendar, or connect a Reminders list - Unfinished plans carry over to the next day. After 7 days, they move to "Someday" Ambient sounds while you study - Light rain outside, forest leaves, pencil on paper, and a quiet library. Sounds unlock as your buddy levels up - They mix with music from other apps and fade out when you pause or take a break Keep going - Pomodoro: repeat 25 minutes of focus and 5 minutes of rest. Change the times anytime - Daily study time goal: set a goal in minutes and see how much is left - Current goal: write what you're working toward in one line - Exam countdown: add your exam date to see the days left on the home screen and widgets, with reminders the day before, a week before, or months before - Summary card: after you stop, see the EXP you earned, today's total, and your streak - Share today's study as a single image - Focus rating: mark each session "Not great", "OK", or "Great" (optional) - Study calendar: days you reach your goal get a leaf - Weekly review: at the end of each week, look back at your total and the subject you studied most - Study tips: 12 ideas backed by research See what you studied, and how much - Choose a subject before you start (or just start without one) - Forgot the timer? Add records up to 30 days back - Weekly and monthly charts show time and share by subject - Add textbooks and workbooks to see your time by material - Fix the time, subject, note, or focus rating of any record later - Export your records as CSV - iCloud sync and backup: switch iPhones and get your sessions and buddy back by turning on sync with the same Apple ID Study Pair (Study Buddy Pro) Connect with one partner through an invite link and see their study time today and whether they are studying right now. Grow one buddy with the time you both put in. On days when both of you do your part, it's a "pair day" and your buddy grows more. Choose a "cheer" role instead of studying. One cheer a day is enough to take part, which makes it a gentle way to support someone in your family. Your partner only sees study-time totals. They cannot see when you studied, your subjects, or your notes. Only the person who creates the pair needs Pro. Invited partners join for free. Study Buddy Pro (one-time purchase) - See past weeks, monthly charts, and study calendars for earlier months - Create a Study Pair - Ambient sounds: night rain by the window and soft noise - Add up to 5 exams No monthly fee. The timer, Pomodoro, four ambient sounds, study plans, materials, records, subjects, daily goal, one exam, this week's chart, this month's calendar, widgets, Lock Screen display, CSV export, and iCloud sync are free. No ads. Your records are yours There are no ads. Your study records are saved on this iPhone and never sent to our servers. If you turn on "Sync with iCloud", they are also saved in your own iCloud, and the developer cannot see them. Data you share in a Study Pair is stored in the pair creator's iCloud.

Screenshots

Hidden Arts4 screens
Study Buddy Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Study Buddy Timer at daily against Hidden Arts's every 5 weeks. Hidden Arts's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.5). 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. Hidden Arts sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Study Buddy Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hidden Arts ships an update every 5 weeks, Study Buddy Timer daily. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Hidden Arts versus Study Buddy Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHidden ArtsStudy Buddy Timer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksDaily β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size49 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTugrul Erdem DogruZEC Inc.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Hidden Arts

Subscriptions2
  • Curator Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Curator Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time5
  • Persian & Ramadan Treasures$2.99
  • Indian Courtly Miniatures$2.99
  • African Ritual & Court Art$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Ancient Americas$2.99
  • Asian Decorative Arts$2.99
1 purchases

Study Buddy Timer

One-time1
  • Study Buddy Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Hidden Arts free?
Hidden Arts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Study Buddy Timer free?
Study Buddy Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hidden Arts or Study Buddy Timer have ads?
Neither Hidden Arts nor Study Buddy Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hidden Arts or Study Buddy Timer?
Hidden Arts ships an update every 5 weeks, and Study Buddy Timer daily. Most recently, Hidden Arts was updated on October 10, 2026 and Study Buddy Timer on October 11, 2026.

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