Comparison

Prime Time NTP vs Tick Sync

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

Head to head
About

Prime Time NTP

This utility app displays the precise current time, accurate to the millisecond, by querying multiple NTP servers. It offers detailed insights into clock synchronization and network performance, with advanced features available via a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Millisecond time display
  • Queries multiple NTP servers
  • Detailed sync accuracy
  • Network performance metrics
  • Adaptive polling
  • One-time Pro upgrade
Features
Read full description

"Prime Time" is a high-precision time app that shows the true time, accurate to the millisecond. It queries NTP servers directly — the same infrastructure that keeps the internet in sync — and works out the correct time from their answers. Your device's own clock is never used for the display. [New in version 1.4] • Display Offset (Pro): run the large clock up to 99.999 seconds ahead of or behind real time, in 1 ms steps — for remote broadcasts, live streams, or any delayed feed. While it is on, the time turns yellow, with the offset above and the actual time below, so there is no mistaking it for real time. Measurements are never shifted. • Server details now use two columns in landscape on iPhone, so everything fits on one screen. • On iPhone with ProMotion, the clock now refreshes up to 120 times a second. [Free — one server, in full detail] • Real-time sync with one NTP server of your choice • Every exchange laid open: address, stratum, reference, root delay, jitter, estimated error, and the last eight exchanges • Millisecond display, refreshed up to 120 times a second on ProMotion screens • Offset and round-trip time with sparkline history • Adaptive polling that eases off as a server proves steady [Pro — one-time purchase, no subscription] • Compare up to 30 servers. With three or more, a server that is off is outvoted instead of skewing the time shown. • Manual sync on demand • Keep the screen awake while the app is open • Display Offset: run the clock ahead of or behind real time A note on accuracy: a round trip is a single number covering two unknown halves, and nothing in the exchange reveals how it was divided. Prime Time widens the reported ± rather than inventing a correction to hide it. On cellular, where the two directions are least alike, that margin is wider — and shown. Made for developers, network engineers, broadcast crews, and anyone curious about how far off their device's clock really is. Available in English, Japanese, German, and French.

About

Tick Sync

Features
Read full description

When standard time radio signals do not reach your area, or walls and interference prevent your watch from receiving them—Tick Sync provides another path to the correct time. Start with radio-controlled watch assistance. Place the watch near the built-in speaker of your iPhone or iPad and begin manual reception. Tick Sync generates time codes for JJY 40/60, WWVB, MSF, DCF77, and BPC, helping the watch attempt synchronization over a very short distance. For explicitly compatible Bluetooth watches, pair and connect the watch, wait until it is ready to sync, and then send the current local time manually. With Advanced Features, Tick Sync can maintain an eligible Bluetooth connection in the background. When the watch reconnects and becomes ready, Tick Sync normally obtains a fresh NTP correction and sends the time automatically, reducing the need to open the app for every sync. Background timing is determined by iOS or iPadOS and watch connection events rather than an exact schedule. Your time source is not limited to the device’s system clock. Free Single NTP mode queries a server you choose. Multi-NTP mode compares at least three independent sources, finds a majority-agreed time range, rejects inconsistent responses, and displays estimated uncertainty. HIGHLIGHTS • Very-short-range JJY 40/60, WWVB, MSF, DCF77, and BPC radio-controlled watch assistance • Manual and background automatic Bluetooth time sync for explicitly compatible watches • System Time, Single NTP, and Multi-NTP sources • NTP server management, optional location preselection, outlier rejection, and uncertainty estimates • Watch battery level display • No account required Radio assistance, manual Bluetooth time sync, System Time, and Single NTP are free. Background automatic Bluetooth sync and Multi-NTP features require an auto-renewing annual Advanced Features subscription. Tick Sync is an independent utility and is not affiliated with any watch manufacturer. Bluetooth compatibility depends on the watch model and firmware, while background operation depends on iOS or iPadOS and watch connection events. A successful Bluetooth write does not guarantee that the watch applied or displayed the new time. An iPhone or iPad does not transmit a normal 40–77.5 kHz longwave broadcast. Radio-assisted results vary with the device, watch hardware, volume, placement, and interference. Always verify the final time independently before relying on it. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Supplemental Terms of Use: https://ticksync.dishangti.com/legal/en/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://ticksync.dishangti.com/legal/en/privacy.html

Screenshots

Prime Time NTP4 screens
Tick Sync4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tick Sync at weekly against Prime Time NTP's every 6 weeks. Tick Sync also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Prime Time NTP sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tick Sync sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prime Time NTP ships an update every 6 weeks, Tick Sync weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Prime Time NTP versus Tick Sync: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrime Time NTPTick Sync
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB5 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKentaro SaitoJIFENG LUO

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Prime Time NTP

One-time1
  • Pro Features$4.99
1 purchases

Tick Sync

Subscriptions1
  • Tick Sync Advanced$1.991 Year

Questions

Is Prime Time NTP free?
Prime Time NTP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tick Sync free?
Tick Sync is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Prime Time NTP or Tick Sync have ads?
Neither Prime Time NTP nor Tick Sync shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prime Time NTP or Tick Sync?
Prime Time NTP ships an update every 6 weeks, and Tick Sync weekly. Most recently, Prime Time NTP was updated on October 24, 2026 and Tick Sync on October 24, 2026.

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