Comparison

Ember Fasting vs xHours

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

Head to head
About

Ember Fasting

This app provides a simple and beautiful intermittent fasting timer with a widget-first design. It offers precise tracking of fasting progress, various popular protocols, and metabolic insights for Pro users. The app focuses on a clean user experience without ads or dark patterns.

Highlights
  • Widget-first design for home and lock screens
  • Fast launch time and smooth animations
  • Live metabolic process tracking (Pro)
  • Support for 5 popular fasting protocols
  • Streak tracking and milestone celebrations
  • Smart notifications for fast completion
Features
Read full description

The fasting timer that respects your time and your wallet. Ember is a beautifully crafted intermittent fasting timer that just works. No account required. No ads. No dark patterns. Just a precise, reliable timer with stunning widgets and honest pricing. WIDGET-FIRST DESIGN Check your fasting progress without opening the app. Ember offers 7 widget styles: small interactive, medium, large, Lock Screen, and StandBy. Your progress is always a glance away. Start and stop fasts right from your home screen. BEAUTIFUL & FAST Launches in under a second. Your body runs multiple metabolic processes during a fast: fat burning, ketosis, autophagy. They overlap and build on each other gradually. Ember tracks your progress with smooth animations and warm, purposeful design. Choose from 10 curated color themes or set your own custom accent color. Pick from 8 app icon styles to match your aesthetic. METABOLIC INSIGHT (PRO) Fasting isn't a series of stages you enter and leave, it's overlapping biological processes that build on each other. Pro unlocks live metabolic process tracking: see fat burning, ketosis, and autophagy ramping simultaneously with intensity indicators. Tap the info icon during any fast to see exactly what's happening in your body. EVERYTHING YOU NEED, NOTHING YOU DON'T - All 5 popular protocols: 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD, or create your own - Streak tracking with milestone celebrations - History with weekly calendar view - Basic stats to track your progress - Smart notifications for fast completion, zone transitions, and daily reminders HONEST PRICING The full fasting timer is free. No trial traps. No surprise charges. Pro unlocks metabolic insight, extra widget styles, themes, icons, and advanced notifications for $1.99/month, $14.99/year, or $29.99 lifetime. That's it. PRIVACY BY DESIGN Your data never leaves your device. No account. No analytics. No tracking. Our App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected"...and we mean it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

xHours

Features
Read full description

Turn intermittent fasting into a simple, visual habit. No more "can I eat yet?" A 24-hour ring shows where you are in your day, how long you've fasted, and when your eating window opens — so you can stop watching the clock and just live. Life isn't rigid, and neither is xHours. Ate early? Pushed your fast longer? Switch phase with a tap. Need a day off? Pause without breaking your stats. Set your schedule once and the app carries it, day after day. And it's yours. No account. No ads. No subscription. Nothing leaves your phone. Even Apple Watch is included — free. TRY EVERY PREMIUM FEATURE FREE FOR 7 DAYS Statistics, Live Activity, custom alarms, the fasting guide, weekly programs, metabolic phases and full personalization — all unlocked from day one. No card required. When the trial ends, the core app stays free, forever. WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT - Set it and forget the timer — pick a schedule and start time, xHours handles the phases automatically - Your whole day at a glance — a visual 24-hour ring with clear fasting and eating colors - Fasting that bends to your life — 12:12, 14:10, 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD or any custom plan - Change your mind anytime — switch phase with a tap, or pause on non-fasting days without disrupting your stats - On your wrist, free — full Apple Watch sync at no extra cost - Always in view — Home Screen widget keeps your timer one look away - Truly private — no account, no ads, nothing collected; everything stays on your device - Speaks your language — 22 languages PREMIUM Unlock with the 7-day trial or a one-time purchase: - Weekly programs — a different plan for each day, with its own schedule and rest days - Metabolic phases — follow your fasting phases on the ring (fed state, ketosis, autophagy). General estimates, not medical advice - Lock Screen widgets — your fast in view the moment you pick up your phone - Live Activity — your timer in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen, no need to open the app - Statistics & history — streaks, averages and charts to watch your progress grow - Custom alarms — your own sounds for the end of a fast and the start of a new cycle - Fasting guide — the pros and cons of each schedule (16:8, 18:6, OMAD…) - Full personalization — recolor the ring, rename phases, save your presets PRICING - One-time purchase: unlock Premium forever - No subscription, no renewals - 7-day free trial included IMPORTANT xHours is a support tool and is not a substitute for medical advice. Talk to a healthcare professional before starting any fasting routine — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have a medical condition or a history of eating disorders. Terms of Service: https://smallappstudio.com/xHours/terms.html Privacy: https://smallappstudio.com/xHours/privacy.html Contact: support@smallappstudio.com

Screenshots

Ember Fasting4 screens
xHours4 screens

Verdict

The call

Ember Fasting and xHours are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Ember Fasting sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and xHours sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember Fasting ships an update every 2 weeks, xHours every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Ember Fasting versus xHours: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmber FastingxHours
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChris SchradeNicola Radaelli

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ember Fasting

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • FastApp Pro Lifetime$29.99
2 purchases

xHours

Subscriptions2
  • xHours Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
  • xHours Premium Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Ember Fasting free?
Ember Fasting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is xHours free?
xHours is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ember Fasting or xHours have ads?
Neither Ember Fasting nor xHours shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember Fasting or xHours?
Ember Fasting ships an update every 2 weeks, and xHours every 9 days. Most recently, Ember Fasting was updated on October 31, 2026 and xHours on November 5, 2026.

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