Comparison

Hourglass vs FLIP

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

Head to head
About

Hourglass

This app automatically tracks your productive time by monitoring how your phone is oriented. Place your device face down to enter focus mode and flip it over to log distraction time, providing clear data on your work habits without manual input.

Highlights
  • Automatic focus time tracking
  • Distraction time monitoring
  • Phone orientation detection
  • Real productivity data
  • No manual timers
  • Simple interface
Features
Read full description

Hourglass automatically tracks your productive time. Place your phone face down to start focus mode. When you flip it over, it tracks your time spent distracted. Get real data on your focus vs distraction patterns. No manual timers. No guessing. Just truth.

About

FLIP

This app helps overcome procrastination by using a 2-minute rule to initiate tasks. It features a simple, single-screen interface with haptic feedback and lock-screen visibility to encourage deep work and short breaks.

Highlights
  • 2-minute kickoff timer
  • Flip phone for deep work
  • Sideways phone for breaks
  • Single-screen interface
  • Haptic feedback
  • Lock-screen and Live Activity
  • 100% on-device privacy
Features
Read full description

The hardest part of any task is starting. The 2-minute rule says: just commit to two minutes — then decide whether to keep going. Most of the time, once you've started, you'll keep working far longer. FLIP is a single-screen timer built around that idea. —————————————— HOW IT WORKS • Tap once to start a 2-minute kickoff timer. • When 2 minutes are up, flip your phone face-down to commit to a 20-minute deep-work block. • When deep work ends, turn your phone sideways to take a 5-minute break. • Hold anywhere to cancel — a segmented bar fills with synchronized haptics so the gesture is unmistakable. That's it. No accounts, no settings, no menus. —————————————— DESIGNED FOR FOCUS • Single-screen interface with a retro-digital typeface and edge-to-edge color fill that grows with the timer • Haptic feedback on every state change so you don't have to look at the screen • Lock-screen and Dynamic Island Live Activity — keep the countdown visible without unlocking your phone • A short chime when each phase ends so you can put the phone down and focus —————————————— PRIVATE BY DESIGN • 100% on-device. No accounts, no analytics, no third-party SDKs, no servers. • No data collection. The privacy policy fits on one page. —————————————— WHO IT'S FOR • People who reach for their phone instead of starting a task • Knowledge workers running Pomodoro-like sessions • Students looking for a low-friction focus timer • Anyone who wants the smallest possible app between them and beginning a task Beat procrastination by promising yourself two minutes. Then flip the phone.

Screenshots

Hourglass4 screens
FLIP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hourglass at every 10 days against FLIP's every 3 months. On price, rating, ratings volume and 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Hourglass against 5.0 for FLIP. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hourglass ships an update every 10 days, FLIP every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hourglass versus FLIP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHourglassFLIP
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.226.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPASHA MEHRANPOURIzhan Ansari

Customer experience

Hourglass

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

FLIP

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Hourglass

No in-app purchases

None

FLIP

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hourglass free?
Hourglass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FLIP free?
FLIP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hourglass or FLIP?
Hourglass and FLIP are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Hourglass or FLIP have ads?
Neither Hourglass nor FLIP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hourglass or FLIP?
Hourglass ships an update every 10 days, and FLIP every 3 months. Most recently, Hourglass was updated on October 12, 2026 and FLIP on September 30, 2026.

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