Comparison

Dots Calendar vs Big Time Clock

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

Head to head
About

Dots Calendar

Features
Read full description

DOTS CALENDAR — Countdown Widget Dots Calendar puts a beautiful, minimal calendar right on your home screen. Every day of the month is rendered as a filled circle, giving you an instant visual sense of where you are in the month — and how much time you have left until the next big day! SET A DEADLINE. Watch the days count down. Add a target date and Dots Calendar shows you exactly how many days remain. Whether you're counting down to a trip, a deadline, an event, or anything else that matters to you, the countdown is always a glance away. PROGRESS AT A GLANCE. Enable the progress bar to see a visual timeline stretching from your chosen start date to your deadline. No numbers to crunch — just a clean, satisfying bar that moves a little each day. MAKE IT YOURS. Customise the colour of today's marker, your deadline day, and the widget background. Prefer a fixed look regardless of your system appearance? Switch between Dynamic, Light, and Dark background modes with a single tap. SIMPLE. PRIVATE. NO NONSENSE. Dots Calendar collects no data, requires no account, and has no subscription. A one-time Lifetime license unlocks full colour customisation.

About

Big Time Clock

Transform your device into a large, easy-to-read full-screen clock for any room. Enjoy a clear display with customizable typography and orientation, perfect for a nightstand or desk. This app offers a one-time purchase with all features unlocked, no ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Full-screen digital clock
  • Elegant analog face
  • Always-on display
  • Portrait and landscape modes
  • Customizable typography
  • Day and date display
Features
Read full description

Big Time Clock turns your iPhone or iPad into a full-screen clock you can read from right across the room — on a nightstand, a desk, or a kitchen counter. Pay once and it's yours forever. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads — every feature included. Set it up once and the app remembers: your clock face, your time format, your theme. Open it and the clock has the screen to itself — settings live on their own page, a tap away. THE CLOCK • Full-screen digital clock with massive, easy-to-read numerals • Elegant analog face with a smoothly sweeping red second hand • 12-hour or 24-hour time • Seconds sized to read at a glance — tint them, or hide them completely • Day and date, on or off • Light or bold typography • Dark or light theme — deep black for the bedroom, soft paper-white for daylight ALWAYS ON, ALWAYS YOURS • The screen stays awake — it never locks while the clock is up • Every setting is remembered, so it opens exactly how you left it • Tap the clock, then the gear, to change anything — then it's just the time again • Reset to the default view whenever you want a clean slate • Portrait or landscape — just rotate your device • At home on a bedside table, a desk, a kitchen counter, in a gym or a studio — or on an old iPhone or iPad reborn as a dedicated clock BUILT RIGHT • Pay once, own it for life — the price you see is everything • No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no upsells • No ads, ever • Megabytes, not gigabytes — no ad libraries, no analytics SDKs, nothing that isn't the app itself • No tracking, no accounts, no data collection — nothing about you ever leaves your device • Designed for iPhone and iPad Download Big Time Clock and always know the time at a glance.

Screenshots

Dots Calendar4 screens
Big Time Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dots Calendar at Free against Big Time Clock's $3.49. Big Time Clock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Dots Calendar is free to download; Big Time Clock costs $3.49 up front. Dots Calendar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Big Time Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dots Calendar ships an update every 5 weeks, Big Time Clock every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Dots Calendar versus Big Time Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDots CalendarBig Time Clock
PriceFree — better$3.49
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.2 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNicolas SchimmelpfennigMatthew Avery

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dots Calendar

One-time1
  • Lifetime license$2.99
None

Big Time Clock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dots Calendar free?
Dots Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Big Time Clock free?
Big Time Clock costs $3.49, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dots Calendar or Big Time Clock have ads?
Neither Dots Calendar nor Big Time Clock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dots Calendar or Big Time Clock?
Dots Calendar ships an update every 5 weeks, and Big Time Clock every 3 weeks. Most recently, Dots Calendar was updated on October 7, 2026 and Big Time Clock on October 12, 2026.

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