Comparison

Sun Light vs Dayrise

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

Head to head
About

Sun Light

Track your daily sunlight exposure with this simple app. It uses your Apple Watch data to fill a daily progress ring, track streaks, and show your history. Enjoy a straightforward approach to monitoring your time spent outdoors.

Highlights
  • Daily daylight progress ring
  • Streak tracking
  • 7-day history chart
  • Morning, afternoon, and evening breakdown
  • Custom daily goal
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Home and lock screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Get outside. Sun Light does the rest. Sun Light turns your daily sunlight into a simple ring, a streak, and a clear picture of when you actually got your light — morning, afternoon, or evening. Most people get less daylight than they think. Sun Light makes it visible in one glance, from your home screen or your wrist. WHAT YOU GET • Daily daylight ring and streak • Morning light window — see your first daylight of the day against sunrise • Morning, afternoon and evening breakdown • 7-day history chart • Shareable daily card • Custom daily goal • Sunrise and sunset times • Home screen and lock screen widgets • Apple Watch app and complications HOW TRACKING WORKS With an Apple Watch, daylight is recorded automatically — nothing to start or stop. Apple Watch writes Time in Daylight to Apple Health and Sun Light reads it. Without an Apple Watch, use a Sun Session: tap start when you head outside, tap stop when you come back. Sun Light saves those minutes to Apple Health too. Automatic tracking requires Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), or Apple Watch Ultra, on watchOS 10 or later. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No server. No analytics. No ads. Your daylight data stays in Apple Health on your devices. SUN LIGHT PRO Sun Light is free, and everything above stays free — including the shareable daily card. Pro adds your morning light window history and unlimited history beyond the last seven days. 7-day free trial, then $24.99/year — or $49.99 once for lifetime access. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Dayrise

This app encourages you to wake up and go outside by requiring a daylight selfie to turn off your alarm. It tracks your progress with streaks and provides insights into the benefits of morning sunlight.

Highlights
  • Daylight selfie verification
  • Streak tracking
  • Early riser mode (no snooze)
  • Sunlight history
  • Personalized wake-up greetings
  • Research-backed insights
Features
Read full description

Dayrise isn't just another alarm — it's an alarm that makes sure you actually get up and get outside. Morning sunlight is one of the most powerful (and free) tools for feeling more awake, sleeping better at night, and keeping your mood steady all day. The problem is nobody actually does it. Dayrise fixes that. HOW IT WORKS • Set your wake-up time like any alarm • When it goes off, step outside and snap a quick selfie • Dayrise verifies you're actually outside in real daylight • Your streak grows, day by day EARLY RISER MODE Turn it on and your alarm won't let you snooze back into bed — it keeps going until you check in outside. Prefer a gentler nudge? Turn it off and dismiss like a normal alarm, no pressure. BUILT FOR THE HABIT, NOT JUST THE ALARM • Real streak tracking, with your best streak saved • A full year of your sunlight history at a glance • Personalized wake-up greetings that adapt to your morning • Learn why morning light matters, backed by real research No accounts, no logins — just you, your alarm, and your streak. Start tomorrow morning. Let the sun do the rest. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sun Light3 screens
Dayrise4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Sun Light at free against Dayrise's free with in-app purchases. Sun Light also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). Dayrise's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, 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. Sun Light sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year and Dayrise sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dayrise holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sun Light ships an update every 8 days, Dayrise every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sun Light versus Dayrise: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSun LightDayrise
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJAMES JAY QUACKENBUSHAustin Kremke

Customer experience

Sun Light

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Dayrise

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Sun Light

Subscriptions1
  • Sun Light Pro7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Tip$4.99
  • Sun Light Pro Lifetime$49.99
2 purchases

Dayrise

Subscriptions2
  • Sun App Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Sun App Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Sun Light free?
Sun Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dayrise free?
Dayrise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sun Light or Dayrise?
Dayrise is rated higher. Sun Light averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Dayrise averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Sun Light or Dayrise have ads?
Neither Sun Light nor Dayrise shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sun Light or Dayrise?
Sun Light ships an update every 8 days, and Dayrise every 2 days. Most recently, Sun Light was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dayrise on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons