Comparison

TURN vs Cairn

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

Head to head
About

TURN

This app offers a unique, minimalist approach to time management. Simply tilt your phone to select a preset focus or break duration, then tap to start. Sessions conclude when you decide they're finished, promoting uninterrupted work and mindful breaks.

Highlights
  • Tilt-based time selection
  • Customizable presets
  • Manual session ending
  • Automatic logging
  • Filtered records
  • Dark and light themes
Features
Read full description

Tilt to choose. Tap to begin. TURN removes every step between you and focus. No lists to scroll. No sliders to drag. Tilt your phone toward one of four directions, each mapped to a preset time, and tap the compass to start. Once you start, there's nothing to look at. The timer keeps running no matter how you set the phone down. When it reaches zero, it doesn't end on its own — it keeps going until you say done. Not "stop at 25 minutes," but "stop when I'm finished." Breaks work the same way. Start one and step away. A notification brings you back. Designed in Seoul by Pukaki. Features - Tilt-based time selection, four customizable presets - Focus, Break, and Long Break — all set in minutes - Sessions end when you decide, not when the clock does - Automatic logging with optional tags - Records filtered by date or tag - Matt white and Matt black themes - No accounts. No tracking. No ads.

About

Cairn

Features
Read full description

Cairn (차곡차곡) is a calm, anonymous-first todo app — every core feature works without an account. Like the small stones stacked into a cairn on a quiet trail, line up today's tasks one by one with clarity. ■ Core features - Anonymous by default: no sign-up, no transmission. All data stays on your device. - Inline markers: type @, #, !, * to set date, time, importance, and repeat in one line. e.g. "@tomorrow #3pm meeting", "*every-monday run". - Two-way swipe: left for reschedule / favorite / repeat. Right for duplicate / move group / delete. - Groups and color labels: organize by work, personal, fitness — at a glance. - Notifications with quiet hours: push reminders that auto-defer to the next morning during quiet hours. - Stats dashboard: weekly / monthly / yearly completion, 14-day sparkline, average completion time. - Backup & restore: JSON / CSV / Markdown export and import. Move devices safely. - Dark mode and three themes (Tica, Tally, Nudge). - English / Korean auto-detected. ■ Tracks - Anonymous (default): full core, on-device only. - Pro: ad-free — one-time purchase, yours forever. ■ What we don't collect No location, contacts, photos, microphone, camera, or health data. In anonymous mode, not a single byte leaves your device. ■ About Sobok — building small tools that add quiet order to daily life. Contact: admin@sobok.kr Privacy / Terms: https://sobok.kr/carin/legal/terms

Screenshots

TURN4 screens
Cairn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cairn at Free against TURN's $1.99. Cairn also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). TURN's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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

Cairn is free to download; TURN costs $1.99 up front. Cairn sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. TURN asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TURN ships an update every 3 days, Cairn every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TURN versus Cairn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTURNCairn
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJunhong ParkHeajung Yoo

In-app purchases

None

TURN

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Cairn

Subscriptions2
  • Cairn Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Cairn Pro yearly$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Cairn Pro - Ad-free forever$0.99

Questions

Is TURN free?
TURN costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cairn free?
Cairn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TURN or Cairn have ads?
Cairn shows ads; TURN does not.
Which is updated more often, TURN or Cairn?
TURN ships an update every 3 days, and Cairn every 5 days. Most recently, TURN was updated on October 11, 2026 and Cairn on October 12, 2026.

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