Comparison

Split Flap vs Retrotick

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

Head to head
About

Split Flap

Transform your devices into a retro split-flap display. Enjoy various modes like clock, weather, messages, and timers with satisfying mechanical sounds. Customize your display with unique themes and patterns across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Split-flap display simulation
  • Multiple display modes (Clock, Weather, Message, Timer)
  • Customizable themes and flip patterns
  • Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets
  • Cross-platform support (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV)
  • Satisfying mechanical sound effects
  • StandBy mode integration
Features
Read full description

Turn any screen into a split-flap departure board. Split Flap brings the look and sound of a mechanical airport board to your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV — with one purchase and no subscription. MODES FOR EVERY MOMENT Clock — A flip clock with custom time zones, 12 or 24 hours and optional seconds. Focus Clock — A big, calm clock made for your desk or nightstand. World Clock — Up to eight cities at once, like a real departures board: LON, NYC, TYO and more. Weather — Today's conditions, high, low and chance of rain for any city, flipping onto the board. Message — Type anything and watch it flip into place letter by letter. Start from ready-made templates, add emoji, and share your board as an image. Quotes — Your favourite quotes, rotating automatically. Hide a quote or schedule it for certain hours and days. Syncs with iCloud. Music — The song and artist that's playing flips into view as your music changes. (iPhone, iPad and Mac) Timer — Countdown presets from 5 to 90 minutes, or a stopwatch. Big digits you can read across the room. Paint — 43 colour patterns, from flags to gradients, plus a pixel editor to paint your own. Put text over a pattern for a colourful sign. ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN AND HOME SCREEN A Lock Screen flip clock with seconds that keep ticking, a sweeping minute ring and quotes on real flap tiles. Home Screen widgets for the clock, quotes, messages, timer and colour patterns, and StandBy when your phone charges on its side. A running timer counts down live in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen. EVERY SCREEN YOU OWN iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, each built for the device. Apple TV has a Top Shelf that plays the board right on your Home Screen. Mac has desktop widgets, a menu bar clock and a screen saver. iPhone Duo gets a Nightstand clock when half folded. LOOK AND FEEL 9 colour themes including Neon and Confetti, light and dark boards, and 10+ flip patterns — spiral, matrix, snake and more — that control how the board reveals new content. Bedtime auto-dim keeps it gentle at night. SOUNDS THAT SATISFY Three sound themes — Mechanical, Typewriter and Soft — synthesised to match the animation. Every clack lands at the moment each flap snaps into place. HANDS-FREE Siri and Shortcuts can show the clock, post a message, start a timer or switch modes. Send to Apple TV posts a message from your iPhone straight to the board on your TV. ONE PURCHASE. EVERY PLATFORM. One purchase unlocks premium on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. No subscription. No ads.

About

Retrotick

This app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a visually appealing split-flap clock, mimicking the mechanical flip of classic station displays. Enjoy authentic animations, customizable themes, and widgets for your Home and Lock Screens, all designed with a modern aesthetic.

Highlights
  • Authentic split-flap animation
  • Liquid Glass design
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Live Activities and Dynamic Island support
  • 12/24 hour format with optional seconds
  • Multiple digit fonts
  • Gallery of premium themes
Features
Read full description

Retrotick turns your iPhone and iPad into a beautiful split-flap clock, the satisfying mechanical flip of a classic station and bedside display, rebuilt for iOS with Apple's Liquid Glass design. Set it on your nightstand, your desk, or your Home and Lock Screens and watch the digits flip on every tick. FEATURES • Authentic split-flap animation that flips on every second • Liquid Glass design with clear, black, and white backdrops • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets in multiple sizes • Live Activities and Dynamic Island to keep the time glanceable while you use other apps • 12- or 24-hour time, with optional seconds • Multiple digit fonts to match your style • A gallery of themes, from minimal to bold, with a free set to start • A countdown timer with a split-flap duration picker that rings through silent and Focus • Optional flip sound and haptics for the mechanical tick THEMES Unlock premium themes your way. Buy any theme once and keep it forever, or subscribe to Retrotick Plus to unlock every theme while your subscription is active. Preview any theme before you decide, and your purchases stay with your Apple ID. DESIGNED FOR iOS Built in SwiftUI for iOS 26, Retrotick looks right on every device size and adapts to portrait and landscape automatically. No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Just a gorgeous clock. Retrotick Plus is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://makekamac.github.io/retrotick/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://makekamac.github.io/retrotick/privacy/

Screenshots

Split Flap4 screens
Retrotick3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Retrotick at 5.0 against Split Flap's 3.5. Split Flap's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and 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

Both are free to download. Split Flap sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Retrotick sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Retrotick holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Split Flap ships an update monthly, Retrotick every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Split Flap versus Retrotick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplit FlapRetrotick
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHello Good Day LLCEkam Singh

Customer experience

Split Flap

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Retrotick

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Split Flap

One-time1
  • SplitFlap Premium$1.99
12 purchases

Retrotick

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Annual$14.991 Year
One-time10
  • Midnight$1.99
  • Retro Flip$1.99
  • Forest Pine$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Sunset Ember$1.99
  • Neon Dusk$1.99
  • Aurora$1.99
  • Liquid Glass$1.99
  • Retro LCD$1.99
  • Synthwave$2.99
  • Gold Luxe$2.99

Questions

Is Split Flap free?
Split Flap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retrotick free?
Retrotick is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Split Flap or Retrotick?
Retrotick is rated higher. Split Flap averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Retrotick averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Split Flap or Retrotick have ads?
Neither Split Flap nor Retrotick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Split Flap or Retrotick?
Split Flap ships an update monthly, and Retrotick every 3 weeks. Most recently, Split Flap was updated on October 31, 2026 and Retrotick on October 31, 2026.

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