Comparison

RetroDotTimer vs 时刻时间工具箱

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

Head to head
About

RetroDotTimer

Features
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A full-screen countdown that looks like the dot-matrix displays of vintage arcades and early computing. Set the time, put your iPhone or iPad face up on your desk, and let the pixel grid count down. ONE TIMER, FULL SCREEN • A large dot-matrix countdown, readable across the room • Tap the display to start, pause, or resume — or turn on the Start/Pause button if you prefer one • Optional landscape mode that fills the whole screen • Keep the screen awake while a timer runs, with an only-while-charging option LOCK SCREEN AND DYNAMIC ISLAND • The Live Activity shows a real dot-matrix face, not a plain text label • It counts down on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • It follows the color scheme you chose in the app, including changes made mid-run • At zero it morphs into a checkmark and chimes once WIDGETS, CONTROLS, AND SIRI • A Home Screen widget that mirrors the timer, display-only • Control Center buttons to start a Pomodoro or a preset without opening the app • Siri and Shortcuts: start a timer, a preset, a Pomodoro, or the stopwatch, and pause, resume, or reset TIMER MODES • Presets: 5, 10, 25, and 45 minutes • Custom duration, 1 to 180 minutes • Classic Pomodoro: 25 minutes of work, 5-minute breaks, a 15-minute long break, 4 rounds • Stopwatch with a live hundredths-of-a-second sub-display • Multi-phase custom timers for intervals, rounds, and routines DISPLAY STYLES • Dot Matrix — the original pixel grid, with adjustable dot weight and square or round dots • 7-Segment — slanted LED calculator digits • Flip Clock — split-flap digits with animated transitions (Pro) • Big & Small — blocky digits with size-varied segments (Pro) COLOR • Transparent, Dark, and Light schemes • Six premium schemes: Amber, Green Terminal, Blue Glow, VFD Cyan, Sunset, Neon Pink (Pro) • Any text and background color you like (Pro) • Multicolored digits with Rainbow, Pastel, Neon, and Sunset palettes (Pro) WHEN TIME IS UP • Freeze at 00 or morph into a checkmark • A notification when the countdown ends • Sound and haptic alerts between Pomodoro and custom-timer phases WHAT THIS IS NOT Retro Dot Timer runs one timer at a time. No task lists, no labels, no session history, no analytics, no cloud sync. It is a single, quiet countdown. PRIVACY No accounts, no tracking, no analytics, no data collection. Everything works offline. FREE AND PRO The app is a free download and stays useful forever without paying. Presets, custom durations, the Dot Matrix and 7-Segment displays, square dots, Pomodoro, the stopwatch, the widget, Control Center buttons, Siri shortcuts, and the Live Activity are all free. Pro is a single one-time purchase, never a subscription. On iPhone and iPad it adds the Custom Timer Editor, six premium color schemes, custom colors, multicolored digits, and the Flip Clock and Big & Small displays. Pro is a Universal Purchase — the same payment unlocks the Mac menu-bar app. Every Pro feature is unlocked free for 14 days, starting automatically at first launch. No signup, no payment details. When the trial ends nothing is charged, Pro features simply return to the free tier, and any custom timers you saved stay runnable. LANGUAGES English, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), German, French, Simplified Chinese. REQUIREMENTS iOS 18.0 or later. iPhone and iPad. SUPPORT contact@andeanbearstudios.com

About

时刻时间工具箱

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时刻时间工具箱是一款全免费、无广告的多平台时间工具集合,专为直播、演讲、活动执行、会议与日常时间管理设计。 核心功能: • 北京时间:显示精确到秒的北京时间,可自定义字体、大小、颜色、背景与布局,并支持外接显示器纯时间输出。 • 时间计算器:快速进行时、分、秒的加减与换算,适合节目编排和现场计算。 • 直播倒计时:设置开播时间,开播前以倒计时显示,开播后自动切换为正计时;标题、颜色和外接屏幕显示均可自定义。 • 时长叠加:以列表添加多个环节,自定义环节名称与时长,自动计算总时长;支持模板保存、导入导出与 XLSX 文件交换。 • 秒表:高精度计时,支持开始、暂停、复位和分段记录。 • 世界时间:查看多个城市的实时当地时间,提供卡片式、列表式和多种表盘布局,模块可拖拽排序。 支持 iPhone、iPad 与 Mac,界面可随系统在中文和英文之间切换,并提供亮色、暗色和跟随系统主题。所有核心功能永久免费使用。 App Review Information – Time Collection 1. Demonstration video A screen recording captured on a physical iPhone/iPad is provided with this submission. The recording starts by launching the app and demonstrates: - Beijing Time display - Time Calculator - Live Timer countdown and elapsed-time modes - Duration Builder with stage creation, manual time input, reordering, and deletion - Stopwatch - World Clock - External display output where supported The app does not require account registration, login, or account deletion. It does not include user-generated content, social features, or content reporting/blocking flows. 2. App purpose and target audience Time Collection is a simple time-management utility for general users, livestream hosts, presenters, teachers, event organizers, and anyone who needs accurate time displays and duration planning. It provides Beijing Time, time calculations, live countdown/elapsed timers, duration planning, stopwatch, world clocks, and external display output. 3. Setup and access instructions No account or login credentials are required. To use the main features: - Open the app and select a feature from the sidebar/tab bar. - In Live Timer, enter a title and start time to use countdown or elapsed-time mode. - In Duration Builder, add stages, enter hours/minutes/seconds manually, use “Reorder” to change the order, or swipe left on iOS/iPadOS to delete a stage. - On macOS, external display output opens a separate window that can be moved to another display. - On iOS/iPadOS, connect an external display or AirPlay device first, then enable external display output. - All data and settings are stored locally on the device. 4. External services The app does not use external services to provide its core functionality. It does not use accounts, authentication services, analytics SDKs, advertising SDKs, AI services, cloud databases, or payment processors. External display output uses the operating system’s native display APIs only. 5. Regional differences The app functions consistently across all regions. The default time display is Beijing Time (UTC+8), and users can also use the world clock feature. There is no region-specific content or functionality. 6. Regulated content and third-party material The app does not operate in a regulated industry and does not provide protected third-party content or services.

Screenshots

RetroDotTimer4 screens
时刻时间工具箱1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 时刻时间工具箱 at none against RetroDotTimer's 1. On price, 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

Both are free to download. RetroDotTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 时刻时间工具箱 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
RetroDotTimer versus 时刻时间工具箱: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetroDotTimer时刻时间工具箱
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndean Bear Studios GmbH泽一 李

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RetroDotTimer

One-time1
  • RetroDotTimer Pro$4.99
None

时刻时间工具箱

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RetroDotTimer free?
RetroDotTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 时刻时间工具箱 free?
时刻时间工具箱 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RetroDotTimer or 时刻时间工具箱 have ads?
Neither RetroDotTimer nor 时刻时间工具箱 shows ads.

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