Now Block vs Know & Act
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Now Block
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Gentle Time Reminders,Gentle notifications mark each new block without interrupting your flow Dynamic Island Visibility,Show the current time block in the Dynamic Island so time stays in view Lock Screen Visibility,See your time progress directly on the lock screen without opening the app Minimal and Stress-Free Design,No complex task systems, just focus on the current block Rebuild Time Awareness,Understand the flow of time through simple visual feedback
Know & Act
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Know & Act is a minimalist self-reflection and action journal built on the philosophy of mind (心学) of Wang Yangming. Five hundred years ago, in exile at Longchang, Wang Yangming reached his awakening and taught the unity of knowing and acting (知行合一): knowing is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowing. To know and yet not act is not yet truly to know. This app skips the platitudes and the dense classical quotes. It helps you do one thing — turn the conscience already in your heart into one real step you take today. Three lines a day: your daily practice · Today's insight — What do I know I should do today? · Today's action — What one step did I actually take today? · Today's reflection — What held me back from acting today? Defeat the thief within Wang Yangming said, "Defeating the bandits in the mountains is easy; defeating the thief within the heart is hard." Procrastination, fear, pride, anxiety, impatience, avoidance, self-deception — name the biggest inner thief of your day, and the app offers a small practice to match it. Seeing it clearly is the first step toward realizing your innate conscience (致良知). Polish yourself in action (事上磨练) This wisdom lives not in books but in what you do. Streak days and monthly completions, a check-in calendar that reveals the arc of your persistence, and a map of your most common inner thieves help you meet your true self in the ordinary affairs of everyday life. Quiet, restrained, spacious A warm rice-paper background, ink-dark type, a few clean Eastern lines. Like a journal of the mind that belongs to you alone. Fully local, privacy first Every entry is stored only on your device — never uploaded, never connected, never collecting any personal information. Export to JSON anytime, or clear everything with a single tap. One minute a day. Train your mind in action. Know and act as one.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Now Block at none against Know & Act's 1. Now Block also leads on ads (none vs shown). Know & Act's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.2). On price, update cadence and device support 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
Both are free to download. Know & Act sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Now Block asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Now Block | Know & Act |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | Every 2 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 雯琪 李 | zhenyu song |
In-app purchases
Now Block
No in-app purchases
Know & Act
- Remove Ads Pro$1.99









