Comparison

TimeBudget vs DyCue

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

Head to head
About

TimeBudget

Features
Read full description

TimeBudget is a calm, offline calculator that turns any price into the hours you need to work for it. Built for people who want to spend with awareness — and stop blowing money without thinking. How it works • Tell TimeBudget your monthly salary, working days per month, and daily hours. • Tap a category or type any price. • See instantly: "≈ 3 workdays 4 hours" — the hours of your life this thing actually costs. Features — Hourly wage calculator Switch between pre-tax and after-tax wage with one tap. Built-in simplified tax brackets for China, United States, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Or set a custom effective rate. — 378 preset categories Coffee, phones, rent, flights, gym memberships, luxury bags, vacations — tap any one to see your time cost. — Wishlist with hour progress Add things you're saving up for. Track hours earned day by day. — Cute share cards Export a minimal, cartoon-style summary card to remind yourself or share with friends. — Full bilingual Switch between English and Simplified Chinese with one tap. All 378 categories, tax names, and UI translate instantly. — Zero tracking, fully offline No account. No internet required. No third-party SDKs. Your salary stays on your device. Who it's for • Young professionals questioning impulse spending • Freelancers budgeting against hours • Couples negotiating purchases in "working days" • Anyone who wants to turn "this is expensive" into a precise number What's new in 1.0.0 • First public release • 8-country after-tax estimation • 378 categories • English and Simplified Chinese • Cartoon share cards • Local-only privacy (nothing leaves your phone) Privacy TimeBudget does not collect, transmit, or store any personal data outside your device. No analytics. No ads. No third-party SDKs. Read the full policy at https://yangshen2024.com/timebudget-site/privacy-en.html

About

DyCue

This app helps you use social media more mindfully by tracking your in-the-moment app session time. It offers daily app limits and locks, and prompts a search before opening apps to encourage intentional use. Widgets provide quick access to frequently used applications.

Highlights
  • Live Dynamic Island timer
  • Daily app limits and app lock
  • Search before opening apps
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Supports popular social apps
  • Digital detox tool
Features
Read full description

You only meant to watch short videos for 5 minutes, yet two hours slip by in the blink of an eye? Content feed recommendation algorithms easily draw you into mindless scrolling, making you lose track of time — yet emptiness and regret linger once you put your phone down. Timing Dynamic Island — an exclusive real-time anti-addiction tool for iPhone’s Dynamic Island. It visually displays your screen time as you browse, keeping the passing hours constantly in sight, and lets you lock apps instantly the moment you feel the urge to stop scrolling. Why Choose Cue? Common screen time apps force harsh locks and strict limits that demand extreme willpower, which usually backfire and make you scroll more. Our app takes a mild, gradual approach. The Dynamic Island live timer tracks your usage in real time, paired with hourly, daily and weekly analytics to reveal wasted scrolling hours. You’ll naturally recognize the toll of overusing your phone and cut back voluntarily, without harsh external restrictions. Core Features 1. Real-Time Dynamic Island Timer (Exclusive Feature) Automate shortcuts to detect app launches and closures. The Dynamic Island persistently shows the running duration of your current app, letting you see exactly how long you’ve been scrolling and prompting you to break free from mindless browsing. 2. One-Tap Lock & System-Level Daily Time Limits A quick lock button sits right on the Dynamic Island to cut off scrolling the second you spot your addiction. You may set daily usage caps for apps. Powered by iOS’s native Screen Time framework, apps will lock automatically once your daily limit is reached, putting an end to the trap of "just one more minute". 3. Search-First Launch to Eliminate Mindless Opening Enter target keywords before jumping into the corresponding platform. This avoids aimlessly opening recommendation feeds and endless passive scrolling, ensuring every app session has a clear purpose. 4. Lock Screen & Home Screen Widget Quick Access Widgets available for both home and lock screens offer instant entry to frequently used apps, balancing convenient time management with a smooth user experience. 5. Multi-Layer Trend Data Analytics Dashboard No more vague, oversimplified duration figures. We provide comprehensive trend analysis across three time frames: hourly, daily and weekly. Automated visual line charts clearly display peak usage hours, daily time fluctuations and weekly usage patterns. Who This App Is For You easily get hooked on short videos and social media, struggling to put your phone down voluntarily You want to cut down unproductive screen hours without deleting entertainment apps entirely You wish to monitor app usage duration live via the Dynamic Island for constant self-discipline You need daily usage limits and app lock functions to manage your phone habits You aim to beat phone addiction and build a mindful, disciplined digital lifestyle Privacy & Security Statement Cue never accesses your third-party account passwords, private messages, browsing history, feed content, search records or any other personal private data. All functions including screen time tracking, daily usage limits and app locks run on iOS’s native Screen Time system. You must manually grant all required permissions, and all data is stored locally on your device only — never uploaded to third-party servers. End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://economic-oval-cfc.notion.site/373369e95c9780ccbccae45dae46c262?pvs=74

Screenshots

TimeBudget4 screens
DyCue4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TimeBudget at none against DyCue's 4. TimeBudget also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). DyCue's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. DyCue sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. TimeBudget asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TimeBudget ships an update every 2 weeks, DyCue every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
TimeBudget versus DyCue: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimeBudgetDyCue
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—7 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYANG SHEN鋆博 江

In-app purchases

None

TimeBudget

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

DyCue

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$5.991 Month
  • yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime$19.99
  • lifetime purchase$39.99

Questions

Is TimeBudget free?
TimeBudget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DyCue free?
DyCue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TimeBudget or DyCue have ads?
Neither TimeBudget nor DyCue shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TimeBudget or DyCue?
TimeBudget ships an update every 2 weeks, and DyCue every 5 days. Most recently, TimeBudget was updated on October 31, 2026 and DyCue on October 31, 2026.

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