# Hourglow vs Svala

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Svala at none against Hourglow's 2. Svala also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Hourglow's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hourglow sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Svala asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hourglow ships an update every 3 months, Svala weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hourglow | Svala |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Size | 16 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Suna Ordulu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1754727111) | [Sebastian Kalita](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896588321) |

## What reviewers say

### Hourglow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglow-screen-time-blocker/id6766261424)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Annual | $19.99 | per year |


### Svala

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/svala-screen-time-control/id6768594526)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hourglow free?

Hourglow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Svala free?

Svala is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hourglow or Svala have ads?

Neither Hourglow nor Svala shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hourglow or Svala?

Hourglow ships an update every 3 months, and Svala weekly. Most recently, Hourglow was updated on August 30, 2026 and Svala on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*