Comparison

Dotted vs Tempo

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

Head to head
About

Dotted

Features
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Dotted is a calm, private habit notebook. One small dot a day, paper-textured pages, and quiet progress β€” instead of charts, badges, and noise. Keep your habits in one place. Mark the day with a dot. Add a note. Log a mood. Then close the app. QUIET BY DEFAULT Soft terracotta and paper. No streaks shouting at you, no leaderboards, no accounts to create. Dotted does not collect your habits. ONE DOT A DAY Tap to mark the day. The grid fills slowly. The app never tells you to do more. DAILY TASKS A quiet to-do list lives next to today's dots. Add a small task, check it off, or carry it to tomorrow. You can also keep a shared task with the person in your Shared Ritual. DAILY NOTE & MOOD Capture a single line. Pick a mood. Look back through the year on a paper-textured calendar. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Dotted has no accounts and no servers we own. Your habits, dots, notes, and moods stay on your device and sync only through your own iCloud. REVIEW AT YOUR PACE Browse the week, the month, or the year. See gentle stats β€” no shame, no graphs that pretend to know you. SHARED RITUALS Keep one small ritual together with someone you trust β€” like a daily walk, a stretch, or a check-in. Both tap a dot for the day; the ritual stays in sync between you. No public feed, no followers. You can leave at any time. QUIET REMINDERS & QUIET HOURS One gentle nudge if you want one. Set quiet hours to silence reminders at night. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets keep today's dots one glance away. GENTLE WEEKLY, MONTHLY, AND YEARLY REVIEWS Three quiet rooms to look back: the past week, the past month, the past year. Streaks, gentle stats, and a paper-textured year calendar. SHARE CARDS A quiet way to share a small win β€” turn a streak or a finished month into a paper-textured card you can save or send. MADE WITH CARE Dotted is built and maintained by Teddy App Labs. No tracking SDKs, no advertising, no third-party analytics shipped with the app. Privacy Policy: https://www.teddyapplabs.com/dotted/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://www.teddyapplabs.com/dotted/terms-of-service

About

Tempo

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Focus isn't always easy β€” especially when your brain works differently. Tempo is a focus timer designed for the way ADHD brains actually work: flexible, forgiving, and never punitive. Unlike rigid Pomodoro apps, Tempo lets you stay in flow as long as you need β€” or stop whenever you have to. No guilt. No shame. Just your next focused moment. ---- ADHD-FRIENDLY DESIGN - Flexible timer β€” set any duration, then extend or shorten mid-session without losing progress - Non-punitive β€” every minute you focus is celebrated, not just "completed" sessions - Calm UI β€” minimal, uncluttered interface designed to reduce overwhelm - Gentle break suggestions β€” feel supportive, not like alarms - Focus Intentions β€” set 1-3 micro-goals per session, check them off as you go ---- 16 REAL NATURE RECORDINGS 4 curated sound groups to help you lock in: - Rain: Light Rain, Rain on Glass, Thunderstorm, Heavy Storm - Water: Ocean Waves, Beach, Creek, Waterfall - Forest: Rain & Birds, Morning Birds, Wind & Rain, Forest Pond - Night & Cozy: Crickets, Campfire, Fireplace, Library Plus 4 synthesized noise types β€” White, Brown, Pink, Grey β€” generated live on your device with no internet required. ---- STATS THAT INSPIRE (NOT SHAME) - Daily, weekly, and all-time focus summaries - Focus streak β€” every session counts, even 3 minutes - 90-day heatmap to visualize your momentum at a glance - Weekly bar chart to spot your most productive days - Session Reflection β€” capture an insight right after each session ---- ACHIEVEMENTS Unlock badges as you build your practice β€” First Step, Deep Focus, Week Warrior, and more. Progress you can actually feel, not just a number. ---- WIDGETS & SHORTCUTS - Home Screen widget: streak and today's focus at a glance - Lock Screen widget: minimal focus time counter - StandBy mode: 7-day focus heatmap on your bedside display - Siri Shortcuts: "Start a focus session in Tempo" β€” hands-free launch - Apple Health: sessions logged as Mindful Minutes automatically ---- WHO IS TEMPO FOR? - Adults and teens with ADHD, ADD, or executive function challenges - Anyone who struggles to start tasks or stay on track - Students who want to build better study habits without punishment - Remote workers seeking flexible focus structure - Anyone who found Pomodoro apps too rigid or too anxiety-inducing ---- PRIVACY FIRST All data stored locally on your device. Optional iCloud sync across your Apple devices. Nothing sent to external servers. Your focus data is yours, forever. ---- TEMPO PRO β€” UNLOCK EVERYTHING - All 16 nature recordings (4 complete sound groups) - Advanced stats (weekly chart, 90-day heatmap, all-time total) - Achievements & session reflections - Home Screen, Lock Screen & StandBy widgets - iCloud sync across all your Apple devices - Session sharing card Three ways to go Pro: - $4.99/month β€” Cancel anytime - $39.99/year β€” Only $3.33/month (save 33%) - $59.99 once β€” Lifetime access, pay once, never again Questions or feedback? Email us: tsyeyuanfeng@gmail.com

Screenshots

Dotted4 screens
Tempo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Dotted at 5 against Tempo's 2. On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Dotted sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Tempo sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Dotted versus Tempo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDottedTempo
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size25 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeddy App Labs, LLCθΏœι”‹ 叢

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Dotted

Subscriptions2
  • Dotted Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Dotted Pro Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dotted Pro Lifetime$99.99
3 purchases

Tempo

Subscriptions2
  • Tempo Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Tempo Pro Annual$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Tempo Pro Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is Dotted free?
Dotted is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dotted or Tempo have ads?
Neither Dotted nor Tempo shows ads.

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