Comparison

Dock vs Sun Friend

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

Head to head
About

Dock

Transform your iPhone into a beautiful charging display with elegant clocks and an animated planetary system. Enjoy a distraction-free design perfect for your desk or nightstand, with automatic launch via shortcuts.

Highlights
  • Animated planetary system with real rotation
  • Six distinct clock styles
  • Live moon phase rendering
  • Automatic launch via Apple Shortcuts
  • Distraction-free, dark-first design
  • Screen saver timing options
Features
Read full description

The only StandBy-style dock with a living planetary system — watch the Moon, Mars and Saturn spin while your iPhone charges on your desk or nightstand. Dock transforms your iPhone into a beautiful display while charging. Inspired by StandBy mode, it brings elegant clocks, animated planets, and immersive visuals to your desk, nightstand, or workspace. SIX CLOCK STYLES • Minimal Analog, Analog, Digital, Compact Analog, Word clock, and Slider • Digital clock digits can float subtly, StandBy-style • Charging style: your battery level fills the screen behind a bold two-tone clock • Every clock works beautifully in landscape A LIVING SKY • Animated planetary system with the Moon, planets and real rotation • Live moon phase rendered on the Moon itself • Date, location and weather at a glance MADE FOR YOUR NIGHTSTAND • Clean, distraction-free, dark-first design • Screen saver timing options for overnight use • Launches automatically when you start charging, via Apple Shortcuts • Keep-screen-on while charging Whether your phone is on your desk during work or beside your bed at night, Dock turns it into a display you'll actually want to look at. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.alicorak.com/dock/privacy-policy

About

Sun Friend

This app provides astronomically accurate sunrise and sunset times, along with daily sun messages and golden hour predictions. It features home screen widgets and allows you to explore past and future daylight hours.

Highlights
  • Astronomically accurate sunrise and sunset times
  • Daily sun messages with personality
  • Home screen widgets for sunrise, sunset, and daylight
  • Golden hour and blue hour timing
  • Time-travel through past and future dates
  • Calm starry night mode after sunset
Features
Read full description

The sun has something to say. Are you up yet? Sun Friend isn't your average sunrise app. It's astronomically accurate down to the minute, but it also has personality. Part solar almanac, part smug little star that knows the whole system revolves around it. What you get: Today's sun - See sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and exactly how long today's daylight lasts, all calculated for where you are. Home screen widgets - Sunrise, sunset, and the daylight you've got left. Small and medium sizes, in matching sunny-day and starry-night styles. Daily sun messages - A fresh message every day, written in the sun's own voice. Dramatic. A little smug. Fully convinced it's the main character (it kind of is). Golden hour & blue hour - The light photographers chase, on schedule: morning golden hour, evening blue hour, and twilight, timed to the minute every day. A sun that clocks out - After sunset the whole app winds down to a calm, starry night and counts down to tomorrow's sunrise. Even the sun needs its rest. Time-travel the calendar - Swipe through any date, past or future. Curious about the longest day of summer or the sunset on your birthday? The sun already knows. The sun's risen every day of your life. Might as well be friends. https://mintzi.xyz/sunfriend/terms

Screenshots

Dock4 screens
Sun Friend4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Dock at weekly against Sun Friend's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Dock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Sun Friend sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dock ships an update weekly, Sun Friend every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Dock versus Sun Friend: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDockSun Friend
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAli CorakMintzi

Customer experience

Dock

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Sun Friend

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Dock

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Annual$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99
2 purchases

Sun Friend

Subscriptions1
  • Sun Friend Pro Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Sun Friend Pro Lifetime$5.99

Questions

Is Dock free?
Dock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sun Friend free?
Sun Friend is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dock or Sun Friend have ads?
Neither Dock nor Sun Friend shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dock or Sun Friend?
Dock ships an update weekly, and Sun Friend every 5 weeks. Most recently, Dock was updated on November 8, 2026 and Sun Friend on November 5, 2026.

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