Comparison

Ember vs Tick

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

Head to head
About

Ember

Features
Read full description

Ember is a quiet but powerful timer, perfect as a desktop companion when you study or work. ◎ Ticks every second Ember’s timer has a beautifully crafted design. Every second, the timer dial ticks, quietly but lively. It’s life is what makes it different — a perfect choice for those who need a body-doubling companion, including those who are neurodivergent. ◎ Customize it your way Customize the timer with theme colours and a countdown text font. It’s something to look at, so why not make it great? ◎ Never miss it with alarm or notification When the timer expires, the alarm goes off so you won’t miss it. You can also choose to receive a notification instead. Alarm is available on iOS 26.1 and later. ◎ Shortcuts support Start, pause, resume, or reset the timer from Shortcuts. You simply never have to touch the app or unlock your phone — simply ask Siri or use your iPhone’s Action Button. You can also get the current timer status with an action in Shortcuts. This allows you to build more complex workflows that suit your needs. ◎ Widgets and Standby Pin your timer on the Home Screen to keep an eye on its status. You can also add the same widget in large print to Standby.

About

Tick

Read full description

A rule-driven time management tool to pace and structure. With Tick, you can build a Flow to navigate seamlessly through timed stages, or chain multi-tiered alerts to a single Event using rule-based scheduling. ------ Highlights ------ ■ Flow:Staged Timelines Construct multi-stage timelines for Pomodoro, HIIT, pour-over coffee, and breathing. Each interval advances with a tactile, high-contrast flip-card rhythm. ■ Event:Multi-Tiered Alarms One event, multiple scheduled rings. See your current interval and the next precise trigger point at a single, uncluttered glance. ■ Rule:Dynamic Scheduling Logic Alert schedules are dynamically calculated by custom execution logic - weekdays, variables, and date ranges. No fixed, repetitive adjustments required. ■ UI:Industrial Card Aesthetic High-contrast monolithic panels paired with an old-school monospaced font, delivering a tangible, deeply mechanical timekeeping feel. Whether you need a Pomodoro timer, HIIT interval clock, coffee brewing guide, or breathing exercise tool, Tick is the minimalist choice that adapts to your rhythm. ------ Manifest ------ No social noise. No gamification. No habit tracking hooks. Try Tick. Just time, marked.

Screenshots

Ember2 screens
Tick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tick at none against Ember's 1. Tick also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 5 weeks). Ember's advantage is iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.0). 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. Ember sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tick asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember ships an update every 5 weeks, Tick every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Ember versus Tick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberTick
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.2 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSasquatch Studio Inc.炯炯 胡

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ember

One-time1
  • Ember Plus$4.99
None

Tick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tick free?
Tick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ember or Tick have ads?
Neither Ember nor Tick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or Tick?
Ember ships an update every 5 weeks, and Tick every 6 days. Most recently, Ember was updated on October 9, 2026 and Tick on October 7, 2026.

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