Comparison

TimeBarX vs Cadence

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

Head to head
About

TimeBarX

Features
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TimeBarX puts a countdown where you’ll actually see it - a full-screen progress ring, Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, and Home Screen widgets. Glance at your time remaining without opening the app or breaking focus. Set a timer with the slider, pick an end time, or type in plain English. β€œ25 minutes”, β€œ1h30m”, β€œ2:00 PM” - just type and go. SEE YOUR TIME β€’ Large circular progress ring that fills as time runs down β€’ Drag the ring to set the duration, with a tick for each minute β€’ Live Activities on the Lock Screen, StandBy, and Dynamic Island - pause, resume, or add 5 minutes without opening the app β€’ Home Screen widgets with quick-start controls β€’ Near-end pulse when five minutes remain START IN SECONDS β€’ Duration slider (free) β€’ End-time picker and natural language input (Pro) β€’ Presets for common focus durations - customize or add your own (Pro) β€’ Siri and Shortcuts: start, pause, resume, repeat, or start a named preset β€’ Picks up where you left off after quitting or restarting POMODORO WHEN YOU NEED IT β€’ Work, short break, and long break cycles β€’ Configurable durations, cycle count, and auto-advance (Pro) β€’ Live phase badge while a session runs A FINISH YOU’LL NOTICE β€’ Completion screen with optional custom message (Pro) β€’ Effects: flash, pulse, fade, or none (Pro) β€’ Notifications with 5- and 10-minute snooze MAKE IT YOURS (PRO) β€’ Custom colors and customizable presets β€’ Segmented ring with 2–6 arcs β€’ Smart auto-pause when face-down or idle β€’ URL scheme automation (timebar://) β€’ Session history and optional mood check-in β€’ Light or dark app icon, or follow the system BUILT RIGHT β€’ Native SwiftUI for iPhone and iPad β€’ Optional iCloud sync of timer state and settings with your other TimeBarX devices β€’ No subscription. No account. No tracking. ONE PURCHASE. MAC + IPHONE. Free to download. TimeBarX Pro is a one-time $3.99 purchase that unlocks Pro across Mac and iPhone. No subscription, no recurring fees. If you already own TimeBarX Pro on Mac, you don’t need to buy it again on iPhone.

About

Cadence

Features
Read full description

Cadence is a quiet, single-screen focus timer. Open it, press start, and it runs your whole working session β€” focus, break, focus, break, four times over, then a long break β€” and starts again until you stop it. Buy it once and it is yours. No subscription, no account, no ads, no analytics. Nothing leaves your phone. KEEPS TIME, WHATEVER YOU DO The timer is anchored to the clock, not to a ticking counter. Lock your phone, switch apps, or force-quit β€” when you come back, it is exactly where it should be. Alerts for every phase change are scheduled the moment you press start, so they arrive on time with the app closed. ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN AND IN STANDBY A Live Activity shows the countdown and progress ring on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. Put the phone on a charger on its side and StandBy turns it into a full-screen desk clock for the session. MADE YOUR WAY β€’ Set each phase length β€” focus 5 to 90 minutes, short break 1 to 30, long break 5 to 60 β€’ Pick an accent colour for each phase from eight curated tones; the whole screen follows it β€’ Choose a glyph for each phase from a set chosen to suit it β€’ Two tidy settings tabs: Timer and Appearance IN CONTROL, ALWAYS β€’ Pause and resume with a tap anywhere on the dial β€’ Restart just the current phase when a session gets interrupted β€’ Skip ahead to the next phase β€’ Stop and return to the top of the cycle β€’ A cycle track shows all eight segments to scale, so you always know where you are HANDS-FREE Start, pause or stop from Siri or the Shortcuts app. Assign "Start or Pause Cadence" to the Action Button and begin a focus session without unlocking your phone. THOUGHTFUL DETAILS β€’ Alerts can be marked time-sensitive so they arrive during a Focus β€’ Optional alert sound, and an option to keep the screen awake while running β€’ A proper landscape layout, not a stretched portrait one β€’ Dark by design, easy on the eyes at night Cadence does not collect, transmit, or share any data.

Screenshots

TimeBarX4 screens
Cadence4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TimeBarX at Free against Cadence's $0.99. TimeBarX also leads on device support (4 vs 1). Cadence's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads 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

TimeBarX is free to download; Cadence costs $0.99 up front. TimeBarX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Cadence asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TimeBarX ships an update every 3 days, Cadence every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
TimeBarX versus Cadence: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimeBarXCadence
PriceFree β€” better$0.99
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size13 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan TapiaJoshua Eastman

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TimeBarX

One-time1
  • TimeBarX Pro$3.99
None

Cadence

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TimeBarX free?
TimeBarX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cadence free?
Cadence costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do TimeBarX or Cadence have ads?
Neither TimeBarX nor Cadence shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TimeBarX or Cadence?
TimeBarX ships an update every 3 days, and Cadence every 2 days. Most recently, TimeBarX was updated on October 8, 2026 and Cadence on October 11, 2026.

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