Comparison

Hey OnTime vs NextStep

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

Head to head
About

Hey OnTime

Features
Read full description

A quiet calendar alert is easy to miss. Hey OnTime reads the calendars already on your iPhone and follows up as your meeting gets closer. Tap "I'm ready" to stop the follow-ups, or snooze when you need a little more time. MEETING REMINDERS THAT FOLLOW UP Keep upcoming meetings and appointments in view without entering them again. Use the calendars synced to your iPhone, including iCloud, Google and Outlook. KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE For events with a street address, see a traffic-aware departure time. Save your starting places and add a buffer to your trip. Travel times are estimates and can change with traffic. BUILT AROUND YOUR DAY See upcoming events in the Today timeline. Use follow-up reminders for meetings and departure timing for appointments you need to drive to. Hey OnTime reads your calendar without editing your events. OPTIONAL PRO SUBSCRIPTION Hey OnTime is free to download with optional Pro subscriptions for additional features. See the app's upgrade screen for the current features, local prices and subscription terms. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Support: support@heyontime.com Website: https://heyontime.com Privacy Policy: https://heyontime.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://heyontime.com/terms/

About

NextStep

Features
Read full description

One step on screen and your finish-by time right beside it. NextStep turns getting ready, heading out or winding down into a short run of steps that you follow on iPhone or Apple Watch. Every step counts down its own estimate. When the countdown hits zero, nothing jumps ahead: the step waits for you to tap Done. PLAN THE ROUTINE • Up to 30 steps per routine, each with a time estimate, a short note and an optional flag • Give the routine a finish-by time and keep an eye on the estimated finish while you go • Begin from a starter such as Leave for work, Evening reset or Start a focus block, or write your own • Break a task into steps: NextStep suggests steps and times from its own templates for common tasks and, on iPhones with Apple Intelligence, from the on-device model for the rest. You check every step before it is added • Reorder, duplicate or archive routines • Recurring reminders nudge you at the time you pick; a reminder never starts a routine by itself FOLLOW ALONG, STEP BY STEP • Done, Skip, Pause, Add 1 minute and End are always your call • Running behind? Adjust plan lists the optional steps still ahead and the minutes each one would save. Skip a few, or move the finish time for this run only • Pausing or adding a minute leaves your deadline where you set it, so you see straight away what it does to the plan APPLE WATCH, WIDGETS AND LOCK SCREEN • The Apple Watch app runs saved routines by itself, even with iPhone out of reach, and the two catch up when they reconnect • An optional Live Activity follows routines started on iPhone, with a Done button for the current step • The Home Screen widget shows the current step with a Done button, or your next routine • A Start routine control in Control Center or on the Action button opens your next routine, ready for you to confirm • Watch complications show your current progress at a glance ESTIMATES THAT LEARN YOUR PACE • History lists the routines you completed or ended • After enough real runs, NextStep proposes new step times based on your own pace, and you choose which ones to keep WITHOUT PRO • Two saved routines, run as often as you like • Routine editing, reminders, widgets, the Live Activity, the Start routine control, the last seven days of history, estimate suggestions and file export and import • Three tries of Break a task into steps • Watch complications, if you used NextStep before version 1.1 • A 45-second demo run that stays out of your history NEXTSTEP PRO • No two-routine limit • Full history plus planned-versus-actual time comparisons • Extra ready-made programs, such as Ready to go and A calmer evening, each one open to preview before you buy • Break a task into steps as often as you like • Watch complications, when NextStep was first installed at version 1.1 or later • If Pro ends, every routine you made stays available to view, edit and run • A paywall never interrupts a routine in progress KEPT ON YOUR DEVICES There is no NextStep account, no advertising and no outside AI service; Apple Intelligence suggestions are made on the iPhone itself. Routines and history stay on the devices that run them, and you can export a file whenever you want a copy. PAYING FOR PRO Pro is sold three ways: a monthly subscription, an annual subscription, or a lifetime unlock bought once. Before you confirm, the purchase sheet lists what Pro costs in your region and how often it bills, and payment comes from your Apple Account. A subscription carries on into each new period by itself. To stop that, turn off auto-renewal at least a day before the current period ends, since the coming period is billed in the final 24 hours. Manage or cancel from Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions. A lifetime unlock does not end a subscription you already pay for; cancel that separately. Privacy: https://mubaraklabs.com/privacy/nextstep/ Terms: https://mubaraklabs.com/terms/nextstep/ License: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Hey OnTime4 screens
NextStep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Hey OnTime at 15.1 against NextStep's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Hey OnTime sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and NextStep sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hey OnTime ships an update monthly, NextStep every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Hey OnTime versus NextStep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHey OnTimeNextStep
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWherkMubarak Almahmeed

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hey OnTime

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$39.991 Year
3 purchases

NextStep

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Hey OnTime free?
Hey OnTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NextStep free?
NextStep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hey OnTime or NextStep have ads?
Neither Hey OnTime nor NextStep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hey OnTime or NextStep?
Hey OnTime ships an update monthly, and NextStep every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hey OnTime was updated on October 11, 2026 and NextStep on October 25, 2026.

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