Comparison

Retrotick vs Polaris

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

Head to head
About

Retrotick

This app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a visually appealing split-flap clock, mimicking the mechanical flip of classic station displays. Enjoy authentic animations, customizable themes, and widgets for your Home and Lock Screens, all designed with a modern aesthetic.

Highlights
  • Authentic split-flap animation
  • Liquid Glass design
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Live Activities and Dynamic Island support
  • 12/24 hour format with optional seconds
  • Multiple digit fonts
  • Gallery of premium themes
Features
Read full description

Retrotick turns your iPhone and iPad into a beautiful split-flap clock, the satisfying mechanical flip of a classic station and bedside display, rebuilt for iOS with Apple's Liquid Glass design. Set it on your nightstand, your desk, or your Home and Lock Screens and watch the digits flip on every tick. FEATURES • Authentic split-flap animation that flips on every second • Liquid Glass design with clear, black, and white backdrops • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets in multiple sizes • Live Activities and Dynamic Island to keep the time glanceable while you use other apps • 12- or 24-hour time, with optional seconds • Multiple digit fonts to match your style • A gallery of themes, from minimal to bold, with a free set to start • A countdown timer with a split-flap duration picker that rings through silent and Focus • Optional flip sound and haptics for the mechanical tick THEMES Unlock premium themes your way. Buy any theme once and keep it forever, or subscribe to Retrotick Plus to unlock every theme while your subscription is active. Preview any theme before you decide, and your purchases stay with your Apple ID. DESIGNED FOR iOS Built in SwiftUI for iOS 26, Retrotick looks right on every device size and adapts to portrait and landscape automatically. No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Just a gorgeous clock. Retrotick Plus is an auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://makekamac.github.io/retrotick/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://makekamac.github.io/retrotick/privacy/

About

Polaris

Features
Read full description

Polaris turns the night sky as it actually looks from where you are into a living Home Screen widget — a quiet planetarium clock. ■ A real sky It plots ~9,000 stars from the Yale Bright Star Catalog, computed from your chosen city's latitude, longitude and sidereal time, so what's rising and where is faithful to the real sky right now. Star brightness and color (blue-white to orange) are true to life. No location permission needed — just pick a city. ■ Clock & calendar Layer an analog clock (10 frames × 5 hands × date fonts) or a digital clock (8 typefaces) over the stars. A monthly calendar and a corner date/weekday are available too. ■ More of the sky • Shooting stars streak by now and then • Star names label the bright ones — Sirius, Vega, and more • Constellation lines connect figures like Orion and the Big Dipper ■ Widgets Small, medium, large and extra-large are all supported. Each size saves its own design, so you can compose your Home Screen exactly how you like. There's also a clock-free "sky only" widget. ■ Details • Pure black background — quiet and striking on OLED • Switch between English and Japanese inside the app • 39 cities worldwide, plus automatic detection A bedside clock. The centerpiece of your Home Screen. The night sky, always in your hand.

Screenshots

Retrotick3 screens
Polaris3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Polaris at none against Retrotick's 12. Polaris also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Retrotick's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). 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. Retrotick sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Polaris asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retrotick ships an update every 3 weeks, Polaris every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retrotick versus Polaris: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrotickPolaris
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEkam SinghRyohei Horiuchi

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Retrotick

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Annual$14.991 Year
One-time10
  • Midnight$1.99
  • Retro Flip$1.99
  • Forest Pine$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Sunset Ember$1.99
  • Neon Dusk$1.99
  • Aurora$1.99
  • Liquid Glass$1.99
  • Retro LCD$1.99
  • Synthwave$2.99
  • Gold Luxe$2.99
None

Polaris

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retrotick free?
Retrotick is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Polaris free?
Polaris is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retrotick or Polaris have ads?
Neither Retrotick nor Polaris shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retrotick or Polaris?
Retrotick ships an update every 3 weeks, and Polaris every 3 months. Most recently, Retrotick was updated on October 19, 2026 and Polaris on October 25, 2026.

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