Comparison

Couchette vs TimeUp

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

Head to head
About

Couchette

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Tonight, take an overnight train. Couchette is a focus timer disguised as a European sleeper carriage. Choose a destination, choose how long you have, and let the rhythm of the rails carry you through the work. Your train only moves while you do. β€” YOUR JOURNEY PERSISTS β€” The cabin runs at real pace. If you have 25 minutes on a London–Inverness run, your train stops where it would actually be, somewhere south of Crewe β€” and tomorrow night you board again from that exact spot. A four-hour overnight can take a week of sessions. Your progress is a route, not a streak counter. β€” EIGHT HISTORICAL SLEEPER ROUTES β€” The Carpathian Night. The Trans-Siberian Reverie. The Nightjet over the Brenner. Each one hand-drawn from real timetables, with real stations crossed at the right moment in your session. Plus any destination on Earth. β€” THE COMPARTMENT β€” - A brass-framed window with a parallax landscape drifting past in real time - Rails, cabin creaks and rain on the glass - Station bells as you cross checkpoints - A passport that earns a stamp for every completed or partial journey - A conductor's log on arrival - Audio keeps running while your phone is locked β€” SESSION LENGTHS β€” 25 minutes for deep work. 45 for a study block. 90 for writing. Four hours for a full overnight. For writers, students, makers, and anyone who has wanted their focus time to feel like something other than a stopwatch. β€” MEMBERSHIP β€” Start with a 7-day free trial of Wagon-Lit Annual ($34.99/year). Monthly ($6.99/month) and Lifetime ($79.99) also available. Cancel anytime in App Store settings. The doors are closing. Step aboard. URLs - Support URL: https://couchette.app/support - Marketing URL: https://couchette.app - Privacy Policy URL: https://couchette.app/privacy

About

TimeUp

Features
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TimeUp turns your screen time into real rewards. Create your own rules, earn minutes by moving, walking, sleeping, or completing mini-challenges, then use your balance to unlock time on the apps you choose. Every rule is fully customizable: set what earns time, the limits, and track your progress over the days. When your balance is empty, the limit automatically resumes. Protect your sleep, work, or study time with scheduled app blocking. Add multiple schedules and choose the days and hours when selected apps stay blocked, even if you have minutes left. Overlapping schedules work together: apps stay blocked until all active schedules have ended. Outside these hours, access still depends on your available minutes. With TimeUp, you can: β€’ Earn time with your exercise, steps, sleep, or mindfulness minutes, if you allow access to Apple Health. β€’ Launch an express challenge: do 5 push-ups or 5 squats to add 5 minutes. The camera analyzes your movements locally on the iPhone; no images are saved. β€’ Customize rules, time, and limits per activity. β€’ Choose which apps to manage with Apple's Screen Time features. β€’ Schedule app blocking for sleep, work, or study, independently of your minute balance. β€’ View your balance, history, and a summary of the last 7 days. β€’ Use a simple interface, with no account and no ads.

Screenshots

Couchette4 screens
TimeUp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TimeUp at none against Couchette's 3. Couchette's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Couchette sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. TimeUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Couchette ships an update every 9 days, TimeUp every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Couchette versus TimeUp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCouchetteTimeUp
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days β€” betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS16.1 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size56 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCezar PaunaGabriel Langon Maomy

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Couchette

Subscriptions2
  • Wagon-Lit Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Wagon-Lit Annual7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Wagon-Lit Lifetime$79.99
None

TimeUp

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Couchette free?
Couchette is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TimeUp free?
TimeUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Couchette or TimeUp have ads?
Neither Couchette nor TimeUp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Couchette or TimeUp?
Couchette ships an update every 9 days, and TimeUp every 5 weeks. Most recently, Couchette was updated on November 5, 2026 and TimeUp on November 10, 2026.

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