Comparison

ZenInk vs Timeline

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

Head to head
About

ZenInk

Features
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ZenInk turns your iPhone or iPad into a living Chinese ink-wash painting — a small window of calm to keep beside you while you work, rest, or breathe. Three hand-painted scenes, each made entirely of ink and blank paper: · Koi Pond — Ink koi drift among a few floating lotus pads, swimming in bursts, then pausing to hover. Touch the water and ripples spread; the fish startle and scatter, then slowly return. · Lotus in the Rain — A fine rain dimples the pond; the frogs breathe and blink where they sit. Tap a lotus leaf and it trembles, shaking loose droplets — and the frog leaps to another pad. · Afternoon Sun — A cat naps in a warm shaft of sunlight on the tatami. Wake it with a tap and watch it stir like a real cat, slow and drowsy; stroke it and it squints and purrs. Everything is drawn by code — brushstrokes, ink bleed, rice-paper grain — so it stays crisp at any size and never repeats. Swipe like unrolling a handscroll to move between scenes. Swipe up on any scene (or tap the red seal in the corner) for a few gentle controls: rain, frogs, wind, fish speed, sway, sound. No accounts. No ads. No network. No data collected. Just ink, water, and a little life. — Audio: frog chorus recording by ElemePodcast, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (modified).

About

Timeline

Features
Read full description

Look back at the path you traveled, and a forgotten day may find its way back to you. A familiar street. A quiet café. A photo taken without much thought. Timeline brings your routes, places, photos, activities, and reflections together to tell the story of each day—not only for the moment you record it, but for the moment you return. Your day, gathered in one place Enable location recording to organize the paths you traveled, the distance you covered, and the places where you stayed. Photos are connected with the times and places they were captured. Add a short note or reaction to preserve not just where you were, but how the day felt. • Record routes, distance, and travel time • Identify places where you spent meaningful time • Connect photos by capture time and location • Edit place names and locations • Add featured photos, notes, and emoji reactions • Add meaningful visits to Apple Calendar A calendar filled with your time Return to today, last week, months ago, or a distant memory through daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly calendars. Explore the routes and places from any selected period on the map. Familiar neighborhoods and faraway destinations gradually become a map shaped by your own memories. Watch the day come alive Start Replay and watch your journey move across the map. Places appear along the route, while photos return in the order they were taken. Jump to any moment or adjust the playback speed. Turn a meaningful day into a vertical video filled with routes and photos, ready to save or share. Every day moves differently A trip far from home. A quiet evening walk. A morning run. A few hours of uninterrupted focus. Record each experience in the way that suits it best: • Travel • Running • Hiking • Driving • Cycling • Walking • Focus time • Custom activities Depending on the activity, Timeline can display distance, duration, speed, pace, steps, elevation, and other relevant details. Enable Apple Health integration to bring running workouts from Apple Watch and compatible apps into your maps, replays, videos, and statistics. A story that grows clearer with time As the days gather, Timeline becomes a personal archive of the life you have lived and the places you have known. • Daily, monthly, and yearly distance and time statistics • Your most active days and frequently visited places • A shareable Year in Review • Home Screen widgets for today’s journey • Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activities for running and driving Bring the past with you Import records from GPX files, Google Timeline exports, or Timeline backup files. Preview your data before importing, remove duplicates, and reconnect photos with existing places. Older memories can continue naturally alongside the days you record now. Your memories remain yours Timeline is a local-first app with no account required. Your records are stored on your device by default. They are not sent to developer-operated servers, advertisers, or data brokers. Access to Location, Photos, Apple Health, Calendar, and Notifications is optional. Timeline requests access only when you enable the corresponding feature. Export your records, delete a selected period, or erase all Timeline data whenever you choose. Timeline Pro Core route, time, distance, and photo recording remain free. Timeline Pro helps you connect longer chapters and discover the patterns within them: • Monthly, yearly, and custom-range Replay • Videos connecting memories across multiple days • Long-term statistics and period comparisons • Memory maps covering longer chapters • Detailed analysis for each activity • Advanced instruments for custom sessions • Private iCloud sync and restoration on a new device Location accuracy and recording continuity may vary depending on GPS availability, device settings, battery conditions, and iOS system policies. Background location recording may increase battery usage. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ZenInk4 screens
Timeline4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenInk at none against Timeline's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Timeline sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. ZenInk asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
ZenInk versus Timeline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenInkTimeline
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFeiquan ABKeonho Kwon

In-app purchases

None

ZenInk

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Timeline

Subscriptions1
  • Timeline Pro$0.991 Month

Questions

Is ZenInk free?
ZenInk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Timeline free?
Timeline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ZenInk or Timeline have ads?
Neither ZenInk nor Timeline shows ads.

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