Zen Timer vs Awayling
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Zen Timer
Enhance your focus with a calm Pomodoro and study timer. Track your progress, unlock new looks for your companion, and enjoy a ritualistic approach to productivity with customizable scenes and sounds. Integrates with Apple devices and services for a seamless experience.
- Pomodoro and Flow focus timer modes
- Customizable scenes and soundscapes
- Orbilla companion that grows with focus time
- Daily planner and Apple Reminders sync
- Focus Circles for shared focus sessions
- Cross-device support (iPhone, iPad, Watch, Mac)
- Apple Health integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Focus. Grow. Evolve. Zen Timer is a calm Pomodoro and focus timer for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Every session you finish helps Orbilla, your focus companion, grow, rank up and unlock new looks. Pick what you want to focus on: Study, Reading, Journal, Meditation, Deep Focus or a HIIT Workout. Set an intention and press start. Zen Timer moves you into rest on its own, waits until you're ready for the next round, and keeps honest track of the time you actually spent. ORBILLA GROWS WITH YOU - Focus time earns leaves for Orbilla's wardrobe and your Zen Garden - Eight ranks to climb, from Cadet to Marshal - Nothing is ever lost, and nothing is sold for money A TIMER THAT FEELS LIKE A RITUAL - Painted scenes for every mode, in a light Dawn and a deep Dusk theme - Living atmospheres that move gently while you work: Mountain Mist, Aurora, Ember Glow, Ocean Tide, Starfield and more - Classic Pomodoro rounds, or Flow mode: count up while you're in the zone, then take a longer break - Start the next round automatically, or keep the screen on during a session - Spoken cues, singing-bowl chimes or quiet haptics SOUNDS FOR DEEP FOCUS - Original soundscapes: tanpura drone, soft rain, ocean, forest, singing bowls and warm hum - Your own sound mix, or Apple Music songs and playlists sized to your session PLAN A CALMER DAY - Plan my day: type or say your list and get a calm schedule, made on your device - A visual day planner that checks your Calendar for conflicts - Tasks with two-way Apple Reminders sync FOCUS TOGETHER - Focus Circles: see when friends are focusing, with no calls - SharePlay a session on FaceTime and start, pause and rest in sync CELEBRATE EVERY RETURN - A completion moment with petals and a quick "how deep was your focus?" check-in - A Zen Garden that grows a new plant for every routine you finish - Insights, streaks that never punish you, and a weekly rhythm report EVERYWHERE YOU ARE - Mac: a native app with a menu bar timer and keyboard shortcuts - Apple Watch: start a session on your wrist, with haptics at every phase - iPad: a two-column layout with keyboard shortcuts - Live Activity and Dynamic Island, widgets, StandBy, Control Center, Siri and Shortcuts - Alarms that ring on silent and in StandBy when a break or session ends - Apple Health: log meditation as Mindful Minutes and HIIT as workouts (optional) - Accessible: Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency PAY ONCE. FOCUS EVERYWHERE. One Zen Plus plan covers iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Your routines and history sync through your own iCloud. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your devices and in your own iCloud. ZEN PLUS Study mode, Flow mode, alerts, widgets, Shortcuts and Orbilla's ranks are free. Zen Plus unlocks all six modes, every scene and soundscape, the planner and Plan my day, tasks and Reminders sync, Focus protection, detailed insights, the weekly report, iCloud sync and your routines on Apple Watch. - Zen Plus Monthly: 1-month auto-renewable subscription - Zen Plus Yearly: 1-year auto-renewable subscription - Zen Plus Lifetime: one-time purchase, not a subscription New subscribers can start with a 1-week free trial; if you don't cancel at least 24 hours before it ends, the subscription begins. 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, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. If Plus ends, your routines, tasks and history are kept. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://orbilla.com/privacy/
Awayling
Read full descriptionHide full description
Awayling is a focus timer with a pet that grows on the time you spend away from your phone. HOW A SESSION WORKS Pick 15, 25, 45 or 60 minutes, start the session and lock your phone. Come back when the timer ends and the session counts. Your first three finished sessions each day help your pets grow and lift their mood. If you leave the app without locking the phone, the session ends. Awayling knows the phone locked only if it has a passcode. YOUR PETS Your pet hatches from an egg, then grows to young and then grown. Each pet comes in four colors: pick one when it hatches or change it any time. THE COMMONS A new egg comes at 10, 30, 60 and 100 good days, then every 50, and you pick who hatches. Every pet you raise lives in the Commons and keeps growing, and up to five stand on the Home tab. The Commons gains a pond, a tree, a bench and a lantern as good days add up, and your pets write you short letters at set counts. Grass bends in the wind, and awake pets breathe, blink and wander once they are young. About a minute after you open the Commons, touch it or scroll it, the scene settles into a still picture. With Reduce Motion on, it stays still. GOOD DAYS A day with a finished session is a good day. Good days add up and never reset. New habitats open at 3 and 7 good days. The Week tab shows each day, and you can share a weekly card with the pet in front, your finished sessions and an invite link. Awayling times focus sessions while your phone is locked. Your pets and your history are stored on your phone. A daily 8pm reminder is available and stays off until you turn it on. FREE AND KEEPER Free: the Ember species, the Commons, every egg and letter, all four colors, three habitats, 14 days of history, focus sessions, growth and sharing. Awayling Keeper is a one-time purchase. It adds Dewy and the Keeper species added later, plus two more habitats and your full history. Keeper species hatch from your next egg, like every pet. Privacy policy: https://scrollingisevil.com/awayling/privacy/ Help: support@scrollingisevil.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Zen Timer at 4 against Awayling's 2. Awayling's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Zen Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Awayling sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zen Timer | Awayling |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TAPAN Shatapathy | Scrolling Is Evil LLC |
In-app purchases
Zen Timer
- Zen Plus Monthly: Focus & Study7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Zen Plus Yearly: Focus & Study7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Zen Plus Lifetime$49.99
Awayling
- Awayling Keeper$14.99





