# Pond vs TimeBuddy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pond at 71% against TimeBuddy's 0%. Pond also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (848 vs 5). TimeBuddy's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pond sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and TimeBuddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pond holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pond has 848 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Pond's written reviews are positive against 0% of TimeBuddy's.

Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, TimeBuddy every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pond | TimeBuddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (848 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pond-screen-time-and-pomodoro/id830466924/reviews)** | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timebuddy-focus-timer/id1579724888/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **848** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **71.1% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 350 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PIXO Incorporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/541568418) | [MasterMind Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/674597403) |

## What reviewers say

### Pond

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pond-screen-time-and-pomodoro/id830466924)

This app helps you regain control of your screen time and digital wellbeing. It offers mindful app blocking, tracks your digital balance, and provides a visual representation of your focused time. It's designed to foster healthier phone habits without guilt or gamification.

**Highlights:** Mindful app blocking, Screen time tracking, Daily balance score, Scheduled focus sessions, Lotus garden visualizer, Breathing prompts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pond Plus 1 Month | $7.99 | per month |
| Pond Plus 1 Year | $49.99 | per year |
| Pond Plus Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and effective
- 👍 Customizable
- 🚀 No in-app purchases
- 👍 Minimalist design
- 👍 Helpful for focus and productivity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Timer stops when app is in background
- 🐛 Bugs with color selection and settings
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🔒 Developer stored unrelated app data in user's iCloud

**Reported bugs**

- Timer inaccuracies
- Interface issues on Mac
- Inability to share audio with other apps
- Unreliable auto-reset functionality
- Subscription issues

**Requested features**

- Auto-reset option
- Ability to assign tasks to Pomodoros
- Project/focus area tracking
- Cross-device sync
- Apple Watch support


### TimeBuddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timebuddy-focus-timer/id1579724888)

This app helps you focus on tasks with a customizable multi-step timer. Break down goals into mini-goals and receive spoken alerts and reminders across devices. Track progress and share achievements with shareable graphics.

**Highlights:** Reusable multi-step timer sessions, Simultaneous session support, Cross-device reminders, Spoken timer alerts, Home screen widgets, Focus session history, Customizable graphic templates

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TimeBuddy Plus | $4.99 | per month |
| TimeBuddy Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| TimeBuddy Plus | $29.99 | per year |
| TimeBuddy Plus | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pond free?

Pond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is TimeBuddy free?

TimeBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pond or TimeBuddy?

Pond is rated higher. Pond averages 4.6 out of 5 from 848 ratings, while TimeBuddy averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Pond or TimeBuddy have ads?

Neither Pond nor TimeBuddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pond or TimeBuddy?

Pond ships an update every 3 weeks, and TimeBuddy every 6 weeks. Most recently, Pond was updated on November 6, 2026 and TimeBuddy on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*