What does this wish cost you — in lifetime?
Three inputs, one honest number. Work it out right here — everything stays in your browser.
From the App Store
What users say
Great app, worth its money!
I find it really helpful. I've already passed on quite a few things because the working time I'd have to put in for them just wasn't worth it.
Constop
Coming soon toGoogle Play
Scan with your iPhoneand download directly
For iPhone & iPad · in ten languages · more countries to follow
The app does more than the web preview
From calculator to an honest lifetime balance.
Include commute time
The daily journey to work — unpaid time that turns pure working time into real lifetime.
Camera only for prices
The camera is used only for an intentionally started price-tag scan. Photos are not transferred to the provider; recognized amounts can be checked and corrected.
Manual orientation rates
PayByTime is not a live exchange-rate app. There is no automatic exchange-rate API, provider backend or automatic rate takeover; orientation rates remain local and are maintained consciously.
Data stays local
Working time, income, currency, app settings and manual orientation rates are stored locally on your device.
Frequently asked
Briefly answered
How does PayByTime convert a price into working time?
From your weekly working time and your monthly net income, the app determines your personal net hourly value. The desired amount is divided by this value — the result is the approximate working time behind the price. Not financial advice, but an orientation aid.
What is the difference between working time and lifetime?
In the app you can also record your commute time — the daily journey to work. It is not part of paid working time, but it is lifetime you spend for your income. With commute time, PayByTime shows you the more honest number.
Is my data transmitted or stored?
No. Working time, income, currency and settings remain solely on your device. No registration, no advertising, no tracking, no backend. The calculator on this page also works only locally in your browser.
Can I convert prices in foreign currencies?
Yes, via orientation rates that you maintain locally yourself — deliberately without an automatic exchange-rate API. External rate research is started only by you.
Which devices is PayByTime available for?
Currently for iPhone and iPad in the Apple App Store, in ten languages. An Android version is in preparation — more languages and markets will be added country by country.
The idea behind it
“Money is congealed time — our own or that of other people.”
The sentence comes from the socially critical non-fiction book “Wie ein System uns müde macht” by Harald Stopfkuchen — PayByTime makes it calculable. Even the commute time — described in the book as “setup time” — is an idea from it.