MyZmanim alternative: Zmanym
A fair comparison of MyZmanim and Zmanym: where MyZmanim is the better choice, and where Zmanym fits better for Shabbat times, an iOS app and a shul page.
by Eliran Yihye
A good alternative to MyZmanim depends on which part of MyZmanim you use. If you want Shabbat, candle-lighting and daily zmanim for any place, plus a modern iOS app and an optional page for your shul, Zmanym does that. If you rely on MyZmanim's calendar, phone line, text-message service, Android app or developer API, MyZmanim is the more complete choice today.
We build Zmanym, so we have a stake in this comparison. Everything about MyZmanim below comes from its own public pages, listed under Sources. Everything about Zmanym comes from this site's code.
MyZmanim and Zmanym side by side
| Area | MyZmanim | Zmanym |
|---|---|---|
| Locations | Millions of locations worldwide. Search by city, airport, latitude and longitude, or US, UK, Canadian and Israeli postal codes. | Cities worldwide plus postal-code search, with its own page for each seeded Florida city. |
| Languages | Seven: English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, French, German and Hebrew. | Website in English, Spanish and Hebrew. The iOS app has a Hebrew right-to-left interface. |
| Mobile app | App for Android and iOS, plus a web version. | iOS app with widgets and an Apple Watch app. No Android app yet. |
| How times are computed | Calculated on its own servers with algorithms its staff wrote; it describes 27 years of research. | About 89 zmanim per day from NOAA solar equations in an in-process engine, checked against captured Hebcal responses for 10 cities across 60 days. |
| Other services | Printed calendar, infoline, alerts, a text-message service called Textback, in-flight zmanim, Excel format, web widget. | Weekly Shabbat reminder emails. |
| Developer API | Yes. Free for 30 days, then charged by the number of locations used each month. | No public developer program. |
| Cost to individuals | Asks for donations to fund the service. | Free for personal lookups, no credit card. |
| Shul presence | Custom zmanim services for organizations. | Synagogue plan: $9 a month or $90 a year, with branded microsite, email subscribers and push notifications. |
MyZmanim details are as of October 2026 and may change. Check the Sources below for current information.
When MyZmanim is the better choice
- You need more than a lookup. MyZmanim offers a printed calendar, a phone infoline, a text-message service called Textback, in-flight zmanim and an Excel export. Zmanym has none of these.
- You use Android. MyZmanim has an Android app. Zmanym does not yet.
- You are building something. MyZmanim documents a developer API with a free 30-day trial and sample code for several languages. Zmanym does not offer an API program.
- You want a long track record. MyZmanim says it has researched zmanim for 27 years and links to a rabbinic approval page. Zmanym is a newer product, and its numbers are checked by tests rather than a published haskama.
- You read in another language. MyZmanim lists seven languages, including Russian, Portuguese, French and German.
When Zmanym fits better
- You are on iPhone. The Zmanym iOS app is SwiftUI, targets iOS 18 and includes widgets and an Apple Watch app, so Shabbat times sit on the home screen.
- You want to know how the numbers are made. The engine runs inside the app with no outside service on the request path, and a test that runs on every build compares it with Hebcal for 10 cities.
- You run a shul. The Synagogue plan gives you a white-label page, email subscribers, push notifications and weekly Shabbat reminders for a flat $9 a month.
- You live in Florida. Zmanym has its own page for each Florida city it lists under Cities.
- You want a free personal tool. Personal lookups cost nothing and need no credit card.
Candle-lighting conventions differ by community. Zmanym uses 18 minutes before sunset by default, 40 for Jerusalem and 30 for Haifa and Zikhron Ya'akov. If your community follows another custom, ask your rav which time to use.
How to choose
Try both for your own city on a Friday. Compare the candle-lighting time, how easily you can reach it from your phone, and whether the extras you need exist. Many people keep one app for daily use and consult a second source when a close call matters. Neither service should be treated as a ruling; both say times are not to be relied on to the last moment.
Sources
MyZmanim facts, as of October 2026:
- MyZmanim home page (locations and search)
- MyZmanim mobile app (apps, languages)
- MyZmanim developer API (API, trial and pricing model)
- MyZmanim accuracy (how times are calculated)
- Why donate to MyZmanim (services, countries, funding)
MyZmanim is a trademark of its owner and is not affiliated with Zmanym. Zmanym facts come from the product source code. See also Zmanym pricing and how we built Zmanym.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good alternative to MyZmanim?
- It depends on what you use MyZmanim for. For daily Shabbat, candle-lighting and zmanim lookups plus an iOS app with widgets, Zmanym is a modern option. For its calendar, phone line, text-message service or developer API, MyZmanim offers services Zmanym does not.
- Is Zmanym free?
- Personal Shabbat and zmanim lookups on Zmanym are free and need no credit card. A Synagogue plan, for a branded shul page with email subscribers and push notifications, costs $9 a month or $90 a year, as listed on the Zmanym pricing page.
- Does Zmanym have an Android app?
- Not yet. Zmanym ships a website and an iOS app. An Android port is specified in the repository but is not released. MyZmanim lists an Android app on Google Play.
- How does Zmanym calculate zmanim?
- It computes about 89 zmanim per day in process from the published NOAA solar equations, with no third-party service on the request path. A test compares the output with captured Hebcal responses for 10 cities across 60 days.
- Should I follow Zmanym or my rav for the exact time?
- Your rav. Both Zmanym and MyZmanim say times should not be relied on to the last moment, and communities follow different customs. Ask your rav which opinion to use.