Kessler kOS vs Stage Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kessler kOS
This advanced software provides precise wireless control for professional camera motion systems. It enables users to create complex, repeatable camera movements for various video and photography applications through an intuitive interface.
- Ultra-refined keyframe control
- Wireless iPad control
- Timelapse and stop motion modes
- Complex keyframe movement
- Editable keyframes
- Repeatable camera moves
- Event mode for live scenarios
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kOS is an advanced camera motion control software that unlocks the highest level of control and features for Kessler’s industry-leading motion control systems including Second Shooter Plus, Second Shooter Pro, and the newest motion control system CineShooter. This app allows for ultra-refined keyframe based control in a powerful and easy-to-use interface for applications such as timelapse, stop motion, live video/cinematography, event video, and advanced photography controlled wirelessly via iPad. CONTROL ANY MOTION Live, looping, stop motion, timelapse, GigaPixel* and Event Mode camera moves at your fingertips. DIGITAL KEYRAMING Simply move each axis into position and hit record. kOS saves your exact positioning for 100% repeatable moves. WIFI CONNECTIVITY Your CineShooter, Second Shooter Pro, or Second Shooter Plus device creates its own WiFi network that you can connect your device to instantly. COMPLEX KEYFRAME MOVEMENT Create up to 20 keyframes at once for ultra complex movement. EASY KEYFRAME SMOOTHING Add and manipulate curves to your moves for ease-in and ease-out motion. Also, link each side of the keyframe to match. EDITABLE KEYFRAMES No need to re-record the move if it's not exactly what you want. Edit one or all axes and keyframes into the perfect position. Featuring incremental, exact motor position plus tap and move keyframe adjustments. REPEATABILITY Repeat the exact same move over and over again at the same speed or variable speeds depending on the application. DELAY BY DATE/TIME Not going to be around when your move needs to start? No problem. Easily set a date/time or fixed amount of time to have your move begin. kOS takes care of the rest. FLASH MARK/BLOOP Sync up your moves easily via the built-in flash marks with adjustable delay. PRE & POST-PHOTOS (TIMELAPSE MODE) Easily add a series of head or tail photos to your timelapse move. GO TO POSITION Set minimum and maximum ranges on each axis (ie. slider 0" to 32") and go to any position by entering a value. LOAD & GO This feature allows for pre-loading a move so that you are able to start instantly whenever you are ready. CAMERA PRE and POST ROLL Trigger your camera to start recording any amount of time before the move begins and when to stop after the move ends. ANALOG CONTROL PANEL Manually control several axes live with the built in analog controller. EVENT MODE Event mode is mainly intended for live events or scenarios where exact position recalling on-the-fly is needed. For example, if you are filming a live concert, you can have different positions on stage saved. You can move easily from the drummer, to the guitarist, to the lead singer and so forth. This mode is also great for repeatedly hitting actor marks on set. GIGAPIXEL GigaPixel is traditionally used for 360 degree virtual tours, panoramic photographs or GigaPixel images which are extremely high resolution photographs that are compiled of many lower resolution photographs. GRAPH EXPANSION Expand the graph with one touch when precise key framing is needed. SCRUB THROUGH MOVE Need to edit a key frame or see when the camera will be in a certain position? Use the scrub feature to instantly move to a desired position. LOOPING Looping is made easy with kOS. Simply select one-time or continuous looping. CAMERA CONTROL Set CineShooter, Second Shooter Pro, Second Shooter Plus device to trigger or control your camera’s exposure time within kOS. AUTO TIMELAPSE CALCULATION Enter your desired clip length and frame rate, then kOS will calculate the run time needed. BUMP BUTTONS Move in very small increments to ensure a precise camera position. DROPBOX INTEGRATION Upload saved moves directly to your Dropbox account within kOS app. MOTOR CONFIGURATION Each axis is able to be customized with individual features such as run speed, dampening, smoothness of curves, bump button, and axis naming.
Stage Timer
This countdown timer helps presenters stay on schedule during speeches or presentations. It offers features like auto-start, a clock mode after the countdown, and integration with PowerPoint remotes for control.
- Countdown timer for presentations
- Auto-start countdown
- Clock mode after countdown
- PowerPoint remote integration
- Adjust time with remote
- Start/stop countdown with remote
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This app is a countdown timer, designed for presenters (on a stage or at a podium or pulpit) to keep them on time. Most features are self evident, however there are a couple of features that need to be covered. 1. AutoStart To use this feature, simply click on Auto Start to toggle it On or Off When it is on, you have the option to adjust the time to when you would like to the countdown to begin 2. Clock Mode - The Icon at the top right will turn Clock Mode on or Off. If it is On, after the countdown finishes, the application will switch over to show the current time. 3. PowerPoint Remote Using a Lightning (or whatever connection your device has) to USB adapter, you can connect a PowerPoint Remote to the iPad On the remote, you can press the bottom button to Start / Stop (and reset) the countdown While the timer is stopped, pressing the left & right buttons, will increment or decrement the time by five minute intervals While the timer is running, pressing the left & right Buttons will increment or decrement the time by one minute Note: Click on Developer Website to see instructions for using the PowerPoint remote.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Stage Timer at 86% against Kessler kOS's 0%. Stage Timer also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Stage Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Kessler kOS's written reviews are positive against 86% of Stage Timer's.
| Parameter | Kessler kOS | Stage Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (3 ratings) | 4.5 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 11 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 9.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kessler Crane Inc. | Ricky Gore |
Customer experience
Kessler kOS
Stage Timer
In-app purchases
Kessler kOS
No in-app purchases
Stage Timer
No in-app purchases









