Timekept vs Debate Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Timekept
This app provides a simple, distraction-free timer for debates. It helps speakers and adjudicators manage speech times with visual cues and optional alerts, preventing phone lockouts. Supports a wide range of international debate formats.
- Simple debate timer interface
- Prevents phone screen lock
- Color-coded time indicators
- Optional sound, vibration, and flash alerts
- Supports numerous international debate styles
- Designed for speakers and adjudicators
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Timekept helps you focus on speech and debate, not keeping time. Designed for competitors, judges, coaches, and timekeepers, it provides a clear iPhone and iPad timer for rounds that need precise speech, prep, crossfire, and cross-examination timing. Track prep banks, protected time, crossfires, replies, and speeches nearing their close with clear color cues and optional sound, vibration, and flash alerts. Timekept supports common debate and public speaking formats, including: - US forensics styles such as Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Policy, Congressional Debate, Big Questions, American Parliamentary, IPDA, NPDA, APDA, and Karl Popper. - British Parliamentary, World Schools, Australs, Asian Parliamentary, OPD, Paris V, Irish Times, and Dutch Parliamentary. - Canadian Parliamentary and CUSID variations. - Public speaking formats such as Toastmasters and Pechakucha.
Debate Clock
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Debate Clock is a timer built for competitive debate. It runs the whole round — every speech in order, cross-examination, and each team's prep time — so the chair can watch the debate instead of a stopwatch. BUILT-IN FORMATS SDL, JDL, World Schools (WSDC) and British Parliamentary come preloaded with the correct speech order and durations — cross-examination periods, separate prep time for each side, and the protected-time window in which points of information may be offered. CUSTOM FORMATS Build your own: add speeches, set durations, assign them to a team, reorder them, and save as many formats as you need. Start from a built-in template or from a blank list. Rename teams, change their badge and colour, or add new ones. PREP TIMERS Each side gets its own countdown, independent of the speech clock. Pause, resume and reset at any point in the round. BELLS • Interval bell every minute, or a single bell one minute before time • Extra alert 30 seconds before the end • Single or double bell when the speech ends • Triple bell 15 seconds into overtime • Optional bell at the start and end of the POI window, and when a point of information runs out Every bell can be mirrored as a vibration, and sound or vibration can be muted on the spot. MADE FOR A REAL ROUND • A 15-second countdown for points of information, offered only while the speech is inside its POI window • Exclusive timers — starting one clock pauses the others, so two never run at once • Count-up mode if you would rather see time elapsed than time remaining • The screen stays awake while a timer is running • Swipe between speeches on a phone; on a tablet the full speech list and both prep timers sit beside the clock • Keyboard shortcuts: space to start and pause, arrow keys to change speech • English and Slovak, matched to your device language No account, no ads, no tracking. Everything is stored on your device and the app works fully offline.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Debate Clock at Free against Timekept's $2.99. Debate Clock also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Debate Clock is free to download; Timekept costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Timekept ships an update every 2 months, Debate Clock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Timekept | Debate Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (17 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Philip Belesky | Michal Hrbaty |
In-app purchases
Timekept
No in-app purchases
Debate Clock
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Timekept free?
Is Debate Clock free?
Do Timekept or Debate Clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Timekept or Debate Clock?
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