Comparison

Rest Timer vs Restbell

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Rest Timer

This app provides a simple countdown timer for rest periods during workouts. It features customizable sounds, notification-based restarts, and dynamic display support. Easily manage your workout intervals without interrupting your music or unlocking your phone.

Highlights
  • One-tap timer start
  • Customizable rest periods
  • Plays music during countdown
  • Restart from notification
  • Dynamic Island and Live Activity support
  • Adjust timer while running
Features
Read full description

Free app. No ads. Start the timer with one tap. Keeps playing music after a short alarm sound. Restart the timer from the notification. Dynamic Island and Live Activity supported. This is the simplest countdown timer out there, with a set of convenience features you can't find in any other similar app. It's primarily used for timing rest periods during a strength training workout. It works great in the gym, at home, and outdoors. Let your phone notify you when it's time to start the next set or exercise. *** Instructions *** Start the countdown by pressing one of the 9 timer buttons. Reset it if you don't need it anymore. Press'n'hold the button to change its timer duration. === Important! === Please make sure to allow the app to send you notifications, otherwise, you might not hear sound warnings, and it won't work with the screen locked. *** What makes this app better than the others? *** You can change the timer duration while the timer is already running. The app recalculates the remaining time and keeps the time that has already passed. Sometimes there is not enough energy in the tank, and you need an extra minute to rest. Or you started the wrong timer and want to change it to the correct one. The app uses carefully selected custom sounds that play nicely with your workout music. They are noticeable enough not to miss them but still easy on your ears. A gentle sound warning signals you to start preparing for the next set (for time intervals of 30 seconds and higher). Another more distinct sound follows when the time is up. When you're done with the set, you can restart the timer from the notification without unlocking the screen! No need to think about how long your rest time is after each set. *** FAQ *** Q. I can't hear the sound notifications. What's wrong? A. Please make sure that you have allowed the app to send you notifications. Go to Settings App -> Notifications -> find WaitWaitGo! -> Allow notifications and Sounds need to be On. Also, make sure that the silent switch on the phone is off, and if you have any iOS focus modes active, make sure they allow notifications from WaitWaitGo!. As a last resort, go to Settings -> Sounds and make sure that the Ringer And Alerts volume slider is set to some higher value.

About

Restbell

Features
Read full description

The timer that never charges you to press start. Restbell times the two gaps in a training session — the rest between your lifting sets, and the work and rest blocks of interval training. One object does both, so a push day and a Tabata session live in the same app instead of two. QUICK REST Finish a set, one tap. The countdown runs with sound and haptics while your phone sits on the floor. Big enough to read from a metre away, with chalk on your hands. ROUTINES Build a routine from two kinds of step: an exercise step (name, sets, rest between them) or an interval step (work, rest, repeats). Presets are already on the shelf — HIIT 40/20, Tabata 20/10, EMOM 10, boxing rounds, stretch holds. ON YOUR WRIST Leave the phone in the locker. The Apple Watch app starts a rest or a preset routine from the wrist and feels every cue, with no phone nearby and nothing to wait for. WHAT FREE MEANS HERE Every mode. Unlimited runs. Five saved routines of your own, with the presets on top. The Watch app with every preset, phone in the locker. All the cues. Export whenever you like. Timing is never locked. Not after one use, not after a week. NO ADS. NO ACCOUNT. NO NETWORK. Restbell has no account, no cloud and no tracking. There is nothing to sign up for, nothing to track, and nothing that leaves your phone. Your routines are yours, and you can export them to a file at any time. RESTBELL PRO Your own routines carried to your Apple Watch and kept current, plus unlimited saved routines. Restbell Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, offered monthly or yearly with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends; manage or cancel in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://theknack2020-sketch.github.io/restbell/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://theknack2020-sketch.github.io/restbell/privacy.html © 2026 TheKnack

Screenshots

Rest Timer3 screens
Restbell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rest Timer at none against Restbell's 2. Rest Timer also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Restbell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Rest Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Rest Timer versus Restbell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRest TimerRestbell
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSrdan StanicUFUK OZDEMIR

In-app purchases

None

Rest Timer

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Restbell

Subscriptions2
  • Restbell Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Restbell Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Rest Timer free?
Rest Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Restbell free?
Restbell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Rest Timer or Restbell have ads?
Neither Rest Timer nor Restbell shows ads.

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