Comparison

Simple Gong Timer vs Meditation Timer

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

Head to head
About

Simple Gong Timer

This application allows users to set custom timers for workouts and rest periods, with a specified number of rounds. It features a gong sound that won't interrupt music playback and can utilize vibration for notifications even when the device is on silent.

Highlights
  • Customizable workout and rest timers
  • Set number of rounds
  • Gong sound does not interrupt music
  • Vibration notifications
  • iPhone silent mode compatible
Features
Read full description

You can set workout time, rest time and namber of rounds. The sound of gong does not disturb the reproduction of music. You can use vibrator if you set the iPhone to silent mode and turn on the vibrate-switch.

About

Meditation Timer

This app provides a distraction-free environment for your meditation practice. Create custom routines, use interval bells for focus, and enjoy calming soundscapes. Track your progress with detailed statistics and stay motivated with daily goals and reminders.

Highlights
  • Customizable meditation routines
  • Interval bells for focus
  • Calming soundscapes
  • Meditation statistics and tracking
  • Daily goal setting and streak tracking
  • Smart reminder notifications
  • Widgets for Home Screen and Lock Screen
Features
Read full description

Take the next step on your meditation journey! Do you find guided meditations distracting? Does the narration get in the way of reaching a deeper meditative state? It’s time to upgrade your practice with Zenitizer: • Create routines that work for you • Stay in the moment with interval bells • Immerse yourself in calming soundscapes Zenitizer makes it easy to turn meditation into a daily habit minus the overthinking so you can embrace the serenity of now. Download Zenitizer now to get started! FEATURE OVERVIEW: • Clean & simple meditation timer • Calming soundscapes help you relax • Interval bells remind you to focus on the present moment • Detailed, meaningful meditation statistics allow you to observe trends • Set your daily meditation goal and track your streak to stay motivated • Daily reminder notifications help you stay on track • Make meditation part of your daily routine: Smart Reminders can notify you based on Focus modes, workouts, location, wake up & alarms and much more! • Full meditation history view allowing you to see, edit or log individual sessions and reflect on your journey • Interactive and StandBy Widgets: start meditations right from your Home Screen or Lock Screen • Apple Health: store and sync your mindful minutes • Save your favorite timer settings as routines • Always keep your meditations, streaks and custom routines in sync via iCloud • Widgets and Apple Watch complications: your goal at a glance • Control Center: quickly toggle your favorite meditations • Dark & tinted app icons & widgets • Don't worry about breaking your streak: one minute a day is enough (you only need to reach your goal to grow the streak, not to keep it) • Easily log past meditations without recording a timer session (just went on a mindful walk? Quickly save 30 mindful minutes) • Siri Shortcuts: start routines, log meditations and query your goal and streaks. Imagine the possibilities! How about an automation to start a meditation, enable a Focus mode and set a HomeKit scene with a single command? • Privacy-friendly by design: health data is securely stored on your device and, if enabled, in Apple Health and iCloud (fully encrypted). Your data is never sold to anyone! • Spotlight Integration: quickly start or log meditations and check your goal and streak FREE & POWER USER FEATURES: Many of the core features are available for free but some functionality requires Zenitizer+, which is available as a one-time purchase or subscription (you choose which plan fits best into your life - they all unlock the full feature set). Zenitizer+ allows you to create and manage routines, access the growing catalog of bell and background sounds, manually log meditations and fully customize your meditation experience. By upgrading to Zenitizer+ you can take your meditation experience to the next level and allow an independent app developer to continue improving and maintaining Zenitizer for a long time to come :) Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Simple Gong Timer2 screens
Meditation Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Meditation Timer at 90% against Simple Gong Timer's 0%. Meditation Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). Simple Gong Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On price and iOS requirement 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. Meditation Timer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Simple Gong Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Gong Timer ships an update every 9 months, Meditation Timer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Simple Gong Timer versus Meditation Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Gong TimerMeditation Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (214 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews90.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—214 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB177 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSatoshi HoriguchiManuel Kehl

Customer experience

Simple Gong Timer

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

Meditation Timer

All ratings214 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.7%

Bugs and requests

Simple Gong Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Meditation Timer

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Interval bells not functioning properly in some cases
  • App hijacks AirPods from other devices without option to disable
  • Apple Watch vibration cannot be turned off
  • Crashes on Apple Watch (reported as fixed in v1.12.2)
  • Subscription paywall appears before free trial experience

Requested features

7 requests
  • Mixer controls for independent bell and effects volume adjustment
  • White noise and additional frequency options
  • Custom background music upload capability
  • Meditation reminders/notifications
  • Dynamic Island and Lock Screen activity controls
Show 2 more
  • Heart rate integration with Apple Watch
  • Adjustable default interval bell frequency

In-app purchases

None

Simple Gong Timer

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Meditation Timer

Subscriptions4
  • Zenitizer+ Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Zenitizer+ Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Zenitizer+ Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Zenitizer+ Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • Zenitizer+ Lifetime$79.99
  • Zenitizer+ Lifetime$119.99

Questions

Is Simple Gong Timer free?
Simple Gong Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Meditation Timer free?
Meditation Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simple Gong Timer or Meditation Timer have ads?
Simple Gong Timer shows ads; Meditation Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Gong Timer or Meditation Timer?
Simple Gong Timer ships an update every 9 months, and Meditation Timer fortnightly. Most recently, Simple Gong Timer was updated on October 21, 2026 and Meditation Timer on October 19, 2026.

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