Comparison

Workout Timer Essential vs Workout Timer

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

Head to head
About

Workout Timer Essential

A streamlined workout timer designed for simplicity and essential functionality. It offers a clean, bicolor interface and integrates with HealthKit for Apple Watch workout data. Support the developer with an optional in-app purchase to remove ads.

Highlights
  • Essential bicolor layout
  • HealthKit integration
  • Apple Watch workout functions
  • Streamlined design
  • Optional ad removal
Features
Read full description

Hi, my name is Alessandro, 23yo from Italy. I've been going to the gym since I was a teen and I've tried pretty much all the gym apps in the App Store, both paid and not. Nothing worked. They were either cluttered messes, no longer maintained, terribly designed or simply not working anymore. So I've set out to design my own, targeting the latest Apple hardware and Development Kit, sticking to the true simplicity of a bicolor, essential layout. I decided to share it with you, for free, with a small in app purchase to remove ads if you want to support the development, hoping you'll enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you.This App integrates with Health Kit to use the Workout functions in your Apple Watch.

About

Workout Timer

Design personalized fitness routines with a highly customizable interval timer. Track your progress, play your own music, and receive spoken exercise prompts. Integrates with Apple Health for detailed workout data.

Highlights
  • Customizable interval timer
  • Create custom workout routines
  • Play background music
  • Text-to-speech exercise prompts
  • Save and reuse workouts
  • Time Under Tension (TUT) tempos
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Simple, Customizable, and Easy-to-use. Create any workout you can imagine in a matter of seconds & play your own music in the background!  Workout Timer is a fully customizable interval timer that dictates each exercise. Create as many different sets as you want and how many rounds you want to do them for. Great in the gym, at home, or outdoors. Whether you're creating your own HIIT routine or lifting weights in the gym, workout timer will keep you on pace! Key Features: - Play your own music in the background - Continues to work even while your screen is locked - Write in your own exercises - Reads off each exercise during the workout using text-to-speech - Save your workouts for later use - Number of Sets - Number of Exercises or Rest in each Set - Number of Rounds to repeat each Set - New: Set custom time-under-tension tempos! Great for any number of workouts, including: - Tabata - Interval Training - High Intensity Interval (HIIT) Training - Boxing round timer - Calisthenics circuit timer - Circuit training - Time Under Tension Training - Core Workouts - Cycling - Plyometrics - Weight Lifting - Cardio - Wind Sprints - Running - Jogging WORKOUT HISTORY USING APPLE HEALTH • Workout Timer has the best Apple Health integration. • Automatically sync workout time, heart rate, and calories burned to the Health App during your workouts. • Detailed stats for every interval • All your data is safely stored in Apple Health • You can enable this feature by granting the app the necessary permissions. If you wish to stop using the feature, you can easily disable the permissions in your mobile settings. .... and more! Please reach out to contact@apprebel.co for any questions/feedback / support https://www.workouttimer.com/terms-conditions https://www.workouttimer.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Workout Timer Essential4 screens
Workout Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Workout Timer at 4.4 against Workout Timer Essential's 2.7. Workout Timer also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 16 months) and ratings volume (50 vs 3). Workout Timer Essential's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Workout Timer Essential sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Workout Timer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Workout Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Workout Timer has 50 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Workout Timer Essential's written reviews are positive against 61% of Workout Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Workout Timer Essential ships an update every 16 months, Workout Timer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Workout Timer Essential versus Workout Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWorkout Timer EssentialWorkout Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (3 ratings)4.4 (50 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews60.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings350 — better
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlessandro PettazzoniAppRebel, Inc.

Customer experience

Workout Timer Essential

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Workout Timer

All ratings50 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.0%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative32.7%

Bugs and requests

Workout Timer Essential

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Workout Timer

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Workouts not saving properly
  • Premium features not functioning as expected
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices
  • Unauthorized user issues after purchases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save unlimited workouts
  • Improved syncing and backup options
  • Integration with fitness tracking apps
  • More customization options for workouts
  • Better customer support and communication

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Workout Timer Essential

One-time1
  • Ads Removal$0.99
6 purchases

Workout Timer

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time3
  • Premimum Version$4.99
  • Premium Version Life Time$24.99
  • Premium Version Life Time$39.99

Questions

Is Workout Timer Essential free?
Workout Timer Essential is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Workout Timer free?
Workout Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Workout Timer Essential or Workout Timer?
Workout Timer is rated higher. Workout Timer Essential averages 2.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Workout Timer averages 4.4 from 50 ratings.
Do Workout Timer Essential or Workout Timer have ads?
Workout Timer shows ads; Workout Timer Essential does not.
Which is updated more often, Workout Timer Essential or Workout Timer?
Workout Timer Essential ships an update every 16 months, and Workout Timer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Workout Timer Essential was updated on September 14, 2026 and Workout Timer on September 17, 2026.

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