Comparison

timer. vs How Long Left

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

Head to head
About

timer.

Manage multiple countdown timers simultaneously with this intuitive app. Set custom names, sounds, and even use your own music for alarms. Access timers easily via widgets, Apple Watch, and Live Activities.

Highlights
  • Multiple simultaneous timers
  • Customizable names and alarm sounds
  • Background timer operation
  • Widget and Apple Watch access
  • Live Activities with Play/Pause
  • Siri Shortcuts support
  • Dark Mode and themes
Features
Read full description

timer. is a simple and easy too use countdown timer. You are able to run several timers at the same time. The timers can be paused / resumed by the user and still run in background. Also you are able to define a sound or name. With the timer. widget and Apple Watch app you have quick and easy access to your last created timer. Features: - Several timers at the same time - Save timer - Edit and reorder existing timers - Siri Shortcuts support - Define timer name and alarm sound - Define an unlimited amount of timers - Timers still run in backround - Choose different alarms for notification and In-App - Choose from your favorite music for In-App alarm from your locally stored Apple Music or iTunes Music files - Widget for easy access the last created timer - Filter for running timers - Full access to timers from widget - Apple Watch app to view last created timer - More than 30 different alarm sounds - Choose between 16 modern themes for App and Widget - Dark Mode - Live Activities with Play / Pause - Dynamic Island Support with Play / Pause - Home Screen Widgets with Play / Pause For feedback or feature requests visit us on twitter: https://twitter.com/timer_2018 Please note for devices which run iOS 18 or older: The mute switch should not be active when the app is in background. Finished timers are not notified with an alarm sound. This is a limitation of iOS 18 or older. If the app is running in foreground, the alarm sounds are also played when the mute switch is active.

About

How Long Left

This app helps you visualize the time remaining for your calendar events. It offers a Today Widget, Siri integration, and an Apple Watch app for convenient access. Receive notifications for upcoming events and customize your watch face with countdown complications.

Highlights
  • Countdown calendar events
  • Today Widget integration
  • Siri integration
  • Apple Watch app
  • Time remaining notifications
  • Apple Watch complications
Features
Read full description

How Long Left is a simple app that helps you manage your time by displaying the time remaining of current calendar events. It also includes a Today Widget, Siri integration, and an Apple Watch app, time remaining notifications, and more. There is also an Apple Watch complication that, with an in-app purchase, can display a countdown for current and upcoming events.

Screenshots

timer.4 screens
How Long Left4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: timer. at 4.3 against How Long Left's 3.8. timer. also leads on ratings volume (171 vs 40). How Long Left's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. timer. sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and How Long Left sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

timer. holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 171 and 40 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of timer.'s written reviews are positive against 59% of How Long Left's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

timer. ships an update every 3 months, How Long Left every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
timer. versus How Long Left: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametertimer.How Long Left
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (171 ratings) — better3.8 (40 ratings)
Positive reviews63.5% of reviews — better58.5% of reviews
Number of ratings171 — better40
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTobias HaussRyan Kontos

Customer experience

timer.

All ratings171 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative14.0%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive63.5%
Neutral12.7%
Negative23.8%

How Long Left

All ratings39 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative23.1%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral17.1%
Negative24.4%

User reviews

timer.

From 171 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great widget functionality
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive UI
  • 👍 Useful for multiple timers
  • 👍 Good integration with Dynamic Island
  • 👍 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Widget opens app unexpectedly
  • 🐛 Apple Watch control limitations
  • 🐛 Timer data loss issues
  • 🐛 Widget display issues
  • 🐛 No sound in silent mode

How Long Left

From 40 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for staying organized
  • 👍 Useful for busy schedules
  • 👍 Excellent for time management
  • 👍 Helpful for tracking time left
  • 👍 Good for school/work schedules

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Watch complication not working
  • 🐛 Broken restore purchases
  • 🐛 UI is unattractive
  • 🐛 MacOS app won't open
  • 🐛 Widget doesn't work

Bugs and requests

timer.

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Widget opens the app when interacted with
  • Timers disappear or are lost
  • Watch app sync issues
  • Widget buttons overlap or are unreadable
  • App remains on Dynamic Island after closing
Show 5 more
  • Banner in notification center is unreadable
  • Live activity obscures status bar elements
  • App closes immediately upon opening
  • Purchases not restoring or working correctly
  • Custom timers and widgets disappear

Requested features

14 requests
  • Make widgets smaller and show only clicked timer
  • Allow Apple Watch to select and restart specific times
  • Add option to dynamically set timer from Shortcuts
  • Add option for timers to repeatedly loop
  • Option to hide seconds in Dynamic Island
Show 9 more
  • Redesign lock screen widget to remove alarm sound name
  • Show progress bar/circle on timer icon in live activity
  • Allow typing timer values instead of only wheel pickers
  • Add stopwatch function
  • Allow setting custom vibrate patterns
  • Make timer setting area larger for easier use
  • Separate page for created alarms
  • Option to play music from Apple Music library for alarms
  • Slower animation for swipe to show/hide create menu

How Long Left

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Watch complication/widget doesn't update correctly
  • Current feed no longer displays current events
  • Restore purchases button is broken
  • Developer ignores emails
  • MacOS app won't open
Show 12 more
  • Widget doesn't work on iOS 17
  • Complication countdown bugged (time until end of next event)
  • Complication shows wrong time remaining
  • Tiny complications don't work
  • Corner complications display wrong time left
  • Widget only counts down for beginning of event, not start
  • In-app purchase disappears on uninstall/reinstall
  • Can't add as complication or widget
  • Calendars do not sync to Apple Watch
  • Always On Display shows empty time remaining
  • Empty widget sometimes
  • Refresh rate issue (doesn't update when calendar moved)

Requested features

7 requests
  • Update to iOS 26/27 widgets
  • Update to Apple Watch smart widgets
  • Add custom event for future dates
  • Widget for upcoming events
  • Restrict event display time
Show 2 more
  • Add percentage to Apple Watch interface
  • Home Screen widget

In-app purchases

5 purchases

timer.

One-time5
  • Themes for timer.$0.99
  • iTunes Music as In-App Alarm$0.99
  • Edit All Widget Details$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Edit & Reorder Existing Timer$1.99
  • PRO (Bundle) - All Features$6.99
4 purchases

How Long Left

One-time4
  • How Long Left Widget$1.99
  • Premium Watch Complication$4.99
  • Legacy Pro Lifetime$39.99
Show 1 more
  • How Long Left Pro (Lifetime)$49.99

Questions

Is timer. free?
timer. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is How Long Left free?
How Long Left is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, timer. or How Long Left?
timer. is rated higher. timer. averages 4.3 out of 5 from 171 ratings, while How Long Left averages 3.8 from 40 ratings.
Do timer. or How Long Left have ads?
Neither timer. nor How Long Left shows ads.
Which is updated more often, timer. or How Long Left?
timer. ships an update every 3 months, and How Long Left every 4 months. Most recently, timer. was updated on November 2, 2026 and How Long Left on November 2, 2026.

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