Time vs Burst Timers
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Time
This app provides repeating interval-based notifications for various activities, including workouts, experiments, and timed tests. It offers customizable sound or vibration alerts and allows users to queue multiple timers sequentially for complex tasks.
- Repeating interval notifications
- Customizable sound or vibration alerts
- Background operation on Apple Watch
- Sequential timer queuing
- HealthKit integration for workout pacing
- Syncs daily stats with Health app
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Note: The app uses HealthKit to enable pacing a workout session by running in the background and it connects with the Health app to sync your daily stats. When used on the apple watch, it can be used for repeating, haptic, inaudible alerts at user-specified intervals. *NEW FEATURE*: Companion Apple Watch app is now here and can work in the background! TimeMinder is a repeating interval-based app that sends users notifications (either via Sound or Vibration-only notifications) at every interval specified by the user. It is excellent for use in activities where the user needs some reminder every so often: interval focused or timed exercise, science lab experiments requiring measurements to be taken at specified intervals, standardized testing where time on questions is limited, etc. The app also has an advanced feature, allowing the user to "queue" up several timers before pressing "Start" to fire up several repeating interval-based timers back-to-back (successively). This can be useful in tasks that require differing repeating interval-based timers, such as timed presentation where you want to send different amounts of time on different slides.
Burst Timers
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Burst Timers is an interval timer that keeps count so you can focus on the effort. Set how many segments you want, how long to work and how long to rest, and press Start. It's made for HIIT, sprints, circuits and stretching, and works for anything that alternates between work and rest. SET UP IN SECONDS • Choose 1 to 100 segments, with work and rest from 1 second to 10 minutes each • Big + and − buttons; touch and hold to change values quickly • See the total length of your run, and a colored bar with every period in order • Your last run is remembered for next time EVERY SECOND, FRONT AND CENTER • A huge countdown inside a ring that empties as the period runs out • The screen takes on the color of the current period, so you can tell work from rest at a glance • Up Next shows what's coming, and a progress bar fills in as you go • Pause, resume or end a run at any time • The screen stays on while you train NEVER MISS A SWITCH • A different sound for work, rest and the end of the run • Sounds play in Silent Mode and mix with your music and podcasts instead of stopping them • Haptics on iPhone and Apple Watch • VoiceOver announces each new period ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN • A Live Activity shows the countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Pause, resume or end the run without unlocking your iPhone • When you're in another app or your iPhone is locked, the screen lights up and plays a sound at each change • Follow along in the Smart Stack on your paired Apple Watch ON YOUR WRIST • The Apple Watch app works on its own, no iPhone needed • Set every value with the Digital Crown • Pause and resume with a double tap on supported models • A different haptic for work and rest, so you don't have to look • Keeps going with your wrist down • Optional colored backgrounds for work and rest • Complications to start from your watch face ON YOUR MAC • The time left in the menu bar, with start, pause and end one click away • Close the window and keep going from the menu bar • The Dock icon shows the current period and the time left • Keyboard shortcuts for everything: ⌘↩ to start, ⇧⌘P to pause, ⌘. to end ON YOUR IPAD • A countdown big enough to read from across the room • Keyboard shortcuts when a keyboard is connected MAKE IT YOURS • Rename Work and Rest to Sprint and Recover, Push and Breathe, or anything you like • Pick from 20 icons, including a bolt, flame, runner, dumbbell, swimmer and lungs • Choose from 12 colors • Your labels, icons and colors show up everywhere: the countdown, the Live Activity, the menu bar, the Dock and Apple Watch • Copy them from iPhone to Apple Watch in one tap • End with a cooldown rest, or finish as soon as the last work period is done SAVED TO HEALTH • Optionally save every run to Health as a workout on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch • Choose the workout type: HIIT, strength training, core, running, cycling, jump rope, yoga and many more • Includes heart rate and active energy when available • Paused time isn't counted, and accidental starts are left out PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account or sign-in • Your settings stay on your devices Requires iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26. The Apple Watch app requires watchOS 10.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Time at Free against Burst Timers's $0.99. Time also leads on iOS requirement (10.3 vs 26.0). Burst Timers's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 21 months). 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
Time is free to download; Burst Timers costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Time ships an update every 21 months, Burst Timers every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Time | Burst Timers |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Akhil Sharma | Eduardo Almeida |
In-app purchases
Time
No in-app purchases
Burst Timers
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Time free?
Is Burst Timers free?
Do Time or Burst Timers have ads?
Which is updated more often, Time or Burst Timers?
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