# Exercise Timer vs Zestimer

The clearest difference is update cadence: Zestimer at every 3 days against Exercise Timer's monthly. Zestimer also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 73%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Exercise Timer's advantage is ratings volume (1K vs 6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Exercise Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Zestimer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Zestimer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exercise Timer has 1K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Exercise Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Zestimer's.

Exercise Timer ships an update monthly, Zestimer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exercise Timer | Zestimer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exercise-timer-interval-timer/id1501534442/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zestimer-hiit-and-stretching/id6758530290/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 73.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 52 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Neurondigital Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1501534441) | [MAGIC PARK LABS LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1866425444) |

## What reviewers say

### Exercise Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exercise-timer-interval-timer/id1501534442)

Create and guide custom interval training routines with this app. It supports timed and rep-based exercises, offers voice coaching, and logs your workout history with detailed analytics. Track progress over time and organize routines into training plans.

**Highlights:** Custom workout routines, Voice coach for next exercise, Timed and rep-based exercises, Workout logging and analytics, Training plans, Background operation, Apple Watch support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exercise Timer Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Exercise Timer Premium Yearly | $30.99 | per year |
| Exercise Timer Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great value without fluff
- 👍 Simple but customizable
- 👍 Awesome HIIT timer with exercise naming
- 👍 Versatile and customizable exercise timer
- 👍 A very underrated app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, freezes constantly
- 🐛 Apple Watch version dysfunctional
- 🐛 Input nightmare, difficult to use
- 🐛 Landscape mode not available on iOS
- 🐛 Reordering exercises in edit stage is a nightmare

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues with Apple Watch
- Randomly locking users out and requiring upgrade
- Deleting all routines after uninstalling
- Exercises not updating properly on Apple Watch
- Apple Watch app causing native exercise app to crash

**Requested features**

- Sync workouts across devices without logging out/in
- Ability to duplicate workouts on iPhone
- Search, sort, or reorder routines
- Connect with Apple Health app
- Shortcut/automation support


### Zestimer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zestimer-hiit-and-stretching/id6758530290)

This app transforms YouTube videos or AI prompts into timed workouts, offering both high-intensity interval training and stretching routines. It provides voice and haptic cues for seamless transitions, and features AI coaching for custom workout adjustments. Available on iPhone and Apple Watch.

**Highlights:** Convert YouTube videos to timed workouts, AI-powered workout generation and editing, Voice and haptic interval cues, Stretching and mobility routines, Apple Watch integration, Customizable workout builder

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zestimer Pro (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Zestimer Pro (Yearly) | $9.99 | per year |
| Zest Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Zestimer Pro Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exercise Timer free?

Exercise Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Zestimer free?

Zestimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Exercise Timer or Zestimer?

Zestimer is rated higher. Exercise Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Zestimer averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Exercise Timer or Zestimer have ads?

Neither Exercise Timer nor Zestimer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Exercise Timer or Zestimer?

Exercise Timer ships an update monthly, and Zestimer every 3 days. Most recently, Exercise Timer was updated on October 16, 2026 and Zestimer on October 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*