Comparison

(Not Boring) Timer vs AlarmChess

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

Head to head
About

(Not Boring) Timer

This app offers a visually engaging and intuitive timer experience, inspired by simple egg timers. It features a unique overshoot function, a game-like interface with 3D animations, and customizable skins. Widgets provide quick access to timers for daily routines.

Highlights
  • Overshoot and stopwatch modes
  • Game-like 3D interface
  • Large, readable display
  • Customizable skins
  • Home screen widgets
  • Screen always on option
Features
Read full description

"Just astonishingly fun." — John Gruber A BETTER EVERYDAY TIMER I dreamt of a timer I could use every day that would simplify time and make the most of every moment it counted. Inspired by the simple egg timer, Timer more honestly represents time as a single dimension. No hours or seconds—just minutes. There's nowhere to get lost. Scroll to set. Tap to start. Get back to life. STOPWATCH & OVERSHOOT When time expires, it doesn't stop at 0. Timer flips and begins to count up. This turns out to be pretty useful if you missed the alarm and don't know how much time has elapsed or if you cook and just need another minute without the hassle of setting another timer. Or scroll down to 0, tap, and it becomes a stopwatch ready to measure any length of time. PLAYS LIKE A GAME, WORKS LIKE AN APP Next generation user interface designed and built in 3D with animation and sounds inspired by video games. BIG & READABLE Time you can read from across the room. Optional setting to keep your screen on during countdowns. SKINS Skins change the whole look and feel of the app. New skins and collaborations every season so you can keep it fresh. WIDGETS Drop a custom timer on your home screen for fast, one tap access to daily timers for coffee brewing, workouts, and other daily routines. SUPER!BORING Become a Super!Boring member and get all 5 Not Boring apps + skins + extras. We are 100% member-supported. No ads, no data gathering, no tracking. Just beautiful apps that make everyday life a little less boring. Plans: https://andy.works/plans Support: https://andy.works/support

About

AlarmChess

This alarm clock requires users to solve a chess puzzle to dismiss it, ensuring a mentally engaging start to the day. It offers customizable alarms, curated puzzles with adjustable difficulty, and hints to help users wake up alert and focused.

Highlights
  • Solve chess puzzles to dismiss alarm
  • Customizable alarm times and repeat days
  • Curated chess puzzles with adjustable difficulty
  • Hints available for stuck users
  • Intuitive and clean interface
  • Reliable notifications even when app is closed
Features
Read full description

Wake up your mind, not just your body. Chess Alarm is an alarm clock that requires solving a chess puzzle to dismiss. Start your day sharp and focused. How it works: Set your alarm time and repeat days When it goes off, a chess puzzle appears Solve the puzzle to dismiss the alarm Start your day mentally engaged Key Features: Smart alarm system — Set multiple alarms with custom times and repeat schedules Chess puzzles — Curated puzzles from real games, with difficulty levels from beginner to professional Progressive difficulty — Adjust puzzle difficulty to match your skill Hints — Get a hint after 10 seconds if you’re stuck Intuitive interface — Clean, easy-to-use design Reliable notifications — Alarms work even when the app is closed Multiple alarms — Manage different alarms for different days SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED After you complete the short setup questions, an active AlarmChess Premium subscription is required to set alarms and solve chess puzzles Why Chess Alarm? Traditional alarms can be dismissed while half-asleep. Chess Alarm requires active thinking, helping you wake up more alert and ready for the day. Perfect for: Chess players who want daily practice Anyone looking for a more engaging wake-up routine People who struggle to wake up fully Those who want to start the day with mental exercise Privacy & Security: Your alarm data is stored securely. We use Google Sign-In for authentication, and your information is kept private. Transform your morning routine. Download Chess Alarm and wake up your mind. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

(Not Boring) Timer4 screens
AlarmChess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: (Not Boring) Timer at 68% against AlarmChess's 33%. (Not Boring) Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 17). AlarmChess's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, device support 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. (Not Boring) Timer sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and AlarmChess sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

(Not Boring) Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: (Not Boring) Timer has 2.6K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of (Not Boring) Timer's written reviews are positive against 33% of AlarmChess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

(Not Boring) Timer ships an update monthly, AlarmChess weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
(Not Boring) Timer versus AlarmChess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter(Not Boring) TimerAlarmChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.6K ratings) — better4.6 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings2.6K — better17
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNot Boring Software LLCMing Kang Siow

Customer experience

(Not Boring) Timer

All ratings2,648 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews165 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral10.9%
Negative20.6%

AlarmChess

All ratings17 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

(Not Boring) Timer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Widget doesn't always start the timer correctly
  • Sound doesn't work when phone is on silent mode

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for longer timers (over 90 minutes)
  • Implement seconds option for more precise timing
  • Integrate with Dynamic Island on newer iPhones
  • Add alarm functionality
  • Allow users to set custom timer intervals

AlarmChess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

(Not Boring) Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Super !Boring Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Super !Boring Yearly2 variants$29.991 Year
One-time7
  • Andy Skin$4.99
  • Chroma Skin$4.99
  • Monsters Skin$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Opal Skin$9.99
  • Karat Skin$9.99
  • Cedar Skin$9.99
  • !Timer Plus Lifetime$14.99
4 purchases

AlarmChess

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly subscription$12.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly subscription$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is (Not Boring) Timer free?
(Not Boring) Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AlarmChess free?
AlarmChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, (Not Boring) Timer or AlarmChess?
(Not Boring) Timer is rated higher. (Not Boring) Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while AlarmChess averages 4.6 from 17 ratings.
Do (Not Boring) Timer or AlarmChess have ads?
AlarmChess shows ads; (Not Boring) Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, (Not Boring) Timer or AlarmChess?
(Not Boring) Timer ships an update monthly, and AlarmChess weekly. Most recently, (Not Boring) Timer was updated on October 20, 2026 and AlarmChess on October 9, 2026.

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