Comparison

GentleBirth Contraction Timer vs Birthsmarter Contraction Timer

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

Head to head
About

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

This app helps track labor contractions with real-time monitoring, editing, and manual entry. It offers individualized audio labor coaching, background sound options, and visual charts to analyze trends. The app also provides notifications for when to go to the hospital or contact a care provider.

Highlights
  • Real-time contraction tracking
  • Manual contraction editing and addition
  • Individualized audio labor coaching
  • Customizable background sounds
  • Labor trend charts and statistics
  • Email surge history to care providers
  • Hospital arrival and care provider contact notifications
Features
Read full description

***THE BEST CONTRACTION TIMER APP FOR A POSITIVE BIRTH EXPERIENCE*** The GentleBirth Contraction Timer app combines guidance from the Award Winning GentleBirth Program with a beautiful interface to make tracking contractions/surges easy, effective and stress free. Created by Positive Birth expert, author, midwife and Founder of GentleBirth, Tracy Donegan.  GentleBirth has guided tens of thousands of parents around to world through their own positive birth experience. WHAT’S INCLUDED Track contractions in real time, edit contractions previously recorded, manually add contractions or delete when necessary. GentleBirth Guidance provides individualized audio labor coaching based on your reported experience as you track each contraction. Using mindfulness, focus and breathing significantly effects pain perception. Separate background sounds allow you to play sounds in the background of the GentleBirth Guidance, background sounds only, or no audio at all. All easily controlled from one screen. Beautiful and easy to read charts and statistics allow you to see trends over time. You can change the timeframe to view the information that is most important you at any point during your labor. Email your surge history and release of water data to yourself or your care-provider directly from the app. The GentleBirth Indicator analyses the duration and frequency of surges and will notify you when it’s time to go to hospital or if there are patterns of contractions that indicate you should contact your care-provider. WE’D LOVE TO CONNECT We want to hear about about your GentleBirth Contraction Timer experience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on social media if you have any feedback or questions about pregnancy, birth, the GentleBirth program or the Contraction Timer app. Email us at team@gentlebirth.com or contact support within the Contraction Timer app. NOTE This app does not provide medical advice. Our recommendations are based on standard indicators. Your labor may occur differently. Always consult your care-provider to orient yourself in terms of contraction frequency and duration. TERMS OF SERVICE https://gentlebirth.app/terms/ PRIVACY POLICY https://gentlebirth.app/privacy/

About

Birthsmarter Contraction Timer

This app helps track labor contractions with intuitive controls and visual breathing cues. It provides a detailed log of contraction patterns and allows sharing with partners or providers. Designed to be calming and reduce stress during childbirth.

Highlights
  • Intuitive touch-anywhere start/stop
  • Visual breathing cues for rhythmic breathing
  • Detailed contraction log with averages
  • Option to hide clock/timer
  • Share contraction patterns via text/email
  • Manual editing of contraction entries
  • Auto-filtering of short/long contractions
Features
Read full description

Contraction Timing, The Birthsmarter Way Created by a birth educator + an Apple Design Award-winning developer. Take the guesswork out of labor with a contraction timer designed to be calming, intuitive, and actually helpful. WHAT MAKES THE BIRTHSMARTER CONTRACTION TIMER DIFFERENT? This isn't just another contraction app—it's a labor support tool rooted in real childbirth education and designed to reduce stress, not add to it. WHAT YOU GET: -A smart, easy-to-use interface for confidence and peace of mind -Visual breathing cues to support rhythmic breathing (Hypnobirthing-friendly) -A detailed contraction log with last-hour averages -The option to hide the clock/timer to minimize distractions -Share your average contraction pattern via text or email to a partner or provider EASY TO USE: -Touch-anywhere start/stop means no fumbling for buttons -Timer continues even if you close the app—take photos, change music, or call your doctor worry-free SMART TIMER: -Edit contraction entries manually if needed -App auto-deletes contractions under 15 seconds or over 2.5 minutes to filter accidental taps or missed stops A GENTLE WARNING: Even though this app is beautifully designed and soothing to use, we do not recommend timing all of your contractions. Best practice: Track contractions for 45–60 minutes to identify a pattern, then stop. Check again when something changes. THE SCIENCE: The uterus is a powerful muscle that contracts to push your baby down and help open the cervix. These contractions are fueled by oxytocin—the hormone tied to love, trust, and connection. To support oxytocin production and efficient labor, we've built this app to minimize distractions and help you stay in the zone. We can't promise this app will shorten your labor—but physiologically speaking, it might help. WHAT YOU DON'T GET: -Big red boxes or alarming countdowns -Condescending colors, graphics, or music -Generic, one-size-fits-all advice -Confusing graphs, ads, or unnecessary icons -During labor, your job is to cope with contractions—not to analyze data. While bells and whistles are great in video games, the Birthsmarter Contraction Timer is designed to support your experience with thoughtful, subtle features that make a difference. Note: This app is not a replacement for medical care or advice. Always consult your medical team and use the data you collect here as a tool for shared decision-making.

Screenshots

GentleBirth Contraction Timer4 screens
Birthsmarter Contraction Timer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GentleBirth Contraction Timer at 95% against Birthsmarter Contraction Timer's 50%. GentleBirth Contraction Timer also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 59 months) and ratings volume (91 vs 2). Birthsmarter Contraction Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, 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. GentleBirth Contraction Timer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Birthsmarter Contraction Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Birthsmarter Contraction Timer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GentleBirth Contraction Timer has 91 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of GentleBirth Contraction Timer's written reviews are positive against 50% of Birthsmarter Contraction Timer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GentleBirth Contraction Timer ships an update every 9 days, Birthsmarter Contraction Timer every 59 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
GentleBirth Contraction Timer versus Birthsmarter Contraction Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGentleBirth Contraction TimerBirthsmarter Contraction Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (91 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.9% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings91 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 59 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB0 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPositive Birth App DevelopmentBirthsmarter Inc.

Customer experience

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

All ratings91 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.4%

Birthsmarter Contraction Timer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Pop-ups won't close without submission
  • Pop-ups reappear after submission
  • Buttons on bottom bar unresponsive or hard to hit
  • Text doesn't fit screen
  • Audio pauses when screen times out or app switches
Show 1 more
  • Guidance and background music shuts off when phone screen locks

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode feature
  • Option to live share with someone
  • More varied coaching after 16 hours

Birthsmarter Contraction Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

One-time4
  • Contraction Timer Premium$0.99
  • Premium - One Time Offer$0.99
  • Premium - Discount Offer$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Contraction Timer - Email Data$0.99
None

Birthsmarter Contraction Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GentleBirth Contraction Timer free?
GentleBirth Contraction Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Birthsmarter Contraction Timer free?
Birthsmarter Contraction Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GentleBirth Contraction Timer or Birthsmarter Contraction Timer?
Birthsmarter Contraction Timer is rated higher. GentleBirth Contraction Timer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 91 ratings, while Birthsmarter Contraction Timer averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do GentleBirth Contraction Timer or Birthsmarter Contraction Timer have ads?
GentleBirth Contraction Timer shows ads; Birthsmarter Contraction Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, GentleBirth Contraction Timer or Birthsmarter Contraction Timer?
GentleBirth Contraction Timer ships an update every 9 days, and Birthsmarter Contraction Timer every 59 months. Most recently, GentleBirth Contraction Timer was updated on October 13, 2026 and Birthsmarter Contraction Timer on October 3, 2026.

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