Comparison

Burst Timers vs Life Dots

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

Head to head
About

Burst Timers

Features
Read full description

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.

About

Life Dots

Visualize your life's progress with a simple grid of dots representing your day, month, year, or lifespan. A home screen widget offers a constant reminder to make the most of your time.

Highlights
  • Visualize time with dots
  • Track day, month, year, lifespan
  • Home screen widget
  • Lock screen widget
  • Motivation and urgency reminder
Features
Read full description

Life Dots helps you visualize your life in dots. See how much of your day, month, year, or expected lifespan has passed through a simple grid of dots. Add a widget to keep it visible on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. It’s easy to take time for granted without realizing how quickly it passes. When you need a little urgency or motivation, simply open the app or glance at your widget for a reminder to make the most of your time.

Screenshots

Burst Timers4 screens
Life Dots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Life Dots at Free against Burst Timers's $0.99. Life Dots also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Burst Timers's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Life Dots is free to download; Burst Timers costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Burst Timers ships an update every 2 weeks, Life Dots weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Burst Timers versus Life Dots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBurst TimersLife Dots
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (37 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—37 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB6 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperEduardo AlmeidaTHE DIGITAL MINIMALIST PTE. LTD.

In-app purchases

None

Burst Timers

No in-app purchases

None

Life Dots

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Burst Timers free?
Burst Timers costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Life Dots free?
Life Dots is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Burst Timers or Life Dots have ads?
Neither Burst Timers nor Life Dots shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Burst Timers or Life Dots?
Burst Timers ships an update every 2 weeks, and Life Dots weekly. Most recently, Burst Timers was updated on November 3, 2026 and Life Dots on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons