Timer vs Time in Focus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Timer
This app offers a simple and intuitive way to manage your time for various activities. Set custom timers, utilize quick presets, and adjust alarm volumes to suit your needs. Stay on track with home screen widgets and an optional ambient ticking sound.
- Easy timer setting
- Customizable presets
- Adjustable alarm volume
- Ambient ticking sound option
- Home screen widgets
- Flexible subscription options
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Meet Minimal Timer, your perfect companion for all your timing needs. This easy-to-use timer app helps you stay focused and manage your time well, whether you're working, studying, cooking, or just need a gentle reminder. We've designed it to be simple and helpful, so you can do more with less fuss. Set Timers with Ease: With Minimal Timer, setting a timer is straightforward and quick. You can easily set your desired duration in minutes or hours using the clear, easy-to-use keypad interface. Simply type in the time you need, and you're ready to go. If you often use the same times, you'll also love our selection of handy presets that get you started quickly. Or, if you need something specific, you can customize your own timers to fit any activity. Minimal Timer is built to be flexible for your everyday life. Custom Presets: Create and save your own frequently used timer durations. Whether it's for a 25-minute focus session, a 7-minute workout, or a 30-minute cooking reminder, you can set it once and use it again and again with just a tap. This makes starting your favorite timers super quick and easy. Custom Alarm Volume: Adjust your alarm sound to be just right for any situation. Whether you need a loud reminder to get your attention or a quiet chime that won't disturb others, you're in control. This means your timer will always alert you exactly how you want it to. Ambient Ticking Sound: If you like to feel time passing, you can turn on an optional, gentle ticking sound. This subtle feature can help you stay aware of the duration and maintain your focus, creating a calm and productive environment without being distracting. Widgets: Keep an eye on your timers right from your home screen. Our handy widgets let you see your active timers at a glance, so you're always updated on your progress without needing to open the app. It's a convenient way to stay on track throughout your day. Subscription & Cancellation: Enjoy flexible subscription options for premium features. Your payment is charged to your Apple account when you confirm your purchase, and subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. If you start with a free trial, it will switch to a paid subscription unless canceled before the trial is over. You can easily manage or cancel your subscription anytime through your Apple account settings. Ready to make managing your time a breeze? Minimal Timer is designed for everyone, with a clean look and straightforward features that just work. Give it a try today and enjoy the convenience of a reliable and simple timer tool! Terms of Use & Privacy Policy: https://regular-wednesday-69a.notion.site/Terms-of-Use-2b99efd494008031afe9f5cc09712f48 https://regular-wednesday-69a.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-2b79efd4940080e1b734f1af1d853ddb
Time in Focus
This app helps you organize your tasks and focus on what matters with timed work sessions and app blocking. Track your progress and build productive habits without pressure.
- Task planning and organization
- App blocking for distractions
- Timed focus sessions with breaks
- Progress tracking and streaks
- Calendar and heatmap visualization
- Private and iPhone-only operation
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I built Time In Focus for myself as much as for anyone. I kept sitting down to do real work and then watching an hour go somewhere else. The problem was never that I didn't want to focus — it was making my phone less distracting, and having something to show for my work. So I made the thing I needed: a quiet timer that holds the line I set, and a way to close the apps that pull at me before they get the chance. It doesn't do anything clever. It keeps time, holds the line you set, and shows you what you did. That's it. I use it every day. FOCUS SESSIONS Pick a 25-minute sprint for something small or a 45-minute block for deep work. When the session ends, a break timer gives you room to step back before the next one. Set a daily goal, keep a streak if streaks help you, and have something to look back at. FOCUS SHIELD This is the part I lean on most. Before you start, you choose the apps you don't want to reach for. Once the session begins, the shield holds them closed for the whole thing. The only way past it is to end the session — no “just five minutes.” It's not enforcement. It's a door you can close, and a reminder of what you decided when you sat down. The apps are still there when you're done; they just don't get you mid-session. TASKS Add what you're working on before or during a session and check things off as you go. When a stray thought shows up — and it always does — the parking lot catches it, so you can set it down and stay where you are instead of chasing it. FOCUS VISUALS & SOUND Turn the screen into something quieter to sit with. More than fifteen visuals — Aurora, Grid, and Glass among them — shift slowly as the session runs. Pair them with rain, a cafe, or lo-fi if quiet isn't your thing. WHAT YOU DID A weekly calendar, a daily session chart, and lifetime stats. Not a scoreboard — a receipt. The days you actually showed up, kept where you can see them. BADGES Small markers along the way, from your first ten sessions out to the far end. They're there if you like them, easy to ignore if you don't. THE SMALL STUFF A flip clock shows the current time, so you don't reach for your phone to check it Dark and light themes with accent colors you pick A home screen widget with today's progress at a glance A daily reminder, if you want one Works in portrait and landscape YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Everything lives on your device. No account to make, no tracking, no ads. I never see your sessions, and there's nothing to sell. Your focus is yours. GETTING STARTED The Planner and widgets are free — no account, nothing to sign up for. The focus timer, app blocking, Tracking, and Screen Time reports are part of Pro. New here? Your first month of Pro is free — nothing charged today, no pressure. After that, only if it’s earned a place in your day. I hope it helps you get real work done. — Selim Privacy Policy: https://seamlessmigration.ai/time-in-focus/privacy-notice/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Time in Focus at 100% against Timer's 20%. Time in Focus also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Timer's advantage is ratings volume (442 vs 14). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Time in Focus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Time in Focus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Timer has 442 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Time in Focus's.
Timer ships an update every 4 days, Time in Focus every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Timer | Time in Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (442 ratings) | 5.0 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 442 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Studio 1J, LLC | Seamless Migration AI LLC |
Customer experience
Timer
Time in Focus
Bugs and requests
Timer
Reported bugs
3 issues- App swirls for over a minute before loading
- No widgets found after paying for subscription
- Unable to get past the first screen without subscribing
Requested features
4 requests- Allow limited access to try before subscribing
- Add an option to control the timer from the widget
- Add shortcuts support for setting and naming timers
- Add a 24-hour timer option
Time in Focus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Timer
- Minimal Timer+3 Days trial$7.997 Days
- Minimal Timer+3 Days trial$19.997 Days
- Minimal Timer+3 variants$79.001 Year
Time in Focus
- Pro Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- Pro Yearly1 Month trial$35.901 Year
Questions
Is Timer free?
Is Time in Focus free?
Which has better reviews, Timer or Time in Focus?
Do Timer or Time in Focus have ads?
Which is updated more often, Timer or Time in Focus?
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