Sitting Time vs Mindful Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sitting Time
This app provides a straightforward timer for meditation sessions, allowing users to set durations and delays. It features a dimming screen option and continues to play gongs even when the device is locked, supporting both light and dark modes.
- Adjustable timer (1-60 minutes)
- Customizable setup delay (1-60 seconds)
- Screen dimming for focus
- Background gong playback
- Light and Dark mode support
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Sitting Time is a simple app to aid you in your dedicated sitting meditation. It does one thing - timing your sitting whilst getting out of your way doing so. Features: - Start, pause and stop your timer (1-60 minutes) - Add a delay while you get your sitting position set up (1-60 seconds; double tap on the labels at the bottom to show/hide this option) - Dim the screen to avoid distraction whilst counting down - Gongs continue to play even if the device is locked - Light and Dark mode support I hope it helps you in your sitting practice.
Mindful Timer
This app provides a simple, unguided interval timer for self-guided meditation, breathwork, and yoga practices. It features customizable timers, gentle bells, and a distraction-free interface. Save your favorite routines and track your weekly sessions without any ads or subscriptions.
- Multiple automatic timers
- Customizable interval bells
- Save preset routines
- Weekly session tracking
- Gentle bell sounds
- Distraction-free design
- Offline functionality
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A simple meditation timer for unguided practice. No ads. No subscriptions. No distractions. Just gentle bells to keep time while you practice. Set your session, put your phone down, and let the bells guide you. Mindful Timer is built for people who just want the space to meditate—no courses, no sleep sounds, no content library. Just timers, soothing sounds, and you. Perfect for meditation, yin and restorative yoga, breathwork, zazen, or any self-guided practice. NEW + 20+ curated sounds: singing bowls, bells, and simple voice cues + Choose how many times the bells ring —once, twice, or three times + Practice insights and heat maps to help you build consistency + Sync sessions to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes CORE FEATURES + Sequential timers that flow automatically from one to the next, so you never check the clock + Interval bells at your chosen frequency (e.g. every 5 minutes) + Fully custom timer durations + Save your routines as presets and start them in one tap + Track streaks, weekly and monthly sessions, and lifetime minutes + Play your own music (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) + Runs in the background and while your phone is locked + Large countdown display. DESIGNED FOR CALM FROM DAY ONE + No ads, ever + No subscriptions, ever — one simple purchase, yours forever + No guided meditations, courses, or content to wade through + No social feeds or comparison + Dark mode so it's easy on the eyes + Works fully offline + Gentle sounds to guide you through transitions (unlike most interval timers) PERFECT FOR + Any self-guided or silent meditation + Zen, zazen, vipassana, and insight meditation + Yin yoga and restorative yoga + Breathwork and pranayama + Practicing at home before a vipassana or meditation retreat + Building a daily unguided meditation or yoga habit + Yoga teachers keeping time during class + Interval walking, Japanese interval walking, and Pomodoro focus blocks WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT + Incredibly simple and intuitive design. + Keeps time in the background, so you never pick up your phone mid-practice. + Carefully curated, soothing sounds. No jarring alarms. + No clutter, no distractions, nothing you don't need.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sitting Time at none against Mindful Timer's 2. Sitting Time also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Mindful Timer's advantage is ratings volume (10 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Mindful Timer sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Sitting Time asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Sitting Time against 5.0 for Mindful Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mindful Timer has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Sitting Time ships an update every 2 days, Mindful Timer weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sitting Time | Mindful Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Segall | Burnt Cinnamon Labs |
Customer experience
Sitting Time
Mindful Timer
In-app purchases
Sitting Time
No in-app purchases
Mindful Timer
- Premium: Bell Sounds, Insights$2.99
- Premium: Bell Sounds, Insights$4.99
Questions
Is Sitting Time free?
Is Mindful Timer free?
Which has better reviews, Sitting Time or Mindful Timer?
Do Sitting Time or Mindful Timer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sitting Time or Mindful Timer?
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