Comparison

Timer vs Five Timer

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

Head to head
About

Timer

This advanced timer allows for precise time management across various activities. Set multiple special events with customizable triggers like sounds, messages, or screen flashing. It's ideal for games, workouts, cooking, meditation, and any task requiring accurate timing, even when the app is in the background.

Highlights
  • Multiple complex timers simultaneously
  • Scheduled event triggers (sounds, messages, photos)
  • Customizable display modes (textual, graphical)
  • Background operation with sound/message alerts
  • Looping timers
  • Delayed start and flexible stop time entry
  • Screen blocking and flashlight alerts
Features
Read full description

Timer is an advanced timer for performing various tasks at specific times that you set. It is your perfect companion for board games, sport workouts, cooking, zen meditation or whatever activity that needs a precision and powerful timer. Timer allows to define multiple special events that will be triggered when the timer is running. Sounds, messages, photos, screen flashing and more actions can be triggered at any time thanks to a complex time scheduling system (that can be easily previewed). The majority of these actions can be done when the application is open, but it is still possible to play sounds and display messages when the application is closed. Here are some events you'll be able to create (and combine) : * "Play a Gong sound 30 seconds before end" * "Every 10 seconds during 1 minute, produce a sound with an increasing pitch" * "Play a tic tac sound every seconds" * "Once One-half the time is elapsed, play an iPod song and show a custom message on the screen" * "While in background, plays a Tibetan bell sound 4 times (every 25%) until 6PM" * "Take a photo every minute" Here are the main features : - 9 complex timers with time scheduled events can be used at the same time. - The timer can be looped forever or for a specific number (the number of loops being displayed). - Elapsed time, remaining time, current time can be either displayed. Various display modes are available (including textual or graphical ones). - The time is displayed in full screen, in the biggest possible way. Two different areas can be customized. - The timer start can be delayed, allowing to have a short preparation time before the timer is automatically started. - The stop time can be entered as a relative duration or as an absolute hour value. - Portrait and Landscape visualization modes are handled in all application screens. - The timer can be used when silence is needed (thanks to a flashing screen, vibrations and a dimmed display). - When the timer is done, the time is still displayed, allowing to know since how long the timer elapsed. - The screen can be blocked, keeping the timer visible, in order to avoid pressing accidentally the buttons. - Different dedicated alarm sounds can be used (Bell, Cooking timer, Watch, Gong, Danger, Lama Bell...) - Shepard tones can also be used : those tones creates the auditory illusion of a tone that continually ascends or descends in pitch. - Import custom sounds or record them directly. Use them as audio alerts when the application is opened. Play a random iPod song. - Custom musics/sounds can be selected from the iPod library to be used as internal alarms. The iPod music can also be stopped. - Automatically take pictures at given times. Use the flashlight as a visual alert. - Load, save, import and export your settings, allowing you to share and have multiple configurations ready to be used. - Customize the look of each timer to your taste.

About

Five Timer

This app provides a modern and powerful timer for solving puzzles, supporting all WCA puzzles with customizable sessions and random scramblers. It offers innovative features like drop-to-stop and time tinting, along with detailed statistics and universal compatibility for iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Universal App for iPhone and iPad
  • WCA puzzle support with custom sessions
  • Random state scramblers for multiple puzzles
  • Innovative 'Drop to stop' timer control
  • Time tinting for performance comparison
  • Optional 15-second inspection
  • Detailed statistics and averages
Features
Read full description

FiveTimer is your cube timer with all the strength where it matters. Modern and updated regularly, FiveTimer has been developed and maintained since 2011. Today, it's full of power-user features you won't see in any other timer including: • Universal App for the iPhone and iPad. • Puzzle support for all WCA puzzles across multiple sessions and custom sessions you can configure yourself. - Random state scramblers include 2x2, 3x3, Square-1, Pyraminx, and Skewb. - Blindfold scrambles* • Drop to stop, an innovative and natural way to stop the timer. • Time tint, times colored based on how they fare to time compares to the session* • Hold to start or tap to start with an optional 15 second inspection. • Landscape support for iPhones* • Statistics for averages of 5, 12, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 • Supports SplitView on iPads • Voice options to read the times of give inspection alerts* • Hardware keyboard shortcuts including start and stop with spacebar. * feature exclusive to FiveTimer

Screenshots

Timer4 screens
Five Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Timer at 4.8 against Five Timer's 4.4. Timer also leads on ratings volume (218 vs 34). Five Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Timer costs $3.99 and Five Timer $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Timer has 218 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 80% and 81% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Timer ships an update every 7 months, Five Timer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Timer versus Five Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimerFive Timer
Price$3.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (218 ratings) — better4.4 (34 ratings)
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews80.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings218 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12 — better13.6
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrancis BonninT.Wright

Customer experience

Timer

All ratings218 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive80.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative10.7%

Five Timer

All ratings34 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral8.8%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral8.8%
Negative10.3%

User reviews

Timer

From 218 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for workouts and exercises
  • 🚀 Highly customizable and versatile
  • 🔔 Excellent timer with multiple alert options
  • 💡 Useful for presentations and meetings
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and stability issues
  • 🔋 Can drain battery when running in the background
  • 🔍 Confusing interface with too many advanced features
  • 🔇 Sound alerts not always working as expected

Five Timer

From 34 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • ✨ Nice UI
  • ⚙️ Customizable shortcuts
  • 💰 Worth the money
  • 🚀 Fast and fluid experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Overlapping UI on newer iPhones
  • 🐛 Incompatible with Dynamic Island
  • 🐛 Top bar inaccessible on newer iPhones
  • 🐛 Buttons covered by Dynamic Island
  • 🐛 Reset button easy to accidentally press

Bugs and requests

Timer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Timer randomly changing time during use
  • Alarm not sounding when app is in background
  • Screen dimming and locking issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Multiple timers running concurrently
  • Ability to save and share custom timer presets
  • More vibration and sound alert options
  • Improved background mode and iOS 4 support

Five Timer

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • Application and screen display not compatible with iPhone 17
  • Setting tools overlapping with time and battery on iPhone 17 Pro
  • Top control bar overlaps system status bar on newer iPhones with Dynamic Island
  • Top bar inaccessible unless in landscape mode on iPhones with Dynamic Island
  • Buttons at the top are at the same height as the dynamic island, making them unpressable
Show 18 more
  • Buttons on the top are obstructed by the notch and unpressable
  • Very easy to reset session, accidentally resetting all solves
  • Settings take forever to load after many solves
  • App crashes when trying to click on 'best avg'
  • App crashes upon opening
  • Tabbing out of the program causes it to refuse to tab back in
  • App crashes after one time on iOS 6
  • Drop to stop feature does not work while hiding solve time
  • App crashes upon opening, even after reinstall
  • Update issue: touch screen no longer stops timer as well
  • Drop to stop does not stop as well after update
  • Timer will just stop when not near phone
  • Starting a solve before 10 secs of inspection left results in DNF
  • App crashes every time upon opening
  • App won't open after update
  • Keeps displaying dnf instead of timing properly even with drop to stop turned off
  • Reset button barely works, often starts timer instead
  • Spacebar use with keyboard causes other buttons to start timer again

Requested features

19 requests
  • FTO scrambles for new WCA event
  • Show expected end result of scramble
  • 3x3 OH session
  • Date and time for export reports
  • Scramble graphic included
Show 14 more
  • Show date/time for each solve
  • 3x3 OH stock session
  • Add custom notation for custom puzzles
  • Preview scramble option on stock puzzles
  • Random state clock scrambles
  • Generate drawing of scramble
  • Average of 100
  • Bigger text for time on iPad
  • Option to disable red flash during inspection
  • Graph on iPad version
  • Ability to internally save sessions
  • Support for Megaminx
  • Customization of colors or font sizes
  • 15 sec countdown (like iiTimer)

In-app purchases

None

Timer

No in-app purchases

None

Five Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Timer free?
Timer costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Five Timer free?
Five Timer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Timer or Five Timer?
Timer is rated higher. Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 218 ratings, while Five Timer averages 4.4 from 34 ratings.
Do Timer or Five Timer have ads?
Neither Timer nor Five Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Timer or Five Timer?
Timer ships an update every 7 months, and Five Timer every 3 months. Most recently, Timer was updated on September 30, 2026 and Five Timer on September 29, 2026.

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