Comparison

UltraTimer vs Exercise Timer

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

Head to head
About

UltraTimer

This app offers a fully programmable and customizable interval timer for various activities. Set single or multiple timers with custom alarm sounds and visual feedback. Share and exchange timers with a community of users.

Highlights
  • Fully programmable interval timer
  • Customizable alarm sounds
  • Background color customization
  • Timer Groups for sequential timing
  • Community Timer Exchange
  • Custom sound recording
  • Timer sharing via email/clipboard
Features
Read full description

- Reviews - "UltraTimer by Plain and Simple Software is an ideal tool if you want to use your iPhone or iPod touch to keep you on track... UltraTimer is a simple but valuable tool for anyone who requires a flexible, hands-free event timer." - by Kyle Bailey, Macworld.com "Ultratimer: a must-have for interval training. ... Of the timers that I've tested, UltraTimer is my favorite. Its combination of ease-of-use and functionality make it the benchmark fitness timer app." - by Sang Tang, tuaw.com "So I purchased the UltraTimer app from the AppStore on my iPhone. It was the only purchased app I have that was worth it!" - by Casey, rawandfit.com "...the other thing that I have come to love is my Ultratimer application on my iPod... the Ultratimer is a step beyond." - by Jennifer, oncearoundvenus.blogspot.com "UltraTimer iPhone App Is EXACTLY What I’ve Been Looking For. ... I was worried that it might be difficult to use, but I found it incredibly easy and I was running with a program that only took me about five minutes to program, and that included recording the voice prompts." - by Laura Moncur, starling-fitness.com ----------------------------------- - Description - UltraTimer is the original fully-programmable and customizable interval timer in the AppStore. As a result, it is the most refined and feature-rich interval timer today! UltraTimer is an easy and convenient way of timing any activity or series of activities. You can set a single timer or multiple timers, each including series of count-down intervals that run back-to-back. Each interval can be customized to play a different alarm sound from the included library, as well as change the background color for visual feedback. It is easy to set up intervals for any activity: training (martial arts, boxing, mma, circuit training, interval training, Crossfit, HIIT / HIT, yoga, meditation, exercise, workout, cycling, running, etc), time management for switching between multiple projects, or anything else you can think of. For a complete workout, you can set up a Timer Group which will play individual timers back to back. Start out with your favorite Warm Up timer, then run through your favorite Training timer, and end with a Stretching timer. UltraTrainer will run you through your full workout automatically. The included sound library comes with a wide variety of reminder sounds suitable for relaxing timers, high intensity activities, and everything in between. Custom sounds can also be recorded via the microphone; you are not limited to the included sound library. Exclusive to our products, users can browse the Timer Exchange, a community where people freely exchange timers. Search, browse, and download timers that other users have uploaded. If you want, you can upload your own timers to share with others. If a friend also owns UltraTimer, you can exchange timers via e-mail or the clipboard to use other methods. Using UltraTimer with music playing is not a problem. You can begin playing music on the timer screen, pause it, or skip to the next track. Just a few features in UltraTimer: - Timer Exchange community - Runs in the background - Copy/Paste Intervals and Actions - Delayed start time - Over 70 included sounds - Record your own sounds - Large countdown timer display - iPod music playback control lets you pause/play the current track or move to the next track from the countdown timer screen - Pause the timer to temporarily halt the activity - Timer state is saved if it is interrupted - Still runs if screen is locked - Intuitive setup If you're looking for an App that coaches you as you train, check out "UltraTrainer."

About

Exercise Timer

Create and guide custom interval training routines with this app. It supports timed and rep-based exercises, offers voice coaching, and logs your workout history with detailed analytics. Track progress over time and organize routines into training plans.

Highlights
  • Custom workout routines
  • Voice coach for next exercise
  • Timed and rep-based exercises
  • Workout logging and analytics
  • Training plans
  • Background operation
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Create custom workout routines & let Exercise Timer guide you through your interval training. Exercise Timer supports both timed exercises and even reps-based exercises (press 'done' when exercise complete). Use Exercise Timer with your screen on or even in the background with your screen locked. Keep your phone in your pocket & Exercise Timer will still let you know which exercise is coming up by voice, vibration & bell. Keep a log of every workout along with an exercise breakdown & take notes. Know how much time you spend exercising with weekly, monthly & yearly charts. In addition to this, Exercise Timer generates reports of individual exercises with overall totals & Exercise Progression charts FEATURES • Create your custom workout routines • Voice Coach announces the next exercise • Optional Metronome to improve cadence • Multiple Bell Sounds • Group Exercises. E.g.: for Warm-Up/Cool-Down • Timed Exercises & Reps exercises supported • Color code your Exercises • Explain your exercises better with our library of exercise GIFs • Log & keep track of your workouts • Workout Analytics • Organize your workouts in Training Plans • Training plans designed by our fitness experts • Works in Background with device locked and screen off • Use Exercise Timer on your Apple Watch IDEAL FOR: • Interval Training, Tabata & Circuit Training • Yoga • Boxing • Keeping all your Workout Routines & Plans in one place • Gym Timer ARE YOU A FITNESS TRAINER? Create your Training Plans and workout routines in Exercise Timer and easily share them with your clients. APPLE WATCH Yes, Exercise Timer works on your Apple Watch! All your workouts are automatically synced on your Apple watch. Workouts performed on your apple watch are also logged on your phone. Download Exercise Timer Now and get moving! UNLOCK PREMIUM FEATURES Exercise Timer Premium is available with a monthly or annual subscription. If you choose to purchase Exercise Timer Premium, payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and your account will be charged for renewal 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24hrs before the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to the ‘Manage Subscription’ page after purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of service: https://exercisetimer.net/terms Privacy policy: https://exercisetimer.net/privacypolicy

Screenshots

UltraTimer4 screens
Exercise Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Exercise Timer at Free against UltraTimer's $1.99. Exercise Timer also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (1K vs 12). UltraTimer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17). On update cadence, ads and device support 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

Exercise Timer is free to download; UltraTimer costs $1.99 up front. Exercise Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. UltraTimer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Exercise Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exercise Timer has 1K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of UltraTimer's written reviews are positive against 73% of Exercise Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
UltraTimer versus Exercise Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUltraTimerExercise Timer
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (12 ratings)4.8 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews73.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings121K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS8.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlain and Simple SoftwareNeurondigital Ltd

Customer experience

UltraTimer

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral11.1%
Negative31.7%

Exercise Timer

All ratings1,000 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative19.6%

User reviews

UltraTimer

From 12 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Best workout timer
  • 👍 Highly customizable
  • 🚀 Works great on latest devices
  • 💪 Perfect for fitness routines
  • 🎨 Visually appealing interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with older devices
  • 🔍 Layout not functioning properly on some phones
  • 🔇 Sound issues after updates
  • 💻 Crashes and bugs after recent updates
  • 🔋 Drains battery when screen is on

Exercise Timer

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great value without fluff
  • 👍 Simple but customizable
  • 👍 Awesome HIIT timer with exercise naming
  • 👍 Versatile and customizable exercise timer
  • 👍 A very underrated app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, freezes constantly
  • 🐛 Apple Watch version dysfunctional
  • 🐛 Input nightmare, difficult to use
  • 🐛 Landscape mode not available on iOS
  • 🐛 Reordering exercises in edit stage is a nightmare

Bugs and requests

UltraTimer

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Cannot modify interval times after latest update
  • Timers get replaced with incorrect values when saved
  • Naming/renaming of timers and groups not working
  • Frequent crashes when trying to copy, paste or delete timers
  • Sound not playing consistently during workouts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add option to pause/resume individual intervals
  • Implement a countdown timer before workout starts
  • Allow importing/exporting of custom timers
  • Provide more sound options and ability to use own sounds
  • Add screen lock feature to prevent accidental taps

Exercise Timer

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Syncing issues with Apple Watch
  • Randomly locking users out and requiring upgrade
  • Deleting all routines after uninstalling
  • Exercises not updating properly on Apple Watch
  • Apple Watch app causing native exercise app to crash
Show 1 more
  • Phone locked, no chime when locked

Requested features

5 requests
  • Sync workouts across devices without logging out/in
  • Ability to duplicate workouts on iPhone
  • Search, sort, or reorder routines
  • Connect with Apple Health app
  • Shortcut/automation support

In-app purchases

None

UltraTimer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Exercise Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Exercise Timer Premium Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Exercise Timer Premium Yearly3 Days trial$30.991 Year
One-time1
  • Exercise Timer Lifetime$69.99

Questions

Is UltraTimer free?
UltraTimer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Exercise Timer free?
Exercise Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, UltraTimer or Exercise Timer?
Exercise Timer is rated higher. UltraTimer averages 4.2 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Exercise Timer averages 4.8 from 1K ratings.
Do UltraTimer or Exercise Timer have ads?
Neither UltraTimer nor Exercise Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UltraTimer or Exercise Timer?
UltraTimer ships an update monthly, and Exercise Timer monthly. Most recently, UltraTimer was updated on October 10, 2026 and Exercise Timer on October 12, 2026.

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