Comparison

Interval Timer vs RUN interval

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

Head to head
About

Interval Timer

This app helps you manage workout intervals with customizable work and rest periods. It runs in the background and allows music playback, with options to save settings and share progress. Integrates with Apple Health for heart rate monitoring.

Highlights
  • Customizable sets, intervals, and rest times
  • Runs in background and with screen locked
  • Music playlist integration
  • Save settings as templates
  • Apple Health integration for heart rate
  • Post workouts to social media
Features
Read full description

***Free and reliable. Perfect for use at home, at the track or in the gym. We’re proud to introduce this handy little app that helps you keep track of your work and rest periods during workouts. Whether your into cycling, running, lifting weights, exercise, workout, stretching, boxing, MMA or HIT, this interval timer will prove to be an invaluable asset to you. Running foreground, background or with device locked, this reliable app allows you specify an overall time as well as program High/Low intensity interval and rest time between sets. Produced by Polycents! Key Features: - Customizable sets, high/low intensity interval and rest for your own need - Retina display, iOS4 and multitasking - Continue to run even when screen is locked - Play your song or playlist during your workout - Post your workout to Facebook or Twitter - Save settings as templates Customizable Features: - Number of Sets - Countdown Time - Set Time - Low Interval time - High Interval time - Rest Time - First Interval (low or high) - Sound Volume - Timer Sounds - Auto Lock - Vibrate - Pause during Rest - Playlist - New Each Set APPLE HEALTH: -Interval Timer can use Apple Health to show heart rate in Apple Watch App. # Subscription Details # - Monthly and annual subscriptions are available. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. - Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. - Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were originally charged for the subscription. - Subscriptions can be managed by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/18915396 Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/18915396

About

RUN interval

This app simplifies interval and Fartlek running by allowing you to set custom targets for time or distance during hard, easy, and rest efforts. It offers detailed post-run summaries, audio and visual feedback, and an Apple Watch app for enhanced training.

Highlights
  • Customizable interval sessions
  • Time and distance targets
  • Distance Goal option
  • Audio and visual feedback
  • Detailed run summaries
  • Apple Watch app
  • Strava sharing
Features
Read full description

Easily set up and record your Interval and Fartlek running sessions. With the flexibility of using time and/or distance as interval targets for your "Hard", "Easy" and "Rest" efforts. The simple but highly configurable interface on your phone and watch will have you running sooner. Now with a Distance Goal option for your session. Along with great audio and visual feedback, detailed post-run summary, share your runs to Strava, and a full-featured Apple Watch app. You can also record your regular runs with voice-over calling out distance and pace feedback. Key Features: • Easily create flexible custom interval sessions. • Utilize three effort targets "Hard", "Easy" and "Rest" in each set, targeting time or distance (meters or miles). • You can "Skip" any of the three efforts to create flexible sets, like building a progressive intervals session. • NEW: Set a Distance Goal for your session, that repeats the sets from the start until the distance has been reached. • Set a Warm-Up and Warm-Down timer or distance around your session. • Clear and easily glanceable visuals and audio prompts, including vibrations. • Voice-over prompts to save you from looking at the screen, great for iPhone or headphone users. • Voice-over prompts include the upcoming intervals effort and time/distance amount, and your last intervals average pace and heart rate. • Full-featured Apple Watch App! • Heart Rate Zones! (see description below) • Indoor Mode, no GPS, for treadmill running. • Sound Mode, for normal, discrete or silent audio prompts on your watch. • Vibration feedback on both the phone and watch. • Detailed run summary, showing pace for hard and easy efforts. • The run summary also includes interval breakdown, distance breakdown and heart rate details. • Play music or podcasts while running and still hear the audio prompts. • Sharing. Share a summary photo with your friends. • Private data. We don’t send any of your data to a server or share it with anyone. Session Types: • Normal Run – Record a normal run, long or short. • Record Intervals – If you run with a group or do an undefined session, then use the Record Interval option. It allows you to manually change between "Hard" and "Easy" reps, allowing you to record your session. • Custom Intervals – Our fully flexible intervals that allow you to use time and/or distance for the efforts. Add multiple intervals sets together to create the session you want. Sharing: From the summary screen, you can share your runs with friends or across social media. If you want to share directly with friends or across other social media, you can share a summary image with the details of your run. Heart Rate Zones: (Apple Watch Only) Zones are displayed as grouped percentages of your maximum heart rate. Giving you an indication of your current work rate based on your current heart rate. Just enter your maximum workout heart rate into our Settings screen and they will display on your Watch the next time you run. Zone 1: Very Light Effort 50-60% (Gray) Zone 2: Light Effort 60-70% (Blue) Zone 3: Moderate Effort 70-80% (Green) Zone 4: Hard Effort 80-90% (Yellow) Zone 5: Maximum Effort 90-100% (Red) Privacy: We don’t want to know where you have run, that's for you to worry about. We don’t send any of your data to a server or share it with anyone you don't want too. We keep your running records safe in Apple Health so you have control. Apple Heath gives you the control over who accesses your data. We only write and read the data we record from your running. Feedback: And because we don't send any data to a server, we need you to send us feedback and suggestions. Hit the Support link below or visit our website to contact us.

Screenshots

Interval Timer4 screens
RUN interval4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: RUN interval at none against Interval Timer's shown. RUN interval also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (77% vs 69%). Interval Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (19K vs 1K). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Interval Timer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and RUN interval sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RUN interval holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Interval Timer has 19K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Interval Timer's written reviews are positive against 77% of RUN interval's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Interval Timer ships an update every 9 days, RUN interval every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Interval Timer versus RUN interval: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInterval TimerRUN interval
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (19K ratings)4.7 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.0% of reviews77.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19K — better1K
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNEO PIXEL LABS PTE. LTD.CAN YOU HEAR ME SOFTWARE

Customer experience

Interval Timer

All ratings19,032 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews1,236 reviews
Positive69.0%
Neutral5.7%
Negative25.2%

RUN interval

All ratings1,003 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive77.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative17.5%

Bugs and requests

Interval Timer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Ads block functionality
  • App freezes or crashes
  • Timer doesn't work in background

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add notes to workouts
  • Provide workout history and analytics
  • Allow syncing with Apple Health
  • Improve Apple Watch integration
  • Add more customization options

RUN interval

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Interval Timer

Subscriptions6
  • Plus - 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • Premium - 1 Month$1.991 Month
  • Plus - 1 Month$1.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Premium - 1 Month$2.991 Month
  • Plus - 1 Year2 variants$4.991 Year
  • Premium - 1 Year7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Year
2 purchases

RUN interval

One-time2
  • The full RUN interval$1.99
  • The full RUN interval$3.99

Questions

Is Interval Timer free?
Interval Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RUN interval free?
RUN interval is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Interval Timer or RUN interval?
RUN interval is rated higher. Interval Timer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while RUN interval averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.
Do Interval Timer or RUN interval have ads?
Interval Timer shows ads; RUN interval does not.
Which is updated more often, Interval Timer or RUN interval?
Interval Timer ships an update every 9 days, and RUN interval every 3 months. Most recently, Interval Timer was updated on September 24, 2026 and RUN interval on September 24, 2026.

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