Comparison

Seconds Interval Timer vs Mariabs · Interval Timer

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

Head to head
About

Seconds Interval Timer

This interval timer app helps you build and run custom workouts for HIIT, Tabata, and circuits. It provides voice cues, runs in the background, and syncs with Apple Watch. Save workouts to Apple Health and track calories burned.

Highlights
  • Build custom timers for any workout
  • Voice cues for intervals
  • Runs in background with screen off
  • Syncs with Apple Watch
  • Color-coded interval display
  • Save workouts to Apple Health
  • Play music with cues
Features
Read full description

Seconds is an interval timer for HIIT, Tabata, EMOM, circuits and any workout built from timed intervals. It calls each interval out loud, keeps running with the screen off, and runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Apple has featured it, and Joe Wicks, The Body Coach, has said it is the fitness app he uses more than any other. BUILD ANY WORKOUT - Start from a HIIT, Tabata or circuit template, or build a timer from scratch with sets, rounds and intervals of different lengths. - Chain timers into one compound timer, so a warm-up flows into the main set and then a cool-down. - Color-code every interval so you know what is coming before the beep. - Share a timer with a friend in one tap. HEAR IT, DON'T WATCH IT - Voice cues call out each interval by name and warn you before the next one starts. - Beeps and bells are there too if you would rather not be talked at. - Play your own music, per timer or per interval. Cues duck the music and it comes back up when they are done. - The timer keeps going in the background while you use other apps or the screen sleeps. ON THE GYM FLOOR - A full-screen, color-coded display you can read from across the room, in portrait or landscape. On iPad it uses the whole screen. - A lock button stops a stray tap from pausing your set. APPLE WATCH - Seconds runs on the watch by itself, so the phone can stay in the locker. Timers you build on the phone sync to the wrist, and Quick Intervals builds a basic circuit on the watch itself. MORE TIMERS - A stopwatch that marks your best and worst laps. - A countdown timer with five preset durations (three on Apple Watch). APPLE HEALTH - Save workouts and mindful sessions to Health. With a heart rate monitor connected, Seconds reads your body measurements and year of birth from Health to estimate calories burned. FREE TO TRY, ONE PAYMENT TO UNLOCK - Everything is available from the first launch. Build any timer and run it. - Each timer locks after you run it once. A single in-app purchase removes the lock on every timer you make. SECONDS AND SECONDS PRO - Seconds Pro is the same app, paid once up front, with nothing to unlock. The two are separate products and a purchase in one does not carry over to the other. If you bought Seconds Pro, download Seconds Pro. If you bought the unlock in Seconds, download Seconds and use Restore Purchases.

About

Mariabs · Interval Timer

This app provides a customizable interval timer for various training styles like HIIT and Tabata. It offers voice cues, haptic feedback, and a clear display to keep users focused on their workouts. A new run mode with GPS tracking is also available.

Highlights
  • Customizable interval parameters
  • Voice cues for transitions
  • Musical chimes and haptic feedback
  • GPS tracking for runs
  • Run/walk interval support
  • Glanceable monochrome display
  • Workout settings remembered
Features
Read full description

Mariabs is a sharp, minimal interval timer for anyone who trains in rounds — tabata, HIIT, EMOM, circuits, or your own custom intervals. Set your prepare, work, rest, cycles, blocks, and block-rest durations in seconds. Press the white play button. Mariabs counts you in, calls out each phase, and chimes the final 3-2-1 of every interval so you can keep your eyes on what you're doing instead of on the screen. WHAT YOU GET • Six adjustable parameters: prepare, work, rest, cycles per block, number of blocks, and rest between blocks • Voice cues for every transition: "Prepare", "Work", "Rest", and "Block complete — get ready for the next" • Distinct musical chimes per phase, generated on-device, synced with light haptics • 3-2-1 countdown ticks before each phase change • Big, monochrome timer dial with a subtle progress ring tinted to the current phase • Cycle and block progress shown at all times so you always know where you are • Plays over whatever you're already listening to — music, podcasts, anything — and lowers it only for the moment Mariabs speaks • Stays awake automatically while a workout is running • Settings remembered between launches NEW IN 2.0: RUN MODE Switch from TIMER to RUN and Mariabs measures your run with GPS. • Just run: distance, pace, time and your route on a map, with an optional time goal and/or distance goal • Run / walk: run and walk intervals on top of the run (default run 4:00, walk 1:00 × 6), spoken over your music • Your split for every kilometre (or mile) is called out with its pace • Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show the countdown, distance and pace • Save or discard each run. Saved runs stay on your iPhone, with map and splits, and can be exported as GPX • No account, nothing uploaded. Runs are not written to Apple Health DESIGNED TO STAY OUT OF THE WAY The screen is dark, glanceable from across a gym, and built around one button. There are no menus, no levels, no streaks, no badges, no analytics. You configure once, then press play. PRIVACY Mariabs collects nothing. No account. No email. No analytics. No tracking. Your settings, runs and routes stay on your device. Location is used only during a run. The privacy policy is one page; you can read it before you tap install. NO ADS Mariabs has no ads, no in-app purchases, and no premium tier. No account required.

Screenshots

Seconds Interval Timer4 screens
Mariabs · Interval Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mariabs · Interval Timer at none against Seconds Interval Timer's 1. Mariabs · Interval Timer also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Seconds Interval Timer's advantage is ratings volume (24K vs 1). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Seconds Interval Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mariabs · Interval Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mariabs · Interval Timer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Seconds Interval Timer has 24K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Seconds Interval Timer ships an update monthly, Mariabs · Interval Timer every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Seconds Interval Timer versus Mariabs · Interval Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeconds Interval TimerMariabs · Interval Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings24K — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.016.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRunloop LtdPER MAGNE HELSETH

Bugs and requests

Seconds Interval Timer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Timer sometimes stops working unexpectedly
  • Issues with restoring purchases on new devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to change beep/alert volume independently
  • Option to delay transition between intervals
  • Sync workouts across devices
  • More preset workout templates
  • Heart rate monitoring integration

Mariabs · Interval Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Seconds Interval Timer

One-time1
  • Advanced Version$7.99
None

Mariabs · Interval Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Seconds Interval Timer free?
Seconds Interval Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mariabs · Interval Timer free?
Mariabs · Interval Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Seconds Interval Timer or Mariabs · Interval Timer?
Mariabs · Interval Timer is rated higher. Seconds Interval Timer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Mariabs · Interval Timer averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Seconds Interval Timer or Mariabs · Interval Timer have ads?
Neither Seconds Interval Timer nor Mariabs · Interval Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Seconds Interval Timer or Mariabs · Interval Timer?
Seconds Interval Timer ships an update monthly, and Mariabs · Interval Timer every 6 days. Most recently, Seconds Interval Timer was updated on November 3, 2026 and Mariabs · Interval Timer on October 31, 2026.

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