Dry Fire Timer vs Kestrel LiNK Ballistics
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dry Fire Timer
This app provides a versatile dry fire training experience with a comprehensive drill library and a precision timer. It offers unique features like standalone Apple Watch operation, pause and resume functionality, and customizable sound alerts for enhanced training sessions.
- Standalone Apple Watch app
- Pause and resume drills
- Customizable sounds and signals
- Drill sharing via export/import
- Training log and progress charts
- 23 built-in competition drills
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The dry fire timer other apps wish they were. Dry Fire Timer is the only dry fire trainer with standalone Apple Watch, pause & resume, fully customizable sounds, and drill sharing — features you won't find anywhere else. 23 built-in competition drills. Progress charts. One-time purchase. APPLE WATCH — STANDALONE Run drills from your wrist without your phone. Browse by category, start with one tap, feel haptic signals — Stand By tap, Go buzz, Par Time pulse. Logs sync back to iPhone automatically. PAUSE & RESUME MID-DRILL Paused on rep 23 of 50? Resume from rep 24. Your session isn't lost because life interrupted. CUSTOMIZABLE SOUNDS 4 presets — Default, Tactical, Soft, Classic — or build your own. Assign a different tone to each of the 5 signals from 8 tone types. Preview before you train. EXPORT & IMPORT DRILLS Share your entire training program. Export drills as JSON, send to your squad via AirDrop or text. They import and run your exact drills with your exact par times. TRAINING LOG & PROGRESS CHARTS Every session logged with time, par times, notes, and target photos. Charts track your improvement over weeks. Export logs as CSV with photos for your coach. DRILL LIBRARY 23 built-in competition drills — Core, Match, and all 8 Steel Challenge stages. Build unlimited custom drills with multiple strings and individual par times per string. PAR SHIFT One tap shifts every par time across all strings by 1/100s. Tiny increments that compound into real speed. Perfect for Steve Anderson's "Refinement and Repetition." PRECISION TIMER Hardware-scheduled beeps — millisecond accuracy. Random or fixed start delay. Visual flash signals work with ear pro. AirPods and Bluetooth speaker support. No subscriptions. No ads. No account. Works offline. On the App Store since 2013.
Kestrel LiNK Ballistics
Manage your connected Kestrel Ballistics device to enhance shooting accuracy. Create and store gun profiles, access extensive bullet libraries, and view shooting solutions remotely. The app also facilitates firmware updates for your device.
- Gun profile management
- Access bullet libraries
- Remote target viewing
- Custom target creation
- Printable range cards
- Firmware updates
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The Kestrel LiNK® Ballistics App gives you the ability to manage key features and functions of your connected Kestrel Ballistics device to maximize convenience and boost your shooting performance. Quickly and easily create, upload, download, and store gun profiles and access the Applied Ballistics and Hornady libraries of lab-tested bullet parameters and profiles for use in your Kestrel Ballistics Meter using the Gun Profile Manager(1). Place your Kestrel in the vane mount on a tripod (sold separately) to view solutions remotely from your shooting position on your mobile device using Single Target Mode. Create and send up to 10 custom targets to your Kestrel or export a printable range card using Target Card Mode(2). The Kestrel LiNK Ballistics app also allows you to easily update the firmware in any LiNK-enabled Kestrel Ballistics meter or HUD so you always have the latest features and improvements. * Kestrel 5700 Elite Weather Meter with Applied Ballistics, Kestrel 5700 with Hornady 4DOF, Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meter, 2700 Ballistics Weather Meter, and Kestrel HUD Heads Up Display (1) Kestrel 5700 Elite Weather Meters with Applied Ballistics can access Applied Ballistics G1 & G7 BCs and AB Custom Drag Models. Kestrel 5700 and 2700 Ballistics Weather Meters can access Applied Ballistics G1 & G7 BCs. Kestrel 5700 Ballistics Weather Meters with Hornady 4DOF can access Hornady G1 & G7 BCs and Hornady Bullet Files. (2) Target Card Mode available on Kestrel 5700 Elite Models only.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Kestrel LiNK Ballistics at Free against Dry Fire Timer's $8.99. Kestrel LiNK Ballistics also leads on ratings volume (60 vs 5) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Dry Fire Timer's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 2.8) and chart position (#38 vs unranked). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Kestrel LiNK Ballistics is free to download; Dry Fire Timer costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Dry Fire Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kestrel LiNK Ballistics has 60 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Dry Fire Timer's written reviews are positive against 25% of Kestrel LiNK Ballistics's.
Dry Fire Timer ships an update every 2 months, Kestrel LiNK Ballistics every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dry Fire Timer | Kestrel LiNK Ballistics |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (5 ratings) — better | 2.8 (60 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 30.8% of reviews — better | 24.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 60 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #38 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Konstantin Kurilo | Nielsen-Kellerman Co. |
Customer experience
Dry Fire Timer
Kestrel LiNK Ballistics
In-app purchases
Dry Fire Timer
No in-app purchases
Kestrel LiNK Ballistics
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Dry Fire Timer free?
Is Kestrel LiNK Ballistics free?
Which has better reviews, Dry Fire Timer or Kestrel LiNK Ballistics?
Do Dry Fire Timer or Kestrel LiNK Ballistics have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dry Fire Timer or Kestrel LiNK Ballistics?
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