Comparison

Remote vs OffDuty

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

Head to head
About

Remote

Features
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One big countdown everyone can see. One remote in your pocket. Remote Timer turns an iPhone or iPad into a large, glanceable countdown and lets you run it from a second device. No internet, no account, no fiddly setup. Perfect for talks, workshops, classrooms, rehearsals, exams, training sessions and any room that needs to keep to time. TWO ROLES, ONE APP โ€ข Timer: shows the big countdown. Put it where the speaker or the audience can see it. Pick a clean progress circle, or on iPhone a progress line that runs around the edge of the screen. โ€ข Remote: start, pause and reset the timer and change its duration from another device. See the live time and the timer device's battery level at a glance. BUILT FOR REAL ROOMS โ€ข Counts down, then keeps counting up in red so you always know how far over you are. Optional blinking and a haptic tap tell you the moment time is up. โ€ข Any duration up to 99 minutes, with quick presets from 1 to 30 minutes. โ€ข Controls fade away while the timer runs, so the audience only sees the time. โ€ข Devices find each other automatically on the local network. No internet connection needed. โ€ข Secret code: only remotes that know your code can connect. NEW IN 2.0 โ€ข Live Activity: keep the countdown on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with the set duration, the time since the last sync and a clear "Time's up" state. โ€ข "Time's up" notification on your remote when the timer runs out. It is corrected or cancelled automatically when the timer is paused, reset or changed. โ€ข Redesigned Timer screen and a redesigned clock-style Remote screen with a REMOTE badge, so you always know which role a device plays. โ€ข A welcome tutorial that walks you through choosing a role and pairing two devices. FOR TINKERERS Open the timer in any browser on the same network, or read it from your own scripts through a simple local HTTP endpoint. Start/stop and reset endpoints are protected by your secret code. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Remote Timer collects no data, and everything stays between your own devices. GOOD TO KNOW โ€ข Allow Local Network access when asked, otherwise your devices cannot find each other. โ€ข The Live Activity and the notification on the remote reflect the last state it received from the timer. They refresh whenever the Remote Timer app is open on the remote. โ€ข Requires iPhone or iPad with iOS 17 or later.

About

OffDuty

Features
Read full description

OffDuty is the personal calendar app for shift workers. No company cooperation required โ€” it works perfectly even if you're using it solo. Enter your shifts fast New monthly roster just dropped? With a few taps you can add the whole month into OffDuty, and it appears automatically in your iPhone Calendar. Recurring shifts? Set them up once โ€” no need to type them in every day. Match free time with friends and family Create a group. Everyone's available time stacks up automatically โ€” at a glance you can see when everyone is free. Spin up a hangout, add a location and a to-do list, and you're done with the "Wait, was that today?" group chat chaos. Does your company use Roster Architect? You can do even more If your workplace uses the Roster Architect scheduling system, you can connect with one tap. Your shifts are pushed automatically from the company side โ€” no more manual entry. Request shift swaps, time off, or schedule changes directly from the app; once your manager approves, everything updates instantly. This is an optional feature โ€” OffDuty works great even if you don't connect to a company. Features - Fast manual shift entry (default, anyone can use) - Automatic Roster Architect sync (optional) - Manage multiple separate groups for friends / family / coworkers - Shared checklists and event details - Shift swap and time-off requests (Roster Architect required) - Instant push notifications for all updates OffDuty Premium (optional subscription) Unlock unlimited groups, unlimited events, and advanced sync features. Monthly plan, cancel anytime. Privacy first Your shifts, groups, events, and checklists are stored only in your personal account. Nothing is sold to advertisers or shared with third parties. Even more important: even when you connect to your company's Roster Architect system, the private events you plan inside the app (hangouts with friends, family checklists, personal notes) are never synced back to the company or visible to your manager. The company side only sees what they already knew โ€” your shifts and shift-swap requests. Your private time always belongs to you. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Remote4 screens
OffDuty4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Remote at none against OffDuty's 2. OffDuty's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. OffDuty sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Remote ships an update monthly, OffDuty every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Remote versus OffDuty: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRemoteOffDuty
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB212 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLeon Friedmann9MB Project Limited

In-app purchases

None

Remote

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

OffDuty

Subscriptions2
  • OffDuty Premium$0.991 Month
  • OffDuty AI$3.991 Month

Questions

Is Remote free?
Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OffDuty free?
OffDuty is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Remote or OffDuty have ads?
Neither Remote nor OffDuty shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Remote or OffDuty?
Remote ships an update monthly, and OffDuty every 4 days. Most recently, Remote was updated on November 3, 2026 and OffDuty on October 31, 2026.

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