Comparison

OpenHIIT vs Ares

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

Head to head
About

OpenHIIT

This open-source interval timer app helps optimize various activities like workouts, work sprints, and study sessions. It offers customizable timing, precise controls, and clear auditory and visual alerts to keep you motivated and on track. Users can also join a collaborative community to contribute to its development.

Highlights
  • Customizable interval timing
  • Precise and user-friendly controls
  • Auditory and visual alerts
  • Open-source community collaboration
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Enhance your daily routines with OpenHIIT, the versatile open-source interval timer app. Tailored for various activities, including but not limited to High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), OpenHIIT is a dynamic tool designed to optimize your tasks and foster a collaborative environment. OpenHIIT is free of ads and committed to providing an experience without in-app purchases or premium versions. Customizable Timing: Set intervals tailored to your preferences, whether it's for focused workouts, work sprints, or study sessions. Adapt OpenHIIT to your needs and make the most of your time. Precise Timing and User-Friendly Controls: Enjoy seamless sessions with accurate timing and intuitive controls. OpenHIIT ensures precision in intervals, allowing you to concentrate on your activities without disruptions. Stay in sync and maintain a steady pace throughout your tasks. Auditory and Visual Alerts: Stay informed and motivated with clear audio and visual alerts. OpenHIIT provides signals and indicators, keeping you aware of time changes without the need to glance at your device constantly. Keep your momentum going and stay on track. Open Source Collaboration: Join the collaborative spirit and become part of the OpenHIIT open-source community. Contribute to the app's development, suggest improvements, and share your ideas with users from various backgrounds. Together, we can shape the evolution of interval timers for diverse activities. Download OpenHIIT now to experience the flexibility and efficiency of an open-source interval timer. Take charge of your sessions, boost your productivity, and explore the full potential of OpenHIIT in various aspects of your daily life. Note: OpenHIIT is a project led by one individual with contributions from the community. Committed to quality and alignment with platform policies, OpenHIIT respects intellectual property rights.

About

Ares

This interval timer app uses a voice coach to guide you through workouts, so you can focus on your exercises. It offers pre-made routines, custom workout creation, and detailed progress tracking. Compatible with Apple Watch and AirPods Pro for seamless control and heart rate monitoring.

Highlights
  • Voice-guided countdowns and exercise prompts
  • Pre-made and customizable workout routines
  • Workout chaining for full sessions
  • Exercise library with instructions
  • Apple Watch and AirPods Pro integration
  • Heart rate and progress tracking
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Ares is an interval timer you don't have to keep looking at. A voice coach counts down the time, tells you which exercise is up and when to rest, so you can stay focused on your workout. Great for HIIT, Tabata, EMOM, AMRAP, circuit training, yoga and stretching—at home, at the gym or outdoors. No ads and no account needed. TRAIN WITHOUT WATCHING THE SCREEN • The voice counts down the final seconds and tells you what's next, so your phone can stay on the floor • Your music keeps playing, and if you want, Ares turns it down while the voice speaks • Work and rest have different colors, and the big numbers are easy to read from across the room • Keeps running with the screen locked: the timer shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and you can pause without unlocking your phone START IN SECONDS • Pick a ready-made workout, like Tabata, HIIT 40/20 or stretching, and go. Choose from 16 workouts and 6 sets, each with instructions on how to do it • Set up your own workout once: rounds, work time and rest time. Then start it with a single tap • With workout sets, chain your warm-up, main workout and stretching into one session that runs by itself from start to finish • Got a workout from your coach or a friend? Add it from a link or QR code ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO DO • 116 exercises with photos and how-to instructions, including dumbbell, kettlebell, resistance band and pull-up bar moves • Mid-workout, tap the exercise name to see how it's done • Add a note to your workout, like tips from your coach, and see it while you train • Working each side separately, like in yoga? Sides mode times the left and right side for you WITH OR WITHOUT APPLE WATCH • Control any workout from your wrist: see your heart rate, heart rate zones and calories live on your watch and iPhone • Pause and skip right from your watch, even with a double tap • No watch? AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 can show your heart rate too (iOS 26) • Workouts are saved to Apple Health SEE YOUR PROGRESS • After every workout, a chart shows your heart rate and heart rate zones during work and rest • Weekly summaries and a weekly streak help you make training a habit. One workout a week keeps your streak alive • Show off your result: a ready-made card with your own photo for a story or post MAKE IT YOURS • Light, dark or automatic appearance • Widgets for the Home Screen and Lock Screen • Works on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch ARES PLUS—EVEN MORE • Workouts that change as you go: set the shortest and longest time, and Ares lays out the intervals for you—getting longer, getting shorter, or with shorter and shorter rests. No need to set each one by hand • A different exercise in every interval, like squats, then push-ups, then a plank. The voice announces each one, so you don't have to remember the order • Train without your iPhone: save your workouts to Apple Watch and leave your phone at home or in your locker • Record exercise names or cues in your own voice and hear them during your workout • Extra themes, coach voices and sounds, including the Calm voice for yoga and stretching • Access for your whole family with Family Sharing Privacy Policy: https://ares.eris.one/privacy-policy/ License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

OpenHIIT2 screens
Ares4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenHIIT at none against Ares's 3. OpenHIIT also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). Ares's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Ares sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. OpenHIIT asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for OpenHIIT against 5.0 for Ares. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 25 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenHIIT ships an update monthly, Ares every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
OpenHIIT versus Ares: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenHIITAres
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (25 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings925 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB240 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbigail MabeKrzysztof Orlowski

Customer experience

OpenHIIT

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ares

All ratings25 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

OpenHIIT

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Ares

Subscriptions2
  • Ares Plus$1.991 Month
  • Ares Plus$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ares Plus Forever$24.99

Questions

Is OpenHIIT free?
OpenHIIT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ares free?
Ares is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OpenHIIT or Ares?
OpenHIIT and Ares are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 25 ratings respectively.
Do OpenHIIT or Ares have ads?
Neither OpenHIIT nor Ares shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenHIIT or Ares?
OpenHIIT ships an update monthly, and Ares every 10 days. Most recently, OpenHIIT was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ares on October 30, 2026.

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