Comparison

Countdown Visual Timer vs Gentle Timer

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

Head to head
About

Countdown Visual Timer

This app provides a calming, visual countdown timer designed to reduce anxiety for individuals with special needs, autism, or ADHD. It offers customizable sounds and an easy-to-understand interface, making time management accessible for children and those with cognitive delays.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown interface
  • Reduces anxiety and stress
  • Customizable alert sounds
  • Lockout options for buttons and settings
  • Screen stays on during countdown
  • Simple and intuitive design
Features
Read full description

Calming. Visual. Quiet. Reduces anxiety and stress. Perfect for nonverbal, special needs,, autism, ADHD. Silent or choose from many alter sounds. Kids, toddlers and caregivers will love the relaxing and easy-to-understand interface. Choose a color and over 50 sounds for notifications (or turn them off!). Stellar Accessibility support and fully localized for over 70 languages + locales. Finally! The perfect accessibility timer for young kids and people with communication or cognitive delays. Those on the Autism spectrum (ASD) and young kids can struggle with understanding time, leading to high anxiety and frustration around transitions. Being able to SEE time pass helps understanding, reducing frustration and anxiety. NO ANNOYING STUFF: — No ads, ever! — No annoying ticking sounds USEFUL FEATURES & OPTIONS: — Simple, elegant design — Easily save custom timer presets — Customize the alert sound (or turn it off!) — Lock out Stop button while timer is running (optional) — Lock out settings changes (optional) — Keep screen on during countdown (optional) — Alert sound when time is up (optional) — Notification if app is closed when timer expires (optional) — Accessibility support for Large Text, VoiceControl, Voice Over, Differentiate without Only Color, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast — Over 70 languages and locales! For some who have severe forms of Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), young children, and those with communication or cognitive impairments, Autism Timer Visual Countdown provides a superior, highly accessible experience. Hours, minutes, and seconds are abstract concepts that can be difficult to understand, leading to anger and aggression. Instead, we eliminate both visual and auditory distractions and provide a continuous, calm, visual cue. Most of the time, the app will be used by a caregiver, ABA therapist, or other professional. Changing options, and even the Stop button, can be disabled while the timer is running, and you can choose if you want an alert sound or not when the timer expires. The interface is designed to be simple and intuitive, and most of the buttons get out of the way while the timer is running. This app offers subscriptions. Privacy policy: https://nuclearcyborg.com/privacy Terms of use: https://nuclearcyborg.com/terms

About

Gentle Timer

This app offers a visually appealing, ad-free timer for focus, productivity, and managing children's routines. It supports various timer types, including countdown, Pomodoro, and interval, with extensive customization options for backgrounds, music, and themes. It also includes helpful everyday tools like a calculator and breathing exercises.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timers
  • Pomodoro focus sessions
  • Interval training timers
  • Multi timer support
  • Customizable backgrounds and music
  • Everyday utility tools
Features
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Gentle Timer is a cheerful timer with cute animated characters. Set a time, and a character walks across the screen as the timer counts down. When it reaches the other side, time is up. You can always see how much time is left. • Pick a cute character, an animated background, and calming music. • Your character can leave a trail of sparkles, rubber ducks, or baby chicks. • A race car can drive around the timer and finish when time is up. • Choose a pet to pop up and cheer you on. • Your pet also shows on your Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Dynamic Island. • Fun animations play when your timer starts and when it ends. Use it for brushing teeth, homework, cooking, reading, or a short break at work. It also has a stopwatch, breathing exercises, and a Pomodoro timer for work and breaks. You can run more than one timer at once, too. There is also a simple Apple Watch timer. Free to download, with no ads and no subscription. Unlock more characters, pets, backgrounds, and music with a one-time purchase.

Screenshots

Countdown Visual Timer4 screens
Gentle Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Gentle Timer at every 2 days against Countdown Visual Timer's every 3 weeks. Gentle Timer also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (378 vs 35). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Countdown Visual Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Gentle Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gentle Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gentle Timer has 378 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Countdown Visual Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, Gentle Timer every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Countdown Visual Timer versus Gentle Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCountdown Visual TimerGentle Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (35 ratings)4.6 (378 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35378 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB211 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuclear Cyborg CorpJOHNNY LI

Customer experience

Countdown Visual Timer

All ratings35 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.7%
Negative14.3%

Gentle Timer

All ratings378 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Countdown Visual Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Gentle Timer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • No sound issues reported
  • Seconds not displayed on countdown
  • Landscape mode not working

Requested features

8 requests
  • More free options
  • Landscape mode support
  • Ability to set specific seconds
  • Toggle off motion on settings menu
  • Cat character option
Show 3 more
  • View of all timers set all time
  • Ability to create 'Goals' (e.g., set 40 hours)
  • Dinosaur character option

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Countdown Visual Timer

Subscriptions3
  • Autism Timer Premium (Weekly)$0.997 Days
  • Autism Timer Premium (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Autism Timer Premium (Annual)3 Days trial$9.991 Year
1 purchases

Gentle Timer

One-time1
  • Go Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Countdown Visual Timer free?
Countdown Visual Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gentle Timer free?
Gentle Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Countdown Visual Timer or Gentle Timer?
Gentle Timer is rated higher. Countdown Visual Timer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Gentle Timer averages 4.6 from 378 ratings.
Do Countdown Visual Timer or Gentle Timer have ads?
Neither Countdown Visual Timer nor Gentle Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Countdown Visual Timer or Gentle Timer?
Countdown Visual Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, and Gentle Timer every 2 days. Most recently, Countdown Visual Timer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Gentle Timer on October 14, 2026.

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