Comparison

Open Loops vs Scientific Timer

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

Head to head
About

Open Loops

This app helps you break down large goals into actionable steps, eliminating overwhelm and procrastination. It offers multiple views, cross-device syncing, and integration with other tools to foster mental clarity and purposeful progress.

Highlights
  • Break down goals into actionable steps
  • Define overarching life goals
  • Map out steps with Subloops
  • Focus on immediate next actions
  • Journaling and review tools
  • Multiple views (lists, boards, timelines)
  • Cross-device syncing
Features
Read full description

Open Loops: Clarify Your Goals, Take Action, Reflect Designed for high-achievers and deep thinkers, Open Loops transforms the way you approach productivity. Inspired by Getting Things Done by David Allen, it helps you break overwhelming goals into actionable steps—so you can take control of your life without the mental clutter. With a simple tap, define your Open Loops—your overarching life goals—then create Subloops to map out the steps. Every loop contains Next Actions, keeping you laser-focused on the immediate step forward. By removing uncertainty, Open Loops eliminates procrastination and fear of getting started. Why choose Open Loops? Open Loops is more than a task manager—it’s a system for mental clarity and purposeful progress. • Eliminate overwhelm by structuring your biggest goals into manageable loops and next actions. • Instantly clarify what’s next—no more second-guessing what to do or where to start. • Reflect and refine your progress with built-in journaling and review tools. • Multiple views for flexibility—see your loops as lists, boards, or timelines to match your workflow. • Sync across devices—stay on top of your goals wherever you go. • Boost accountability by assigning tasks, adding deadlines, and tracking habits. • Integrate with your favorite tools like Google Calendar, Notion, and more. • Unlock deep focus by structuring your work and life with intention. Open Loops on Apple iOS • A beautifully designed interface that makes goal-setting effortless. • Stay aligned from your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, with seamless sync across desktop. • Natural language input lets you create next actions in seconds—just type “email mentor tomorrow at 10am” and Open Loops handles the rest. • Personalized productivity insights help you track your progress and refine your approach. Start turning your ambitions into reality—one loop at a time.

About

Scientific Timer

Features
Read full description

Scientific Timer helps researchers keep complex experiments on schedule. It breaks multi-step protocols into timer-tasks, so every incubation, wash and spin gets its own timer, in order, and you always know what comes next. Tired of juggling kitchen timers across the bench, or losing track of which tube went in the centrifuge when? Start from a curated protocol or build your own, then run as many timer-tasks in parallel as your experiments need. FEATURES PROTOCOLS AS TIMER-TASKS Each step of a protocol becomes a timer-task with its name, duration and position. Start, pause and reset each one on its own, and see its progress at a glance. CURATED PROTOCOLS, READY TO RUN 12 protocols with 211 timer-tasks, already set up: 10x Chromium Single Cell 3' Gene Expression v4 and 5' Gene Expression v3, 10x Xenium In Situ Gene Expression, ScaleBio Single Cell RNA Sequencing v1.1, Twist Library Preparation EF 2.0, Beckman Coulter SPRIselect left-side and double-sided size selection, Qiagen QIAamp DNA Micro, Qiagen RNeasy Midi/Maxi, NEB Ligation, immunofluorescence on frozen sections and trypsinization. Choose the ones you use when you first open the app, and change your selection later in Settings. YOUR OWN PROTOCOLS Create protocols and timer-tasks of your own, up to 24 hours each, as a countdown timer or a stopwatch. Put steps in the order you run them and mark your favorites. RUN MANY AT ONCE Run as many timer-tasks in parallel as you need, across several protocols. Timers keep counting while the app is closed, and a timer that passes its target keeps going, shown with a "+", so you know exactly how far over it is. QUIET NOTIFICATIONS A subtle notification on your iPhone tells you when a timer-task is done, instead of another alarm ringing across the lab. SEARCH Find a protocol by name in your library, or a timer-task by name within a protocol. BACK UP AND SHARE Export the protocols you created to a file, and import them again on another iPhone or share them with your lab. ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE Works with VoiceOver and Voice Control, adapts to the largest text sizes, supports Dark Mode, respects Reduce Motion, and does not rely on colour alone. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Scientific Timer collects no data. No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs. Your protocols and timers stay on your iPhone. LANGUAGES The app and its curated protocols in English, French, Spanish and Simplified Chinese. REQUIREMENTS iPhone with iOS 18 or later. Privacy Policy: https://elyzeo.com/apps/scientific-timer/privacy.html

Screenshots

Open Loops4 screens
Scientific Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Open Loops at Free against Scientific Timer's $0.99. Open Loops also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Open Loops is free to download; Scientific Timer costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Open Loops versus Scientific Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpen LoopsScientific Timer
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequency—Every 16 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKalyanraman VenkatramanStephane Boutet

In-app purchases

None

Open Loops

No in-app purchases

None

Scientific Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Open Loops free?
Open Loops is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scientific Timer free?
Scientific Timer costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Open Loops or Scientific Timer have ads?
Neither Open Loops nor Scientific Timer shows ads.

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