Simple Timer & Stopwatch vs Gentle Start
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simple Timer & Stopwatch
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A no-fuss timer and stopwatch that stays live on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Big countdown display with quick +/- time adjustments, so you always see time at a glance. Live Activity tracking for both timer and stopwatch, plus full session history. FEATURES - Large 280pt circular countdown display with +30s / +1m / +5m quick adjustments - Stopwatch with Live Activity and Dynamic Island support - Session history for both timer and stopwatch - Sound, haptics and mute controls - Light, dark and system appearance - No accounts, no tracking
Gentle Start
This app provides a simple, one-tap timer to help overcome procrastination. It focuses on the act of starting, counting up from zero without pressure or goals. Designed for those who struggle with initiating tasks, it offers a calm experience with visual themes and ambient sounds.
- One-tap timer start
- Upward counting timer
- Living themes with animations
- Ambient soundscapes
- Live Activities integration
- No streaks or goals
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Starting is the hardest part. Gentle Start makes it one tap. When a task feels too big to begin, this is the smallest possible push. Open the app, tap once, and a calm focus timer counts up from zero. That's it - you've started, and starting was the whole battle. There's no goal to reach. No streak to keep alive. No countdown racing you to a finish line. Gentle Start counts UP, not down - so there's nothing to fail and no way to fall behind. Stay thirty seconds or thirty minutes. Both count. Both are real. HOW IT WORKS - Tap to begin: one button, no setup, no plan, no account. - The timer counts up quietly inside a living, animated scene. Nothing on screen pressures you - it's just proof that you're doing it. - Stop whenever it feels right. You showed up, and that's enough. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT Most focus timers and productivity apps are built around finishing - streaks, daily goals, charts, pomodoro countdowns, reminders that nag. For a brain that already feels behind, that pressure is the very thing that makes starting feel impossible. So Gentle Start leaves it out. No metrics staring back at you. No guilt. No catching up. Just a gentle way across the one line that actually matters: from not-started to started. WHO IT'S FOR Made for procrastinators, people with ADHD and executive dysfunction, students facing down an assignment or a long study session, writers staring at a blank page, and anyone who knows the strange, heavy weight of simply beginning. Whether you call it procrastination, task paralysis, or "I just can't start" - if "just start" has never once worked as advice, this was built for you. CALM BY DESIGN - 28 living themes: drifting clouds, falling snow, rising bubbles, a quiet night sky, and more - soft animated scenes that are easy on the eyes while you work. Or pick random and come back to a fresh space each session. - Ambient soundscapes: rain, fireplace, forest, and other gentle audio to ease you into focus. - A companion while you work: a tiny animated sun keeps you company in the Dynamic Island and on your Lock Screen during a session - with a whole sky of suns to choose from. - Home Screen widgets and Live Activities keep your session calm and glanceable without opening the app. - Works with Siri and the Action Button, so you can start without even looking. WHAT GENTLE START WILL NEVER DO - No streaks - No daily goals - No guilt, no shame - No ads - No subscriptions - No account or sign-up - No tracking Your sessions stay on your device. There's nothing to log into, and nothing watching you work. Gentle Start isn't here to make you do more. It's here to make starting feel possible, especially on the days it doesn't. Tap once. Start small. That counts. Gentle Start is on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Wherever you are, make your next start a gentle one.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Timer & Stopwatch at none against Gentle Start's 1. Simple Timer & Stopwatch also leads on iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.0). Gentle Start's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 months). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Gentle Start sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simple Timer & Stopwatch asks for nothing beyond the download.
Simple Timer & Stopwatch ships an update every 4 months, Gentle Start every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and July 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple Timer & Stopwatch | Gentle Start |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cong Le | JOHNNY LI |
In-app purchases
Simple Timer & Stopwatch
No in-app purchases
Gentle Start
- Gentle Start Premium$4.99





