Gentle Timer vs Orli
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gentle Timer
This app offers a visually engaging countdown timer with animated characters and customizable backgrounds. It's designed for various uses, from daily tasks to focus sessions, and includes features like a stopwatch and Pomodoro timer.
- Animated characters and backgrounds
- Customizable trails and animations
- Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Dynamic Island support
- Stopwatch and Pomodoro timer
- Multiple timers simultaneously
- Apple Watch compatibility
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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.
Orli
This app creates a dedicated focus environment by blocking distracting applications, playing ambient sounds, and capturing stray thoughts. It offers customizable timers and task management tools to help users concentrate and be more productive.
- Pomodoro & Flow focus modes
- Customizable app blocking
- Focus sounds (binaural beats, brown noise)
- Thought capture
- Lock screen timer (Live Activity)
- Apple Watch integration
- Three-pool task organization
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You don't need more willpower. You need a better setup. Most focus apps give you a timer and guilt. Orli gives you a complete focus environment. Press start, and everything transforms — distracting apps blocked, focus sounds playing, wandering thoughts captured, timer visible on your lock screen and wrist. When the setup is right, focus follows naturally. FOCUS SESSION FEATURES: - Pomodoro & Flow modes — 25-minute sprints or continuous deep work - App blocking — choose what to block or what to allow - Binaural beats & brown noise — scientifically-backed focus sounds - Thought parking — capture wandering ideas without breaking your session - Exit commitment — gentle friction that keeps you going - Live Activity — your timer stays visible on your lock screen, always - Apple Watch — full session control from your wrist SMART TASK MANAGEMENT: - Three-pool organization — Now, Next, Someday - Quick capture — add tasks without losing focus Orli Plus unlocks app blocking, premium focus sounds, advanced analytics, and full session customization. Focus shouldn't be a fight. Set up your environment. The rest follows. Privacy Policy: https://orliplanner.com/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Orli at 5.0 against Gentle Timer's 4.6. Orli also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Gentle Timer's advantage is ratings volume (408 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Orli sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Orli holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gentle Timer has 408 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Gentle Timer ships an update every 2 days, Orli every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gentle Timer | Orli |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (408 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 408 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 211 MB | 107 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JOHNNY LI | Ahmed Sayed Mokhtar Mohamed |
Customer experience
Gentle Timer
Orli
Bugs and 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
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- View of all timers set all time
- Ability to create 'Goals' (e.g., set 40 hours)
- Dinosaur character option
Orli
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Gentle Timer
- All Pets, Characters & Scenes$4.99
Orli
- Orli Plus - Weekly$3.997 Days
- Orli Plus - Monthly$9.991 Month
- Orli Plus - Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
