Tap Timer vs Notch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tap Timer
This app provides silent, vibration-based interval timing directly on your wrist. Build custom routines for workouts, focus sessions, or mindfulness practices with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. It runs standalone on your Apple Watch and integrates with Apple Health.
- Custom haptic alerts for interval phases
- Standalone Apple Watch app
- Drag-and-drop routine builder
- Apple Health integration
- Silent, vibration-based feedback
- No ads or subscriptions
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FEEL YOUR TIME - SILENT & PRECISE. - Discreet: Haptic signals right on your wrist - no sound, no screen-checking. - Standalone: Runs 100% natively on Apple Watch - leave your iPhone behind. - Powerful: Build complex intervals in seconds using drag and drop. - Versatile: HIIT, Tabata, CrossFit, MMA, Pomodoro, breathwork and more. Welcome to Tap Timer - the silent interval timer you feel on your wrist. Forget distracting alarms and beeps. Tap Timer uses the Taptic Engine of your Apple Watch to deliver precise, silent vibration patterns for every phase change. In a loud gym, a quiet library, a boxing ring, or a breathwork practice: you feel exactly where you are in your routine without ever looking at a screen. BUILD COMPLEX INTERVALS From a standard Tabata, heavy lifting session, or kettlebell workout to CrossFit WODs, pilates, and circuit training. Structure your workout timer on iPhone using an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. Everything syncs instantly to your wrist via iCloud. No accounts, no subscriptions, no setup. DISTINCT HAPTIC FEEDBACK Assign distinct vibration alerts for your prep countdown, work phase, rest timer, and cool-down. Keep it subtle for a meditation timer or breathwork, or sharp and distinct for a boxing or MMA training session. WRIST-FIRST EXPERIENCE Built specifically for Apple Watch. Leave your iPhone in the locker room. Tap Timer runs entirely standalone on your watch as a true watch timer — no phone required mid-session. KEY FEATURES ► Custom Haptic Alerts: Configure vibration patterns for every interval block. ► Drag & Drop Editor: Effortlessly structure fitness routines, focus blocks, or breathing sequences. ► Standalone Apple Watch App: Completely independent execution on your wrist. ► Apple Health Integration: Logs heart rate, active minutes, and workout types directly to your Activity Rings. ► Privacy First: Zero tracking. No ads. All data stays in your private iCloud. IDEAL USE CASES - Fitness & Combat Sports: HIIT, Tabata, EMOM, AMRAP, MMA, boxing, weight lifting, and round timer setups. - Cardio & Movement: Running intervals, crossfit, pilates, and stretching routines. - Productivity & Focus: Pomodoro technique, timeboxing, and deep work sessions. - Public Speaking: Silent speech timer and presentation pacing. - Mindfulness: Guided breathwork, yoga, and quiet meditation timer routines. PRICING Free to download. Unlock full access via a single, one-time purchase. No subscriptions, ever. End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Notch
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Stop forgetting to practice. Start notching reps. Notch is the Watch-first app built for Grease the Groove training, the proven method of doing small sets throughout your day to build strength without burning out. Raise your wrist. Tap. Hang. Tap when done. That's it. WHAT IS GREASE THE GROOVE? Coined by strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline, Grease the Groove (GTG) means doing frequent, sub-maximal sets of one movement throughout the day. Never to failure, always fresh. It's how you go from 3 pull-ups to 15. It's how desk workers build dead hang strength into their commute. It's how you get stronger without a gym membership. The catch is you have to remember to do the sets. That's where Notch comes in. ON YOUR APPLE WATCH - Timer-based logging for dead hangs, planks, L-sits, and any hold exercise - Rep-based logging for pull-ups, push-ups, squats. Tap to confirm a set - Live countdown with haptic ticks and a finish buzz - Optional heart rate capture during holds - Today count and streak right on your wrist - Daily reminder if you haven't logged anything yet ON YOUR IPHONE - History of every set you've ever logged - Progression charts so you can see strength build over weeks - Personal bests and longest streak - Settings, exercise library, reminder time - Watch and phone stay synced in the background FREE VS PRO Free forever: - Core watch logging (timer and reps) - Today's set count - Basic streak - Up to 3 exercises Pro, a $4.99 one-time purchase: - Full history with progression charts - Personal bests and longest streak - Unlimited exercises - Complication and Smart Stack widget No subscription. No ads. No upsells. You buy it once. PRIVACY Your sets, heart rate samples, and streaks live in a local database on your devices. No third-party analytics. No ad networks. No tracking SDKs. The watch reads heart rate via HealthKit only while a hold timer is running. The iPhone can save each finished set to Apple Health as a workout if you allow it. WHO IT'S FOR - Climbers training dead hangs between meetings - Desk workers building plank time - Calisthenics folks running pull-up GTG protocols - Anyone building a strength habit in 30 seconds at a time - People tired of fitness apps that bury logging behind four taps If you've ever stuck a pull-up bar in a doorway and forgotten about it for three weeks, Notch is for you. Built by one developer. Watch-first.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Notch at every 3 days against Tap Timer's fortnightly. On price, 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
Both are free to download. Tap Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Notch sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Tap Timer ships an update fortnightly, Notch every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tap Timer | Notch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Max Lottermoser | Code to Muscle |
In-app purchases
Tap Timer
- Premium Access (Lifetime)$10.99
Notch
- Notch Pro Unlock$4.99









