Comparison

Ares vs Minimal Workout Timer

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

Head to head
About

Ares

This interval timer app uses a voice coach to guide you through workouts, so you can focus on your exercises. It offers pre-made routines, custom workout creation, and detailed progress tracking. Compatible with Apple Watch and AirPods Pro for seamless control and heart rate monitoring.

Highlights
  • Voice-guided countdowns and exercise prompts
  • Pre-made and customizable workout routines
  • Workout chaining for full sessions
  • Exercise library with instructions
  • Apple Watch and AirPods Pro integration
  • Heart rate and progress tracking
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Ares is an interval timer you don't have to keep looking at. A voice coach counts down the time, tells you which exercise is up and when to rest, so you can stay focused on your workout. Great for HIIT, Tabata, EMOM, AMRAP, circuit training, yoga and stretching – at home, at the gym or outdoors. No ads and no account needed. TRAIN WITHOUT WATCHING THE SCREEN • The voice counts down the final seconds and tells you what's next, so your phone can stay on the floor • Your music keeps playing, and if you want, Ares turns it down while the voice speaks • Work and rest have different colors, and the big numbers are easy to read from across the room • Keeps running with the screen locked: the timer shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and you can pause without unlocking your phone START IN SECONDS • Pick a ready-made workout, like Tabata, HIIT 40/20 or stretching, and go. Choose from 16 workouts and 6 workout sets, each with instructions on how to do it • Set up your own workout once: rounds, work time and rest time. Then start it with a single tap • With workout sets, chain your warm-up, main workout and stretching into one session that runs by itself from start to finish • Got a workout from your coach or a friend? Add it from a link or QR code ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TO DO • 116 exercises with photos and how-to instructions, including dumbbell, kettlebell, resistance band and pull-up bar moves • Mid-workout, tap the exercise name to see how it's done • Add a note to your workout, like tips from your coach, and see it while you train • Working each side separately, like in yoga? Sides mode times each side for you WITH OR WITHOUT APPLE WATCH • Control any workout from your wrist: see your heart rate, heart rate zones and calories live on your watch and iPhone • Pause and skip right from your watch, even with a double tap • No watch? AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 can track your heart rate too (iOS 26 or later) • Workouts are saved to Apple Health SEE YOUR PROGRESS • After every workout, a chart shows your heart rate and heart rate zones during work and rest • Weekly summaries and a weekly streak help you make training a habit. One workout a week keeps your streak alive • Show off your result: a ready-made card with your own photo for a story or post MAKE IT YOURS • Light, dark or automatic appearance • Widgets for the Home Screen and Lock Screen • Works on iPhone, iPhone Duo, iPad and Apple Watch ARES PLUS: EVEN MORE • Workouts that change as you go: set the shortest and longest time, and Ares lays out the intervals for you – getting longer, getting shorter, or with shorter and shorter rests. No need to set each one by hand • A different exercise in every interval, like squats, then push-ups, then a plank. The voice announces each one, so you don't have to remember the order • Train without your iPhone: save more workouts to Apple Watch and leave your phone at home or in your locker • Record exercise names or cues in your own voice and hear them during your workout • Extra themes, coach voices and sounds, including the Calm voice for yoga and stretching • Access for your whole family with Family Sharing Privacy Policy: https://ares.eris.one/privacy-policy/ License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Minimal Workout Timer

Features
Read full description

A beautiful, no-nonsense interval timer built for HIIT and circuit workouts. Features: • Distraction-free interface with large, readable timer • Configurable work/rest intervals and rounds • Audio cues with configurable volume • Create custom workouts with named exercises • Vocalization of exercise names for hands-free use Free, local, forever. Get grinding.

Screenshots

Ares4 screens
Minimal Workout Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Minimal Workout Timer at none against Ares's 3. Minimal Workout Timer also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Ares sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Minimal Workout Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ares ships an update every 10 days, Minimal Workout Timer daily. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Ares versus Minimal Workout Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAresMinimal Workout Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (25 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings25 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size235 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKrzysztof OrlowskiFreeman Jiang

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ares

Subscriptions2
  • Ares Plus$1.991 Month
  • Ares Plus1 Month trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ares Plus Forever$24.99
None

Minimal Workout Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ares free?
Ares is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Minimal Workout Timer free?
Minimal Workout Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ares or Minimal Workout Timer have ads?
Neither Ares nor Minimal Workout Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ares or Minimal Workout Timer?
Ares ships an update every 10 days, and Minimal Workout Timer daily. Most recently, Ares was updated on November 8, 2026 and Minimal Workout Timer on November 5, 2026.

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