Comparison

Now Timer vs Ding

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

Head to head
About

Now Timer

Features
Read full description

Gong Timer is a small, calm app for people who want less noise and more presence. No feeds, no accounts, no pressure — just your breath and a simple timer. Breathe with structure • Gentle guided breathing patterns for sleep, stress, and everyday meditation • Clear ratios like 4-2-6-2 or 3-3-3-3, easy to follow at a glance • Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) for balance and focus Stillness in one tap • Start a session with a single tap • Minimal timer screen with no distractions • Choose how long you sit and let the app stay out of the way A quiet calendar • See your past meditations on a soft monthly view • Notice your rhythm over time, without streaks or gamification Privacy and offline first • Works fully offline once installed • No login, no tracking, no ads • Your data stays on your device Gong Timer is for anyone who wants a small, beautiful tool to return to their breath — at bedtime, between meetings, or in the middle of a chaotic day. Less, but better.

About

Ding

A simple meditation timer that offers accurate timing, customizable presets, and background sounds. It integrates with Apple Watch, Health app, and Calendar, with optional Discord community features for shared practice.

Highlights
  • Accurate timing with background/lock screen support
  • Apple Watch integration for wrist-based timing
  • Customizable presets with bells and background sounds
  • Optional Discord community for shared practice
  • Health app integration for mindful minutes
  • iCloud sync for presets and history
Features
Read full description

A timer that stays a timer. Free, no paywalls. Two taps to the sit — open a preset and start the timer. The timer needs no account and no internet, and nothing pops up before or after the sit. Less app, more practice. You sit on the cushion by yourself — but you're not alone. If you want company, connect Discord, and the “Together” feed will show which of the people you know sat today. New to Discord? Come to our open Ding community. Visibility is up to you, and you can turn it off at any time. What's inside: — Accurate timing: the timer holds even if you background the app or lock the screen. If the system closes the app, the app will notify you instead. — Apple Watch: the timer on your wrist, works even without the phone. Same presets, vibration instead of bells, sessions count toward your practice and streak. — Presets: each practice keeps its own name, duration, start and end bell, interval bells, and a short note to yourself. — Background sound: breathing (5.5-second inhale and exhale), noise, or shruti — chosen per preset, it ducks under the bells, with an optional fade-out. — A pause before you begin: time to settle on the cushion. — Preset sharing: send a link — they open it and add it to their presets. — Coming from Insight Timer? Your practice imports along with your streak. — Your practice is saved locally on your phone, to Health (mindful minutes) and to Calendar. — Widgets: the streak on the Home Screen and the Lock Screen, a tap opens the app. — Presets and practice history sync through iCloud. — Four color themes: the background is always black, the color is up to you. — Protection from accidental touches: a cat or a sleeve won't end your sit. — Screen dimming: the screen dims a little during a session to save battery. — Interrupted sessions are restored. Questions? Write to us — the Ding community (link in Settings) or support.ding@gmail.com. (( dinnng ))

Screenshots

Now Timer4 screens
Ding4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Now Timer at 15.6 against Ding's 18.0. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Now Timer ships an update every 2 weeks, Ding fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Now Timer versus Ding: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNow TimerDing
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDev Pramoth NandhakumarDenis Kutuzov

In-app purchases

None

Now Timer

No in-app purchases

None

Ding

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Now Timer free?
Now Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ding free?
Ding is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Now Timer or Ding have ads?
Neither Now Timer nor Ding shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Now Timer or Ding?
Now Timer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ding fortnightly. Most recently, Now Timer was updated on October 7, 2026 and Ding on September 30, 2026.

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