Tempo vs Simple Timer USA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tempo
This app transforms countdown timers into clear visual progress indicators, helping you stay focused on tasks like work, study, or cooking. It offers multiple visualization options and a distraction-free interface, working reliably offline without requiring an account.
- Multiple visualization options
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Works offline
- No account setup
- Reliable background operation
- Privacy-focused
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If you have ever looked up and lost an hour, you do not need another number counting down. You need to see time move. Tempo turns time into something you can watch. A dandelion loses its seeds. An eclipse closes over. A snowman gives in to the sun. Glance at your phone from across the room and you know how much is left — no reading, no math. BUILT FOR TIME BLINDNESS Numbers are abstract. If your brain does not track elapsed time on its own, "20 minutes" means nothing until it is already gone. Tempo makes time spatial instead, so you feel it draining rather than having to calculate it. FROM ONE MINUTE TO ONE YEAR Most timers stop at an hour. Tempo has six scales: • MINUTE — a focus sprint or a short break • HOUR — the meeting, the work block • DAY — how much of today is actually left • MONTH — the deadline that still feels far away • SEASON (Pro) — the three months you keep meaning to use • YEAR — the one nobody shows you The longer scales run live against the real calendar. Open Tempo in October and the year is already most of the way gone. That is not a gimmick — for anyone who loses whole weeks, seeing it is the point. SEVEN VISUALIZATIONS Dandelion, Dots, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, and Thunderstorm. Pick the one your brain actually reads, and set it as your default. ON YOUR WRIST AND LOCK SCREEN An Apple Watch app and Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets keep your current scale in view without opening anything — so checking the time stops being the distraction. BUILT TO STAY QUIET • No account, no sign-up, no email • Works entirely offline • No streaks, no badges, no guilt mechanics • No ads, ever Tempo will not fix your relationship with time. It just makes time visible, so the hours stop disappearing without warning. Free: the Dots visualization and five of the six scales — MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, MONTH, and YEAR. A one-time Pro purchase adds Dandelion, Eclipse, Ember, Sand, Snowman, Thunderstorm, and the SEASON scale. No subscription.
Simple Timer USA
This app provides a streamlined timer experience, allowing users to quickly set custom durations or use presets. It offers voice-to-text labeling and reliable alerts, even when the app is in the background or the phone is locked. Users can also snooze timers and view countdowns on their lock screen or Dynamic Island.
- Quickly set custom or preset timers
- Voice-to-text timer labeling
- Reliable alerts with spoken labels
- Lock screen and Dynamic Island countdowns
- One-tap snooze functionality
- Customizable themes
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Simple Timer cuts out the friction between "I need a timer" and "the timer is running." Tap a preset or dial in a custom duration — hours, minutes, seconds — and go. No menus, no fuss. FEATURES • Quick One-Tap Start — tap a saved preset or dial in a custom duration and go • Reusable Presets — save your go-to timers by name and start them again with one tap; free tier saves 3, or go unlimited for $0.99/year • Voice or Typed Labels — name any timer by typing or just speaking it, with a Voice Announcements toggle to choose whether it's spoken aloud at completion • Alerts You'll Actually Hear — a chime plus your label spoken aloud, playing right over silent mode, backed up independently by both a scheduled notification and a system-level alarm • Keeps Your Music Playing — audio only briefly ducks for the few seconds your alert speaks, then picks right back up • One-Tap Snooze — right from the Lock Screen or the completion screen • Lock Screen & Dynamic Island — watch your countdown without unlocking your phone • AirPlay & Bluetooth Output — switch your timer's audio to your speaker, AirPlay, or a Bluetooth device right from the app • Bluetooth & Low-Volume Alerts — a heads-up if your timer alerts might route somewhere you won't hear them, with an option to turn the low-volume check off in Settings • Built-In FAQ — quick answers to common questions from the "?" on any screen, with a direct link to send feedback, or to leave an App Store review • Light, Dark, and Retro 16-bit Themes • No Account, No Data Collection — everything stays on your device Simple Timer doesn't collect your data. Everything stays on your device — no account, no sign-up, no tracking. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gist.github.com/tm4747/a6de81dd1764762b20c81358ee95f97a
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Timer USA at none against Tempo's 1. Simple Timer USA also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). Tempo's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Tempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simple Timer USA asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tempo against 5.0 for Simple Timer USA. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
Tempo ships an update fortnightly, Simple Timer USA weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tempo | Simple Timer USA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Foundry24 LLC | Tom Molinaro |
Customer experience
Tempo
Simple Timer USA
In-app purchases
Tempo
- Tempo Pro$4.99
Simple Timer USA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Tempo free?
Is Simple Timer USA free?
Which has better reviews, Tempo or Simple Timer USA?
Do Tempo or Simple Timer USA have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tempo or Simple Timer USA?
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