Comparison

Timer for Kids vs Animal Timer

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

Head to head
About

Timer for Kids

This app transforms abstract time into a visual gardening adventure for children aged 2-8. It helps manage transitions, morning routines, and bedtime resistance by making time tangible through a growing plant. Children are motivated by seeing their garden flourish as they complete tasks.

Highlights
  • Visual countdown timer with growing plants
  • Customizable routines for daily tasks
  • Motivation and reward system
  • Friendly character guide (Poko the Hedgehog)
  • Ad-free experience
  • Sensory-friendly sounds
  • Parental gate for settings
Features
Read full description

Transform daily battles into fun gardening adventures with RoutinePal, the visual timer for kids that turns abstract time into a growing garden. Designed for parents of children ages 2 to 8, RoutinePal solves the struggle of transitions, morning chaos, and bedtime resistance. Instead of abstract numbers or stressful alarms, your child watches Poko the Hedgehog help a plant grow from a seed to a beautiful bloom as time passes. WHY PARENTS LOVE ROUTINEPAL Young children do not understand how long 5 minutes is. Traditional countdown apps or sand timers can be abstract or anxiety-inducing. RoutinePal makes time tangible. If the child stops the task, the plant stops growing. If they finish, they add a new flower or fruit to their garden collection. KEY FEATURES Visual Timer for Kids Replace the stressful red pie chart with nature. Watch a sunflower, strawberry, or carrot grow in real-time. This gentle approach reduces anxiety around transitions and helps children with ADHD or autism understand the concept of waiting and duration. Customizable Routines Create presets for every part of your day. Use it as a toothbrush timer, a get dressed countdown, a potty training timer, or for managing screen time limits. Motivation & Rewards The more routines your child completes, the bigger their garden grows. This built-in reward system encourages repeated positive behavior without the need for screen time or sugary treats as bribes. Poko the Hedgehog Meet Poko, your child's friendly guide. Poko encourages them when they start a task and celebrates with them when they finish. He acts as a neutral third party, taking the role of the bad guy away from the parent when time is up. Ad-Free Experience RoutinePal is a safe space for your child. There are no advertisements to distract them from their tasks or interrupt the reward moment. IDEAL FOR EVERY SITUATION Morning Routine: Make getting dressed and eating breakfast a race to bloom the flower. Bathroom Habits: A perfect 2-minute toothbrush timer or potty training companion. Focus Time: Excellent for homework, reading, or quiet time. Transitions: Smoothly transition away from the park, playdates, or tablets without the meltdown. HOW IT WORKS Select a Plant: Let your child choose what they want to grow (Sunflower, Strawberry, or Carrot). Set the Time: Use quick presets (2min, 5min, 10min) or the custom scroll wheel. Start: Poko plants the seed. Watch it Grow: As the countdown progresses, the plant grows through detailed stages. Harvest: When the timer ends, the plant is fully grown and added to your permanent garden collection. DEVELOPED FOR FAMILIES We understand that every child is different. RoutinePal includes a gentle completion sound that is audible but not jarring, making it sensory-friendly. A built-in parental gate ensures that settings and timer controls are kept safe from little fingers. Stop nagging and start growing. Download RoutinePal today and bring peace back to your daily routines. https://ilkerb.com/routinepal/terms-of-use

About

Animal Timer

Features
Read full description

ANIMAL TIMER — The Visual Timer Where Kids SEE Time! Make time management fun with adorable animal companions! Also great for families with ADHD, autism, or those who benefit from visual schedules. WHY PARENTS CHOOSE ANIMAL TIMER "How much longer for TV?" "Is game time over yet?" Sound familiar? Animal Timer transforms these daily struggles into joyful moments! With cute animal friends by their side, kids actually WANT to manage their time. Kids SEE time passing with a circular progress bar and cute animal friends eating their food — making abstract time concrete and visual. This approach is recommended by child development experts and therapists for children of all abilities. THREE POWERFUL MODES ■ SIMPLE TIMER Perfect for screen time, homework, cleanup, and more! Select an activity, set the time, and start! The circular progress bar shows remaining time at a glance. ■ ROUTINE MODE Master morning and bedtime routines with step-by-step timers. Wash face → Eat breakfast → Get dressed Build independence and healthy habits naturally! ■ CLOCK MODE A beautiful, large clock display with animal friends. Perfect for learning to tell time! GREAT FOR... • Morning and bedtime routines • Homework and study sessions • Screen time management • Cleanup and chore time • Focus and calm-down time • Transitions between activities (especially helpful for ADHD/autism) NEW IN v1.2 — 8 CHARACTERS & DATA BACKUP • 5 new characters: Cat, Dog, Squirrel, Panda & Unicorn! • Collect stickers to unlock all 8 animal friends • iCloud sync — your data transfers between devices • Export & import backups — never lose your progress • Earn cute stickers (17 types) and build daily streaks • New carousel character selector PARENTS LOVE IT BECAUSE... • 100% AD-FREE experience • Privacy-first — absolutely no data collection • Kids can use it independently • Works completely offline — no internet needed • No account required — start using immediately • Completely free • iCloud backup — switch devices without losing data FOR FAMILIES EVERYWHERE Available in English, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Portuguese! Download now and let 8 adorable animal friends help your family master time management — the fun way!

Screenshots

Timer for Kids4 screens
Animal Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Timer for Kids at 15.1 against Animal Timer's 17.0. 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

Timer for Kids ships an update every 4 weeks, Animal Timer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Timer for Kids versus Animal Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimer for KidsAnimal Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerilker beriNozomu Kitamura

In-app purchases

None

Timer for Kids

No in-app purchases

None

Animal Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Timer for Kids free?
Timer for Kids is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Animal Timer free?
Animal Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Timer for Kids or Animal Timer have ads?
Neither Timer for Kids nor Animal Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Timer for Kids or Animal Timer?
Timer for Kids ships an update every 4 weeks, and Animal Timer fortnightly. Most recently, Timer for Kids was updated on September 26, 2026 and Animal Timer on September 30, 2026.

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