Comparison

1 Bit Timer vs RetroDotTimer

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

Head to head
About

1 Bit Timer

Features
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INITIALIZING 1 BIT TIMER_ A beautifully crafted retro terminal timer for your iPhone. Every pixel, every scanline, every glowing character is designed to bring the classic computer terminal experience to your daily countdown. // FEATURES - Pixel-perfect digit display on a CRT terminal screen - Adjustable timer from 1 to 120 minutes - Real CRT scanline effects with adjustable intensity - Live Activity countdown on your Lock Screen - Home screen widgets with pixel digits - Haptic feedback and terminal sound effects - Custom app icon for each theme // 10 UNIQUE THEMES Each theme is a complete experience with unique colors, animations, progress bars, sound effects, and messages. FREE THEMES: - Phosphor: Classic green terminal - Amber: Warm vintage monitor - Snow: Clean white on black - Minimal: Modern grayscale PRO THEMES: - Synthwave: Neon 80s with grid horizon and VHS glitch effects - Hacker: Code rain with 10-stage hacking progress bar - Matrix: Falling code, Bullet Time, and The One mode at 90% - Dracula: Flying bats, moon phase progress, and candle flicker - Cyber: RGB glitch, hexagon grid, and 6 cyberpunk music tracks - Atomic: Geiger counter, 8 music tracks, radio broadcasts, and secret Easter eggs // PRO THEMES INCLUDE - Animated background effects - Theme-specific music and sounds - Unique progress bar styles - Matching widget theme - Custom app icon - Special border effects at high progress // WIDGETS AND LIVE ACTIVITY Start a timer and track it everywhere: - Home screen widget with real pixel digit countdown - Lock Screen Live Activity with live countdown - Quick-start timers directly from widget // PRIVACY Your data stays on your device. No accounts, no tracking, no analytics. Timer preferences are stored locally. Theme purchases are handled securely through the App Store.

About

RetroDotTimer

Features
Read full description

A full-screen countdown that looks like the dot-matrix displays of vintage arcades and early computing. Set the time, put your iPhone or iPad face up on your desk, and let the pixel grid count down. ONE TIMER, FULL SCREEN • A large dot-matrix countdown, readable across the room • Tap the display to start, pause, or resume — or turn on the Start/Pause button if you prefer one • Optional landscape mode that fills the whole screen • Keep the screen awake while a timer runs, with an only-while-charging option LOCK SCREEN AND DYNAMIC ISLAND • The Live Activity shows a real dot-matrix face, not a plain text label • It counts down on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • It follows the color scheme you chose in the app, including changes made mid-run • At zero it morphs into a checkmark and chimes once WIDGETS, CONTROLS, AND SIRI • A Home Screen widget that mirrors the timer, display-only • Control Center buttons to start a Pomodoro or a preset without opening the app • Siri and Shortcuts: start a timer, a preset, a Pomodoro, or the stopwatch, and pause, resume, or reset TIMER MODES • Presets: 5, 10, 25, and 45 minutes • Custom duration, 1 to 180 minutes • Classic Pomodoro: 25 minutes of work, 5-minute breaks, a 15-minute long break, 4 rounds • Stopwatch with a live hundredths-of-a-second sub-display • Multi-phase custom timers for intervals, rounds, and routines DISPLAY STYLES • Dot Matrix — the original pixel grid, with adjustable dot weight and square or round dots • 7-Segment — slanted LED calculator digits • Flip Clock — split-flap digits with animated transitions (Pro) • Big & Small — blocky digits with size-varied segments (Pro) COLOR • Transparent, Dark, and Light schemes • Six premium schemes: Amber, Green Terminal, Blue Glow, VFD Cyan, Sunset, Neon Pink (Pro) • Any text and background color you like (Pro) • Multicolored digits with Rainbow, Pastel, Neon, and Sunset palettes (Pro) WHEN TIME IS UP • Freeze at 00 or morph into a checkmark • A notification when the countdown ends • Sound and haptic alerts between Pomodoro and custom-timer phases WHAT THIS IS NOT Retro Dot-Matrix Timer runs one timer at a time. No task lists, no labels, no session history, no analytics, no cloud sync. It is a single, quiet countdown. PRIVACY No accounts, no tracking, no analytics, no data collection. Everything works offline. FREE AND PRO The app is a free download and stays useful forever without paying. Presets, custom durations, the Dot Matrix and 7-Segment displays, square dots, Pomodoro, the stopwatch, the widget, Control Center buttons, Siri shortcuts, and the Live Activity are all free. Pro is a single one-time purchase, never a subscription. On iPhone and iPad it adds the Custom Timer Editor, six premium color schemes, custom colors, multicolored digits, and the Flip Clock and Big & Small displays. Pro is a Universal Purchase — the same payment unlocks the Mac menu-bar app. Every Pro feature is unlocked free for 14 days, starting automatically at first launch. No signup, no payment details. When the trial ends nothing is charged, Pro features simply return to the free tier, and any custom timers you saved stay runnable. LANGUAGES English, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), German, French, Simplified Chinese. REQUIREMENTS iOS 18.0 or later. iPhone and iPad. SUPPORT contact@andeanbearstudios.com

Screenshots

1 Bit Timer4 screens
RetroDotTimer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: RetroDotTimer at 18.0 against 1 Bit Timer's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. 1 Bit Timer sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and RetroDotTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
1 Bit Timer versus RetroDotTimer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter1 Bit TimerRetroDotTimer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFatih Emir OnderAndean Bear Studios GmbH

In-app purchases

7 purchases

1 Bit Timer

One-time7
  • Synthwave Theme$0.99
  • Hacker Theme$0.99
  • Matrix Theme$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Dracula Theme$1.99
  • Cyber Theme$2.99
  • Atomic Theme$2.99
  • All Themes Bundle$5.99
1 purchases

RetroDotTimer

One-time1
  • RetroDotTimer Pro$4.99

Questions

Is 1 Bit Timer free?
1 Bit Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RetroDotTimer free?
RetroDotTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do 1 Bit Timer or RetroDotTimer have ads?
Neither 1 Bit Timer nor RetroDotTimer shows ads.

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