Talking Timers vs KATA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Talking Timers
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[Hands-Free Voice Timer โ No Need to Look at the Screen!] Do you constantly check your phone screen during workouts, cooking, or studying? Talking Timers is a multi-timer that reads out loud every step of your routine. Keep your eyes and hands focused entirely on your tasks while listening to clear voice guidance. โ Why Talking Timers? - Voice Guidance (TTS): Speaks out every phase like "Step 1 start," or "30 seconds remaining." - Multi-Timer: Run multiple independent timers concurrently. - Interval & Steps: Customize routines by adding multiple sequential steps inside a single timer. - Vibration Alert: Stay on track even in noisy environments with customizable vibration settings. - Easy Management: Save your custom timers by name and load them anytime instantly. โ Highly Recommended For: - Home Workouts & Pilates: Follow routines like "1-min Squat, 30-sec Rest" completely hands-free. - Cooking & Baking: Know the next recipe step through voice even with messy hands. - Studying & Focus: Systematically manage Pomodoro sessions or subject time limits. - Presentation Practice: Check speech timeline step-by-step to stay on track. โ Note Depending on system settings, voice alerts may be restricted when the app is closed or the screen is off. We recommend keeping the screen on or disabling battery optimization for best performance.
KATA
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When a routine lives only in your head, it's easy to lose your place or lose track of time. KATA turns a note into a routine you can play. Pick a routine. Press start. "Three minutes: jump rope." KATA announces each step and moves on when time is up. No need to keep checking your notes. Even with your hands busy, you know what's next. That's the whole idea. โ Why it beats a note โ Voice guides every step Step names and remaining time, read out loud. While you're in another app, step changes arrive as notifications. Switch between voice, sound, vibration, or silent โ for the gym or the office. โ Paste a note, get a routine Copy your existing note and paste it into KATA. "3 min", "20 reps", "x3 rounds" are detected automatically. No rebuilding the sequence from scratch. โ A quiet log When you did it, how long it took. Facts only. No streaks. No charts. No cheering. KATA records โ it never judges. โ Three step types, one routine - Check: advance with a tap โ for work procedures and checklists - Timer: auto-advance โ for practice menus and stretching - Count: tap to count reps, chime at the target - Rounds: repeat a block, like "3 min x 3 rounds" Mix them freely. Workouts, vocal drills, podcast release checklists โ one app. โ Nothing interrupts a session - No ads during a session. Ads appear only on the Home and Logs screens - Lock Screen shows the current step and remaining time - Interrupted? Resume right where you stopped โ Fast to start, easy to share - 51 built-in templates (workout, vocal warmup, morning prep, release checklist) - Organize routines into categories; add, rename, or delete them anytime - Start from a Home Screen widget with one tap - "Hey Siri, start Morning Prep in KATA" (iOS 18+) - Export any routine as text. Anyone can paste it and play it โ Fair by design - No account. No sign-up - Create, run, and log routines offline - Free with no feature limits. Unlimited routines (ad-supported) - No subscriptions or in-app purchases โ Made for - People who run their own training menus - Singers, musicians, language learners with daily drills - Podcasters and creators with release checklists they can't afford to miss - Anyone who loses track of time or wants the next step prompted - Anyone who puts off repeatable tasks because getting started feels unclear - Anyone tired of noisy habit apps
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KATA at none against Talking Timers's 1. KATA also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). Talking Timers's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Talking Timers sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KATA asks for nothing beyond the download.
Talking Timers ships an update every 4 weeks, KATA weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Talking Timers | KATA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Weekly โ better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 โ better | 16.4 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SnowdropSoft | Naoto Tazawa |
In-app purchases
Talking Timers
- Remove Limits$3.99
KATA
No in-app purchases





