Comparison

Ember Fasting vs WaterFast

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

Head to head
About

Ember Fasting

This app provides a simple and beautiful intermittent fasting timer with a widget-first design. It offers precise tracking of fasting progress, various popular protocols, and metabolic insights for Pro users. The app focuses on a clean user experience without ads or dark patterns.

Highlights
  • Widget-first design for home and lock screens
  • Fast launch time and smooth animations
  • Live metabolic process tracking (Pro)
  • Support for 5 popular fasting protocols
  • Streak tracking and milestone celebrations
  • Smart notifications for fast completion
Features
Read full description

The fasting timer that respects your time and your wallet. Ember is a beautifully crafted intermittent fasting timer that just works. No account required. No ads. No dark patterns. Just a precise, reliable timer with stunning widgets and honest pricing. WIDGET-FIRST DESIGN Check your fasting progress without opening the app. Ember offers 7 widget styles: small interactive, medium, large, Lock Screen, and StandBy. Your progress is always a glance away. Start and stop fasts right from your home screen. BEAUTIFUL & FAST Launches in under a second. Your body runs multiple metabolic processes during a fast: fat burning, ketosis, autophagy. They overlap and build on each other gradually. Ember tracks your progress with smooth animations and warm, purposeful design. Choose from 10 curated color themes or set your own custom accent color. Pick from 8 app icon styles to match your aesthetic. METABOLIC INSIGHT (PRO) Fasting isn't a series of stages you enter and leave, it's overlapping biological processes that build on each other. Pro unlocks live metabolic process tracking: see fat burning, ketosis, and autophagy ramping simultaneously with intensity indicators. Tap the info icon during any fast to see exactly what's happening in your body. EVERYTHING YOU NEED, NOTHING YOU DON'T - All 5 popular protocols: 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD, or create your own - Streak tracking with milestone celebrations - History with weekly calendar view - Basic stats to track your progress - Smart notifications for fast completion, zone transitions, and daily reminders HONEST PRICING The full fasting timer is free. No trial traps. No surprise charges. Pro unlocks metabolic insight, extra widget styles, themes, icons, and advanced notifications for $1.99/month, $14.99/year, or $29.99 lifetime. That's it. PRIVACY BY DESIGN Your data never leaves your device. No account. No analytics. No tracking. Our App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected"...and we mean it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

WaterFast

This app provides a synchronized intermittent fasting timer designed for seamless use across your iPhone and Apple Watch. It offers detailed insights into fasting zones and hydration tracking, with a focus on privacy and a user-friendly experience.

Highlights
  • Synchronized iPhone and Apple Watch timer
  • Fasting zone insights
  • Hydration tracking
  • Multiple fasting plans
  • Streak calendar
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

Some fasting apps charge many times more. WaterFast is a fraction of that — with a 3-day free trial on every plan. You decide. FASTING APPS HAVE A PROBLEM They're either overpriced, bloated with social feeds and AI coaching you never asked for — or they're simple but their Apple Watch app runs a separate countdown that drifts out of sync with your iPhone. Two timers for the same fast. Not optimal. WATERFAST IS DIFFERENT One timer. One source of truth. Your Watch doesn't follow your iPhone — it leads. Start, monitor and end your fast right from your wrist, even with your iPhone in your pocket. When you pick it up, everything matches. Always. To the second. TRY IT ALL FREE FOR 3 DAYS Start a 3-day free trial and unlock everything — no strings attached. Then keep it monthly, yearly, or one-time lifetime. Cancel anytime. EVERYTHING INCLUDED • Every plan: 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD, 5:2 and fully custom • Start & stop fasts from Apple Watch — it leads, iPhone follows • Live timer with progress ring and fasting zones • Streak calendar — don't break the chain, unlimited history • All Apple Watch complications (circular, corner, inline, rectangular) • Hydration tracking with one-tap logging and daily goal • Full stats: current streak, longest fast, total hours, success rate • Export your data as CSV • No account required BUILT FOR APPLE WATCH — REALLY Most fasting apps treat the Watch as an afterthought. WaterFast was designed wrist-first. The timer state lives in one shared place: start a fast on your Watch during dinner, check the zone on your iPhone the next morning — same fast, same seconds, zero drift. KNOW YOUR FASTING ZONES Track exactly what's happening in your body — from digestion through fat burning and ketosis to autophagy. Each zone explained in plain language, with science-based hour ranges. Educational reference only — not medical advice. HYDRATION, ON YOUR WRIST Log a glass of water with one tap on your Watch, with haptic confirmation, synced instantly to your iPhone and Apple Health. A PRICE THAT RESPECTS YOU WaterFast PRO: monthly, yearly, or one-time lifetime. Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. We think a fasting timer shouldn't cost more than your streaming service. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your fasting and hydration data never leaves your device (except to your own Apple Health, if you choose). Start your 3-day free trial and run your first fast in under a minute. --- Medical disclaimer: WaterFast provides educational information about fasting. It is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any fasting protocol, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take medication. --- Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ember Fasting4 screens
WaterFast4 screens

Verdict

The call

Ember Fasting and WaterFast are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Ember Fasting sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and WaterFast sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Ember Fasting against 5.0 for WaterFast. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember Fasting ships an update every 2 weeks, WaterFast weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Ember Fasting versus WaterFast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmber FastingWaterFast
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB3 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperChris SchradeLUIS ORLANDO LAZO GONZALEZ

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ember Fasting

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • FastApp Pro Lifetime$29.99
3 purchases

WaterFast

Subscriptions2
  • WaterFast PRO Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • WaterFast PRO Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • WaterFast PRO Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Ember Fasting free?
Ember Fasting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WaterFast free?
WaterFast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ember Fasting or WaterFast?
Ember Fasting and WaterFast are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Ember Fasting or WaterFast have ads?
Neither Ember Fasting nor WaterFast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember Fasting or WaterFast?
Ember Fasting ships an update every 2 weeks, and WaterFast weekly. Most recently, Ember Fasting was updated on October 9, 2026 and WaterFast on October 25, 2026.

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