Comparison

IntervalFree vs Workout Timer

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

Head to head
About

IntervalFree

This app provides a simple and fully customizable interval timer for workouts. It offers unlimited workout profiles, background support, and Live Activities for real-time progress tracking on your lock screen. Enjoy a completely free experience with no ads or paywalls.

Highlights
  • Unlimited workout profiles
  • Customizable action/break durations
  • Live Activities on Lock Screen
  • Background timer support
  • Multiple sound themes
  • Workout library with stats
  • Celebration screen upon completion
Features
Read full description

IntervalFree is the workout interval timer that's actually free. No paywalls. No ads. No tricks. Every feature is unlocked from day one — and stays that way forever. SET UP IN SECONDS Configure your action duration, break duration, and number of sets with intuitive scroll pickers. Tap Start and your profile is saved automatically. No account required. GO CUSTOM: BUILD ROUTINES BLOCK BY BLOCK Need more than one interval pattern in a session? Switch to Custom mode and build your routine block by block — a warm-up, a legs circuit, an abs finisher — each with its own action time, rest time, and number of rounds. Add a breather between blocks or keep it rolling; the whole session runs as one seamless timer. Prefer things simple? Simple mode hasn't changed at all. You'll never have to touch Custom, and everything you've already saved looks and behaves exactly as before. GLANCEABLE & MULTITASK-READY A large timer ring shows your remaining time at a glance—green for action, blue for break. With Live Activities, your progress stays visible right on your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island. Switch apps or lock your phone with confidence; the timer runs perfectly in the background. YOUR SOUND, YOUR PACE Choose from multiple Sound Themes to match your workout vibe. High-fidelity audio alerts keep you on pace even when your phone is in your pocket, and our smart audio handling ensures your music stays clear while the timer beeps. SAVE UNLIMITED WORKOUT PROFILES — NOW PROTECTED Create as many workout profiles as you need. Name each one, pick from 20+ activity icons (running, swimming, yoga, boxing, and more), and choose from 10 colors. Every profile is instantly recognizable in your workout library. Your saved presets are now protected: the settings can't be changed by accident — tap Edit first. Your edits are kept when you tap Save Preset, or when you start the workout. YOUR WORKOUT LIBRARY See how many times you've started and finished each workout. Tap any profile to load it instantly—no re-entering settings every time. Quick-start chips let you jump into your most-used routines in one tap. CELEBRATE EVERY WIN Every completed workout gets a celebration screen with your stats, a trumpet fanfare, and a fun animated surprise to keep you motivated. FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE • Custom mode: multi-block routines with per-block intervals • Protected presets: no more accidental overwrites • Background Support: Use other apps while you train • Live Activities: Real-time progress on your Lock Screen • Sound Themes: Multiple audio styles to choose from • Adjustable action and break durations (seconds to minutes) • 1 to 99 sets per workout • 20+ workout icons & 10 profile colors • Profiles auto-save on start WHY INTERVALFREE? We were tired of interval timer apps that lock basic features behind subscriptions. So we built one that gives you everything—for free. No premium tiers. No "free trial" that expires. No data sold to advertisers. IntervalFree is maintained by a small team who believes great tools should be free. If it becomes part of your routine, you can support us with a voluntary coffee—but there's absolutely no pressure. Perfect for HIIT, Tabata, circuit training, boxing rounds, stretching, meditation, or any activity that uses timed intervals. Requires iOS 17.0 or later. Works on iPhone and iPad.

About

Workout Timer

Create and save custom interval timers for various workout routines like Tabata and HIIT. Features audio cues, haptics, and voice announcements for phase changes. Keeps running with the screen locked and offers Live Activities on iOS.

Highlights
  • Build custom interval timers
  • Save and reuse timer templates
  • Audio cues and haptic feedback
  • Voice announcements for phase changes
  • Live Activities on iOS Lock Screen
  • Runs with screen locked
Features
Read full description

A workout interval timer for Tabata, HIIT, and any work-and-rest routine. Build a timer once, save it, and run it again with one tap. It's free to use. No paywall. No ads. No tracking. No accounts. What it does: - Build interval timers with warm-up, work, rest, recovery, and cool-down phases - Or build a custom sequence: name each interval, set its length and whether it is work or rest, and repeat the whole list as many rounds as you like - AMRAP mode: a countdown with a big tap-to-count round counter - For Time mode: a stopwatch with an optional time cap and the same round counter - Save timers as templates, run them again in one tap, and duplicate one to make a variation - Audio cues, haptics, and optional voice announcements at every phase change, including the name of each interval in a sequence - Watch the phase, set, and time left on a clear countdown screen - On iOS, a Live Activity shows your timer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island - Keeps running with the screen locked, so the phone can sit in your pocket Made for any interval discipline: - Rock climbing: hangboard and fingerboard repeaters (try 7 seconds on, 3 seconds off, for 6 sets), plus campus-board and no-hang protocols - Boxing, MMA, and martial arts: timed rounds with rest between them - High-intensity interval training and functional fitness: Tabata, EMOM, and AMRAP - Running and cycling: sprint and interval training - Strength and calisthenics: timed sets and supersets - Yoga, mobility, and stretching: hold each pose for a set time - Physical therapy and rehab: timed holds and repetitions - Meditation and breathwork: steady, repeating intervals If it has a "work for a bit, rest for a bit, repeat" shape, you can build it here. Running a group class? The new class mode keeps everyone's phone in step: the room scans your code, and your pause and skip reach every phone. Your data stays with you. No accounts, no ads, no tracking. Your timers stay on your phone. The app only goes online for things that work for you, never for us: the check for app updates, and, during a class, pause and skip passing between phones. Class messages are end-to-end encrypted and travel through free public relays we don't run and can't read. Open source: https://github.com/Josh-Approved/workout-timer What it doesn't do: No paywall. No ads. No tracking. No accounts. No subscriptions. The whole app is the whole app: every feature is here, free. Josh Approved is supported by the people who use it. No ads, no subscriptions, no data harvest. What keeps this sustainable is whether it's worth a few dollars to you. If it is, there's an optional tip jar in the app. Send feedback: feedback@joshapproved.com

Screenshots

IntervalFree4 screens
Workout Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: IntervalFree at none against Workout Timer's 5. IntervalFree also leads on ratings volume (37 vs 4). Workout Timer's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Workout Timer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. IntervalFree asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for IntervalFree against 5.0 for Workout Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IntervalFree has 37 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IntervalFree ships an update every 2 months, Workout Timer weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
IntervalFree versus Workout Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIntervalFreeWorkout Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (37 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings37 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLIFEFLOW AI, LLCJosh Approved LLC

Customer experience

IntervalFree

All ratings23 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Workout Timer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

IntervalFree

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Workout Timer

One-time5
  • Tip$2.99
  • Tip$4.99
  • Tip$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Tip$19.99
  • Tip$49.99

Questions

Is IntervalFree free?
IntervalFree is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Workout Timer free?
Workout Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, IntervalFree or Workout Timer?
Workout Timer is rated higher. IntervalFree averages 4.9 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Workout Timer averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do IntervalFree or Workout Timer have ads?
Neither IntervalFree nor Workout Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IntervalFree or Workout Timer?
IntervalFree ships an update every 2 months, and Workout Timer weekly. Most recently, IntervalFree was updated on October 31, 2026 and Workout Timer on October 31, 2026.

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