Comparison

Pulse vs Surge HIIT

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

Head to head
About

Pulse

Features
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Pulse is an interval timer built for people who train seriously. Focus on your workout, not your phone. BUILT TO BE SEEN The countdown fills your screen. Bold color-coded backgrounds shift with each phase โ€” green for work, indigo for rest, amber for prepare. You'll see it from across the gym without touching your phone. YOUR ROUTINE, YOUR WAY Chain multiple exercises into one continuous session. Each exercise gets its own set count, its own segments, its own timing. Prepare, Workout, Rest, Cooldown. Build it once, run it every time. AUDIO CUES THAT WORK Distinct beeps for transitions, last-3-second countdowns, and session complete. No voice coaching. No music. Just the cues you need, when you need them. FREE FEATURES โ€ข Full interval timer with all segment types โ€ข Audio cues and countdown beeps โ€ข Haptic feedback โ€ข 1 saved routine PULSE PREMIUM โ€” ONE-TIME โ€ข Unlimited saved routines โ€ข Workout history โ€” calendar, charts, and yearly heatmap โ€ข Cloud backup via iCloud (no account required) โ€ข All future premium features included No account required. No ads. No subscription. Ever.

About

Surge HIIT

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HIIT shouldn't start with a fight against a confusing timer. Surge HIIT does the hard part for you: pick a workout, hit start, and move. Your phone โ€” and your Apple Watch โ€” call every interval so you never have to look down mid-burpee. Built for people who want to sweat, not fiddle. โ€” WORKOUTS THAT ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE โ€” Eight studio-quality HIIT workouts, beginner to advanced. No setup, no guesswork. Warm-up, work, rest, cooldown โ€” all timed, all coached, all yours from the first tap. โ€” BUILD YOUR OWN, EXACTLY YOUR WAY โ€” Drag-and-drop the perfect routine in our custom builder. Set work and rest to the second, name your exercises, pick your colors. Tabata, EMOM, circuits, ladders โ€” if you can imagine it, you can build it. Frankly, the builder is tremendous. โ€” YOUR APPLE WATCH BECOMES A COACH โ€” This is where Surge pulls ahead. Real-time heart rate. Active calories. Haptic taps on every interval change so you feel the switch without breaking stride. Your custom workouts sync straight to your wrist, and your Activity rings close automatically. Leave the phone on the bench. โ€” SPOKEN CUES, EYES UP โ€” Surge announces each interval in a crisp neural voice and ducks your music so you hear it clearly. No squinting at a screen between rounds. Choose your preferred accent and gender in Settings โ€” preview it before you commit. โ€” NINE THEMES WITH REAL CHARACTER โ€” From cool Glacier blues to molten Ember, electric Voltage, and a neon Tron-inspired grid. Make the app yours. โ€” 100% OFFLINE. ZERO ADS. ZERO NONSENSE โ€” No internet required. No accounts. No ads interrupting your set. Ever. Just you and the work. โ€” APPLE HEALTH โ€” Every session saves to Apple Health โ€” workouts, active calories and heart rate โ€” so your progress lives where the rest of your fitness data does. โ€” START FREE โ€” Two built-in workouts and two custom workouts are free forever. Want it all? Start a 14-day free trial โ€” no credit card, no commitment. Keep the free workouts as long as you like. Surge Premium unlocks: โ€ข All 8 HIIT workouts โ€ข Unlimited custom workouts and exercises โ€ข Every color theme โ€ข The full Apple Watch experience It's a HIIT timer that respects your time. Believe me โ€” your next workout starts the second you open it. Download Surge HIIT and go. โ€”โ€”โ€” Subscription details: A yearly subscription is available after the free trial, or buy Lifetime once and own it forever. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. The yearly subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://surgehiit.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Pulse4 screens
Surge HIIT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Pulse at 15.1 against Surge HIIT's 17.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Pulse sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Surge HIIT sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and August 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Pulse versus Surge HIIT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulseSurge HIIT
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better17.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size47 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomas BezouskaRalf Koch

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pulse

One-time1
  • Pulse PRO$3.99
3 purchases

Surge HIIT

Subscriptions1
  • Surge Hiit Premium - Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Surge Hiit Premium - 14-day TrialFree
  • Surge Hiit Premium - Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Pulse free?
Pulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surge HIIT free?
Surge HIIT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pulse or Surge HIIT have ads?
Neither Pulse nor Surge HIIT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse or Surge HIIT?
Pulse ships an update every 3 days, and Surge HIIT every 3 days. Most recently, Pulse was updated on September 8, 2026 and Surge HIIT on August 17, 2026.

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