Burst vs SquareWave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Burst
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Burst is an interval timer and a field-test logbook. Free, no account, in 10 languages. EVERY INTERVAL FORMAT Work/rest intervals, pyramids, distance sessions, Tabata, HIIT, boxing rounds, circuits. Set durations on a wheel, name the exercises of each round, add a warm-up, and see the total time before you start. RANDOM BEEPS Random-cue mode drops unpredictable signals into each work phase, at three intensities. Train reaction: strike on the beep, sprint on the beep, change direction on the beep. A feature you will not find in a standard interval timer. FIELD TESTS, WITH THE MATH LΓ©ger 20 m shuttle run (beep test), 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test, Gacon 45/15, Yo-Yo IR1 and IR2, Cooper and half-Cooper, 2 km, T-Test, repeated sprints, BOLT, FTP. Burst runs the exact protocol, then computes your aerobic speed and estimated VOβmax and places you on a benchmark by sex and age. ONE PHONE FOR THE WHOLE TEAM In team mode you enter up to 40 names before the test. During the run, tap the name of whoever stops: each athlete gets their own level and aerobic speed, and the ranking goes into the history. Built for PE classes, clubs and strength coaches. YOUR SESSIONS WITHIN REACH 90 ready-made sessions, sorted by sport and by energy system (VOβmax, threshold, anaerobic, recovery), search, filters, and favorites to bring back your own intervals in one tap. PROGRESS The history keeps every session, every test result and how it felt. Your aerobic speed and training paces update with each test. SIMPLE One screen per task, digits you can read from three meters, clean sounds, a timer that keeps running with the screen locked. Works offline. Burst is free and supported by ads. No account, no session data sent anywhere: everything stays on your phone.
SquareWave
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Square Wave is a focused, private interval timer for HIIT, Tabata, circuits, stretching, study sessions, and any routine built around work and rest. SET YOUR TIMER β’ Choose work and rest durations β’ Configure sets, rounds, and round breaks β’ Save favorite timer presets for quick reuse β’ See the total session time before you start FOLLOW THE WAVE Work is the high line. Rest is the low line. The live square wave makes the entire interval pattern easy to understand at a glance. β’ Large, readable countdowns β’ Pause or skip forward and back with one tap β’ Clear countdown, transition, and halfway cues β’ Optional sound and haptic feedback β’ Continues when the screen is locked APPLE WATCH Bring Square Wave to your wrist with the included Apple Watch app. β’ Start timers from presets synced with iPhone β’ Hear audio cues and feel haptic taps at each interval β’ Keep timing active when your wrist is down with workout support β’ Save completed workouts to Health and sync sessions back to iPhone MUSIC FRIENDLY Timer cues mix with Spotify and other audio instead of stopping your music. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No accounts. No subscriptions. No tracking. Square Wave works offline, and your saved timers stay on your device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: SquareWave at none against Burst's shown. Burst's advantage is iOS requirement (16.2 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Burst ships an update every 6 days, SquareWave every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Burst | SquareWave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 4 days β better |
| Ads | Yes | No β better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 β better | 26.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sebastian Orlowski | XYK LLC |
In-app purchases
Burst
No in-app purchases
SquareWave
No in-app purchases









