Comparison

Burst vs SquareWave

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

Head to head
About

Burst

Features
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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 VOβ‚‚max 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 (VOβ‚‚max, 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.

About

SquareWave

Features
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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

Burst4 screens
SquareWave4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Burst versus SquareWave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBurstSquareWave
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.2 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size40 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSebastian OrlowskiXYK LLC

In-app purchases

None

Burst

No in-app purchases

None

SquareWave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Burst free?
Burst is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SquareWave free?
SquareWave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Burst or SquareWave have ads?
Burst shows ads; SquareWave does not.
Which is updated more often, Burst or SquareWave?
Burst ships an update every 6 days, and SquareWave every 4 days. Most recently, Burst was updated on September 14, 2026 and SquareWave on September 10, 2026.

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