RetroDotTimer vs Talking Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RetroDotTimer
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A full-screen countdown that looks like the dot-matrix displays of vintage arcades and early computing. Set the time, put your iPhone or iPad face up on your desk, and let the pixel grid count down. ONE TIMER, FULL SCREEN • A large dot-matrix countdown, readable across the room • Tap the display to start, pause, or resume — or turn on the Start/Pause button if you prefer one • Optional landscape mode that fills the whole screen • Keep the screen awake while a timer runs, with an only-while-charging option LOCK SCREEN AND DYNAMIC ISLAND • The Live Activity shows a real dot-matrix face, not a plain text label • It counts down on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • It follows the color scheme you chose in the app, including changes made mid-run • At zero it morphs into a checkmark and chimes once WIDGETS, CONTROLS, AND SIRI • A Home Screen widget that mirrors the timer, display-only • Control Center buttons to start a Pomodoro or a preset without opening the app • Siri and Shortcuts: start a timer, a preset, a Pomodoro, or the stopwatch, and pause, resume, or reset TIMER MODES • Presets: 5, 10, 25, and 45 minutes • Custom duration, 1 to 180 minutes • Classic Pomodoro: 25 minutes of work, 5-minute breaks, a 15-minute long break, 4 rounds • Stopwatch with a live hundredths-of-a-second sub-display • Multi-phase custom timers for intervals, rounds, and routines DISPLAY STYLES • Dot Matrix — the original pixel grid, with adjustable dot weight and square or round dots • 7-Segment — slanted LED calculator digits • Flip Clock — split-flap digits with animated transitions (Pro) • Big & Small — blocky digits with size-varied segments (Pro) COLOR • Transparent, Dark, and Light schemes • Six premium schemes: Amber, Green Terminal, Blue Glow, VFD Cyan, Sunset, Neon Pink (Pro) • Any text and background color you like (Pro) • Multicolored digits with Rainbow, Pastel, Neon, and Sunset palettes (Pro) WHEN TIME IS UP • Freeze at 00 or morph into a checkmark • A notification when the countdown ends • Sound and haptic alerts between Pomodoro and custom-timer phases WHAT THIS IS NOT Retro Dot-Matrix Timer runs one timer at a time. No task lists, no labels, no session history, no analytics, no cloud sync. It is a single, quiet countdown. PRIVACY No accounts, no tracking, no analytics, no data collection. Everything works offline. FREE AND PRO The app is a free download and stays useful forever without paying. Presets, custom durations, the Dot Matrix and 7-Segment displays, square dots, Pomodoro, the stopwatch, the widget, Control Center buttons, Siri shortcuts, and the Live Activity are all free. Pro is a single one-time purchase, never a subscription. On iPhone and iPad it adds the Custom Timer Editor, six premium color schemes, custom colors, multicolored digits, and the Flip Clock and Big & Small displays. Pro is a Universal Purchase — the same payment unlocks the Mac menu-bar app. Every Pro feature is unlocked free for 14 days, starting automatically at first launch. No signup, no payment details. When the trial ends nothing is charged, Pro features simply return to the free tier, and any custom timers you saved stay runnable. LANGUAGES English, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), German, French, Simplified Chinese. REQUIREMENTS iOS 18.0 or later. iPhone and iPad. SUPPORT contact@andeanbearstudios.com
Talking Timer
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Talking Timer is a simple yet powerful countdown and count-up timer that speaks the time aloud, helping you stay focused without constantly looking at your screen. Perfect for workouts, yoga, meditation, games, presentations, and daily routines, Talking Timer keeps you in sync by announcing each time interval clearly and audibly. How it works Set a countdown - for example, starting from 5 and Talking Timer will speak: “Five, Four, Three, Two, One.” You can also enable repeat mode to loop the counting automatically, making it ideal for interval-based activities. FEATURES - Countdown & Count-up modes - Repeat counting - Start delay & repeat delay - Mute option - Adjustable font size & color - Dark & Light themes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Talking Timer at none against RetroDotTimer's 1. Talking Timer also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. RetroDotTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Talking Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.
RetroDotTimer ships an update fortnightly, Talking Timer daily. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RetroDotTimer | Talking Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andean Bear Studios GmbH | Arun D |
In-app purchases
RetroDotTimer
- RetroDotTimer Pro$4.99
Talking Timer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RetroDotTimer free?
Is Talking Timer free?
Do RetroDotTimer or Talking Timer have ads?
Which is updated more often, RetroDotTimer or Talking Timer?
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