Comparison

RetroDotTimer vs DuelTempo

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

Head to head
About

RetroDotTimer

Features
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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 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

About

DuelTempo

Features
Read full description

DuelTempo is a precision chess clock for focused over-the-board games. Pick a familiar bullet, blitz, rapid, or classical control, place your iPhone or iPad beside the board, and tap after every move. The default 3+2 clock and full-half tap zones get a game running in seconds. NOW ON IPAD DuelTempo runs natively on iPad. The clock fills the big screen in portrait or landscape, with large digits both players can read from across a club table. TRUST THE CLOCK DuelTempo saves a live game locally and reopens it safely paused after an interruption. Undo one mistaken clock press exactly. Correct either player's time, apply quick penalty adjustments, and review a clear rescue log. Calls and app switching can pause the game automatically, and leaving a live game requires confirmation. PLAY YOUR WAY The free clock includes common sudden-death and Fischer controls such as 3+2, 5+3, and 10+5, the Obsidian & Ember, Odyssey, and Classic themes, precise touch handling, corrections, recovery, undo, move counts, statistics, and head-to-head scores. DuelTempo Pro is one optional lifetime purchase. It unlocks a time report after every game, your full game history, and thirteen expressive themes: Marble, Gambit, Solstice, Aurora, Blueprint, Guilloché, Emberline, Deep Water, Signal, Shanti, Modern, Kings, and Tournament LCD, plus custom presets, time odds, multi-stage controls, Bronstein, US delay, and hourglass timing. There are no ads and no subscription. FOCUSED AND PRIVATE Game data and preferences stay on your device. DuelTempo has no account or ads. Made for home games, chess clubs, cafés, schools, coaching, and casual OTB play. Event organizers may require dedicated approved equipment; DuelTempo does not claim tournament certification. LEGAL Privacy Policy: https://pomisoft.dev/privacy

Screenshots

RetroDotTimer4 screens
DuelTempo4 screens

Verdict

The call

RetroDotTimer and DuelTempo are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. RetroDotTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DuelTempo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RetroDotTimer ships an update every 3 weeks, DuelTempo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
RetroDotTimer versus DuelTempo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetroDotTimerDuelTempo
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndean Bear Studios GmbHPomisoft OU

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RetroDotTimer

One-time1
  • RetroDotTimer Pro$4.99
1 purchases

DuelTempo

One-time1
  • DuelTempo Pro — Lifetime$2.99

Questions

Is RetroDotTimer free?
RetroDotTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DuelTempo free?
DuelTempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RetroDotTimer or DuelTempo have ads?
Neither RetroDotTimer nor DuelTempo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RetroDotTimer or DuelTempo?
RetroDotTimer ships an update every 3 weeks, and DuelTempo every 2 weeks. Most recently, RetroDotTimer was updated on October 25, 2026 and DuelTempo on October 31, 2026.

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