Comparison

Timer vs Zen Timer

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

Head to head
About

Timer

Track your time with ease by clocking in and out of tasks. This app allows for multiple concurrent timers and provides detailed reports on how your hours are spent weekly, monthly, and yearly. It offers a private iCloud sync and a native dark interface.

Highlights
  • Concurrent timers
  • One-tap start/stop
  • Categorization with custom colors
  • Weekly, monthly, yearly reports
  • Full history with edits
  • Trim idle time
  • Private iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Timer is a time tracker for days when you do more than one thing at once. Tap to start a task, tap to stop, and run as many timers side by side as you need. Week, month and year reports show exactly where your hours went. Free, with no ads, no account and no subscription. MADE FOR iPhone Duo Half-fold it on a desk: your running timers sit large on top, and your tasks with Clock In and Clock Out sit below. Open it flat: tasks on one side and your weekly report or history on the other, with a swap button right on screen. ON YOUR APPLE WATCH Start and stop tasks from your wrist, see today's total, and add a complication to your watch face. A Smart Stack card shows up while a timer runs, with a Stop button. Everything stays in sync with your iPhone. WHY TIMER Most time trackers make you pick one thing at a time. Real work is not like that: you start a deep work block, a build kicks off, and you read docs while it runs. Timer tracks overlapping tasks the way your day actually goes. WHAT YOU GET - Multiple timers running at the same time - One tap to start, one tap to stop - Categories with your own colors, so reports read at a glance - Week, month and year reports with stacked bars and per-task totals - History grouped by day, with quick edits and past entries you can add by hand - Trim idle time from a running entry without losing its start - Notes on any entry - Archive tasks you are done with - Private sync between your iPhone and iPad through your own iCloud account GOOD FOR Client and freelance hours, deep work, study, side projects, and anyone who wants an honest look at their week. PRIVATE No account. No ads. No analytics. Your data lives on your devices and in your own private iCloud database. In 18 languages. Made by Agentic Quarks, a small independent studio.

About

Zen Timer

Enhance your focus with a calm Pomodoro and study timer. Track your progress, unlock new looks for your companion, and enjoy a ritualistic approach to productivity with customizable scenes and sounds. Integrates with Apple devices and services for a seamless experience.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro and Flow focus timer modes
  • Customizable scenes and soundscapes
  • Orbilla companion that grows with focus time
  • Daily planner and Apple Reminders sync
  • Focus Circles for shared focus sessions
  • Cross-device support (iPhone, iPad, Watch, Mac)
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Focus. Grow. Evolve. Zen Timer is a calm Pomodoro and focus timer for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Every session you finish helps Orbilla, your focus companion, grow, rank up and unlock new looks. Pick what you want to focus on: Study, Reading, Journal, Meditation, Deep Focus or a HIIT Workout. Set an intention and press start. Zen Timer moves you into rest on its own, waits until you're ready for the next round, and keeps honest track of the time you actually spent. ORBILLA GROWS WITH YOU - Focus time earns leaves for Orbilla's wardrobe and your Zen Garden - Eight ranks to climb, from Cadet to Marshal - Nothing is ever lost, and nothing is sold for money A TIMER THAT FEELS LIKE A RITUAL - Painted scenes for every mode, in a light Dawn and a deep Dusk theme - Living atmospheres that move gently while you work: Mountain Mist, Aurora, Ember Glow, Ocean Tide, Starfield and more - Classic Pomodoro rounds, or Flow mode: count up while you're in the zone, then take a longer break - Start the next round automatically, or keep the screen on during a session - Spoken cues, singing-bowl chimes or quiet haptics SOUNDS FOR DEEP FOCUS - Original soundscapes: tanpura drone, soft rain, ocean, forest, singing bowls and warm hum - Your own sound mix, or Apple Music songs and playlists sized to your session PLAN A CALMER DAY - Plan my day: type or say your list and get a calm schedule, made on your device - A visual day planner that checks your Calendar for conflicts - Tasks with two-way Apple Reminders sync FOCUS TOGETHER - Focus Circles: see when friends are focusing, with no calls - SharePlay a session on FaceTime and start, pause and rest in sync CELEBRATE EVERY RETURN - A completion moment with petals and a quick "how deep was your focus?" check-in - A Zen Garden that grows a new plant for every routine you finish - Insights, streaks that never punish you, and a weekly rhythm report EVERYWHERE YOU ARE - Mac: a native app with a menu bar timer and keyboard shortcuts - Apple Watch: start a session on your wrist, with haptics at every phase - iPad: a two-column layout with keyboard shortcuts - Live Activity and Dynamic Island, widgets, StandBy, Control Center, Siri and Shortcuts - Alarms that ring on silent and in StandBy when a break or session ends - Apple Health: log meditation as Mindful Minutes and HIIT as workouts (optional) - Accessible: Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency PAY ONCE. FOCUS EVERYWHERE. One Zen Plus plan covers iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Your routines and history sync through your own iCloud. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your devices and in your own iCloud. ZEN PLUS Study mode, Flow mode, alerts, widgets, Shortcuts and Orbilla's ranks are free. Zen Plus unlocks all six modes, every scene and soundscape, the planner and Plan my day, tasks and Reminders sync, Focus protection, detailed insights, the weekly report, iCloud sync and your routines on Apple Watch. - Zen Plus Monthly: 1-month auto-renewable subscription - Zen Plus Yearly: 1-year auto-renewable subscription - Zen Plus Lifetime: one-time purchase, not a subscription New subscribers can start with a 1-week free trial; if you don't cancel at least 24 hours before it ends, the subscription begins. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. If Plus ends, your routines, tasks and history are kept. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://orbilla.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Timer4 screens
Zen Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Timer at none against Zen Timer's 3. Zen Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Zen Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Timer against 5.0 for Zen Timer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Timer ships an update every 3 months, Zen Timer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Timer versus Zen Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTimerZen Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB84 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAgentic Quarks LLCTAPAN Shatapathy

Customer experience

Timer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Zen Timer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Timer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Zen Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Zen Plus Monthly: Focus & Study7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Zen Plus Yearly: Focus & Study7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Zen Plus Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Timer free?
Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zen Timer free?
Zen Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Timer or Zen Timer?
Timer and Zen Timer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Timer or Zen Timer have ads?
Neither Timer nor Zen Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Timer or Zen Timer?
Timer ships an update every 3 months, and Zen Timer every 3 days. Most recently, Timer was updated on November 13, 2026 and Zen Timer on October 31, 2026.

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