Circadian vs Pulse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Circadian
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Circadian tells you exactly when to go to sleep so you can wake up with the sunrise. Instead of guessing your bedtime, Circadian calculates tomorrow's sunrise for your exact location and subtracts your preferred sleep duration. The result is a simple, personalized countdown to your ideal bedtime. KEY FEATURES • Sunrise-based bedtime calculator using your GPS location • Real-time countdown to your optimal sleep time • Choose your sleep duration: 8, 9, or 10 hours • Clean, minimal design with no clutter • No account required — start as a guest instantly • Optional account upgrade to secure your data HOW IT WORKS 1. Open the app and grant location access 2. Circadian calculates your local sunrise time 3. See your personalized bedtime and countdown 4. Go to sleep on time, wake up with natural light Whether you are into biohacking, optimizing your circadian rhythm, or simply want more energy in the morning, Circadian gives you the one number that matters: your bedtime. No wearables. No subscription. No complicated charts. Just your bedtime, calculated by nature. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Pulse
This customizable interval timer offers a vibrant and personalized experience for various timed activities. With extensive color options and quick setup templates, it's designed to be glanceable and non-intrusive. Enjoy features like Live Activity and an Apple Watch app for seamless tracking.
- Full color customization with 136 palettes
- Quick start templates (Tabata, Pomodoro, Boxing)
- Live Activity and Dynamic Island support
- Apple Watch app for wrist-based control
- Beeps and haptics for interval cues
- Save and name custom timer sequences
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A fast, colorful timer for the things you do in chunks — and the things you do until you're done. Intervals, Pomodoro, and open-ended flow sessions. 168 palettes. WHY PULSE Every interval timer looks the same — red background, green active state, none of it yours. And they all only count down, so when the work doesn't fit a fixed box you fight the timer. Pulse counts both directions, brightly, and gets out of your way. Big numbers. Live Activity. Apple Watch. $3.99 once unlocks it all. FLOW MODE (NEW) A flow session counts UP. Focus until you decide to stop; the break you earn is proportional to the focus you put in. • Tap START and go — no countdown, no cap • Tap BREAK for focus ÷ 5 (or ÷ 4, or ÷ 3). 50 minutes of focus earns a 10-minute break • Optional target: a chime when you reach it, then it keeps counting — it never stops you • Optional reminders every 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes: a soft tick and a haptic • Works locked: the count-up rides your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, cues still fire 168 PALETTES, SEARCHABLE • Coral — bright red + lime + black (the classic) …and 167 more. Search by color ("orange"), vibe ("neon", "calm"), or era ("70s"). Eight ship free; the one-time unlock opens all 168 and repaints the whole app instantly. TWO TAPS TO START Pick Interval or Flow, set three simple controls, tap Start. Or open the Library for a template: • Flow Session, Flowmodoro 25, Deep Work 90 — the new flow templates • Tabata — 8 × 20s work / 10s rest • Pomodoro — 25/5 focus cycle • Boxing Rounds — 3 min / 1 min corner Save any setup as a named timer — one tap next time. WHAT'S INSIDE • Big-number timer inside one countdown ring — glanceable across the room, color-coded: focus, work, rest, done • Liquid Glass — rebuilt for iOS 26 • Live Activity — Lock Screen + Dynamic Island keep ticking in other apps: down in intervals, up in flow • Beeps + haptics — 3-2-1 countdown and interval cues that fire with the screen locked • Your timers — save, name, edit, reuse (three free; Pro unlimited) HISTORY & LABELS • Label a timer Work, Study, Gym, Boxing — or anything you type • Every session logged: timer, label, duration, rounds, outcome, grouped by day. Tap any row • Streak — days in a row with a finished session. No shame, no confetti • This week's focus time, six stat cards, an activity grid, time by label • Export CSV (Pro) — your whole history in one file Free keeps the last 7 days. Pro keeps everything. SHORTCUTS & CONTROL CENTER • Ask Siri: "Start a flow in Pulse" — or "Start my Boxing Rounds in Pulse" • Add "Start Flow" to Control Center or your Lock Screen • Both actions work in the Shortcuts app for your automations ON YOUR WRIST • Apple Watch app — start any saved interval timer, or Quick Start, from the watch • Palette-matched work/rest states, haptic taps at every transition • The watch runs its own timer — it can't drift or freeze • Flow sessions are iPhone-only for now WHO IT'S FOR • Writing, coding and studying — flow sessions, deep work • HIIT and Tabata circuits, boxing rounds, EMOM • Pomodoro sprints and focus blocks • Meditation, breathwork, yoga, cooking, music practice WHO IT'S NOT FOR • People who want a workout video library (this is a timer, not a fitness app) • People who want an app that blocks other apps — Pulse gets out of the way instead • Anyone looking for a subscription — Pulse is one payment, forever PRICING • Pulse Pro — $3.99 one-time: all 168 palettes, unlimited timers, unlimited history + CSV export • Supporter unlock — $9.99 one-time: same features, bigger thank-you Flow, labels, reminders, Shortcuts and Control Center are free. No subscription. No auto-renew. No ads. Ever. PRIVACY Your timers and history stay on your phone. No account, no tracking, no ad SDKs. Pulse sends anonymous usage counts to our own server, never your timer names or labels. Privacy Policy: https://trypulsetimer.com/privacy. SUPPORT support@trypulsetimer.com · https://trypulsetimer.com/support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Circadian at 16.0 against Pulse's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Circadian sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Pulse sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Circadian | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Smaka | Lance Merrill |
In-app purchases
Circadian
- Monthly Pro$9.991 Month
- Yearly Pro$39.991 Year
- Lifetime Pro$99.99
Pulse
- Pulse — Standard$3.99
- Pulse — Supporter$9.99









