Comparison

Workout Timer vs HIIT Time

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

Head to head
About

Workout Timer

Create and save custom interval timers for various workout routines like Tabata and HIIT. Features audio cues, haptics, and voice announcements for phase changes. Keeps running with the screen locked and offers Live Activities on iOS.

Highlights
  • Build custom interval timers
  • Save and reuse timer templates
  • Audio cues and haptic feedback
  • Voice announcements for phase changes
  • Live Activities on iOS Lock Screen
  • Runs with screen locked
Features
Read full description

A workout interval timer for Tabata, HIIT, and any work-and-rest routine. Build a timer once, save it, and run it again with one tap. It's free to use. No paywall. No ads. No tracking. No accounts. What it does: - Build interval timers with warm-up, work, rest, recovery, and cool-down phases - Or build a custom sequence: name each interval, set its length and whether it is work or rest, and repeat the whole list as many rounds as you like - AMRAP mode: a countdown with a big tap-to-count round counter - For Time mode: a stopwatch with an optional time cap and the same round counter - Save timers as templates, run them again in one tap, and duplicate one to make a variation - Audio cues, haptics, and optional voice announcements at every phase change, including the name of each interval in a sequence - Watch the phase, set, and time left on a clear countdown screen - On iOS, a Live Activity shows your timer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island - Keeps running with the screen locked, so the phone can sit in your pocket Made for any interval discipline: - Rock climbing: hangboard and fingerboard repeaters (try 7 seconds on, 3 seconds off, for 6 sets), plus campus-board and no-hang protocols - Boxing, MMA, and martial arts: timed rounds with rest between them - High-intensity interval training and functional fitness: Tabata, EMOM, and AMRAP - Running and cycling: sprint and interval training - Strength and calisthenics: timed sets and supersets - Yoga, mobility, and stretching: hold each pose for a set time - Physical therapy and rehab: timed holds and repetitions - Meditation and breathwork: steady, repeating intervals If it has a "work for a bit, rest for a bit, repeat" shape, you can build it here. Running a group class? The new class mode keeps everyone's phone in step: the room scans your code, and your pause and skip reach every phone. Your data stays with you. No accounts, no ads, no tracking. Your timers stay on your phone. The app only goes online for things that work for you, never for us: the check for app updates, and, during a class, pause and skip passing between phones. Class messages are end-to-end encrypted and travel through free public relays we don't run and can't read. Open source: https://github.com/Josh-Approved/workout-timer What it doesn't do: No paywall. No ads. No tracking. No accounts. No subscriptions. The whole app is the whole app: every feature is here, free. Josh Approved is supported by the people who use it. No ads, no subscriptions, no data harvest. What keeps this sustainable is whether it's worth a few dollars to you. If it is, there's an optional tip jar in the app. Send feedback: feedback@joshapproved.com

About

HIIT Time

Features
Read full description

Most workout timers bury you in settings before you've done a single burpee. This one doesn't. Pick 10, 20, or 30 minutes. Hit Start. Done. HIIT Time runs classic high-intensity interval training: 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest, repeating until your session is up. The screen turns blue for work and teal for rest, so you can read your phase from across the room mid-exercise. Train differently? Build your own presets for Tabata, EMOM, rounds, or any work and rest combination you use. WHY IT WORKS • Zero setup: three duration options, one button • Audio cues for every phase change, so you never have to look at your phone • Interval cues keep coming when your screen is locked, through notifications and a Lock Screen Live Activity • Haptic feedback on transitions • Full-screen color coding: blue means work, teal means rest • Big, readable countdown built for sweaty, mid-workout glances • Pause, resume, or stop anytime • Elapsed and remaining time always visible • Workout history so you can see what you've put in • Finished workouts save to Apple Health and count toward your activity rings NO NONSENSE • No account. No sign-up. • No ads. • No subscription. • No data collection. Nothing leaves your phone. Built for people who want to work out, not configure an app. Download it, press Start, and get moving.

Screenshots

Workout Timer4 screens
HIIT Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HIIT Time at none against Workout Timer's 5. On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Workout Timer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. HIIT Time asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Workout Timer versus HIIT Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWorkout TimerHIIT Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJosh Approved LLCGRAIG FISHER

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Workout Timer

One-time5
  • Tip$2.99
  • Tip$4.99
  • Tip$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Tip$19.99
  • Tip$49.99
None

HIIT Time

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Workout Timer free?
Workout Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HIIT Time free?
HIIT Time is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Workout Timer or HIIT Time have ads?
Neither Workout Timer nor HIIT Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Workout Timer or HIIT Time?
Workout Timer ships an update weekly, and HIIT Time weekly. Most recently, Workout Timer was updated on October 28, 2026 and HIIT Time on October 8, 2026.

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