Comparison

Workout Timer vs Shift

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

Shift

Features
Read full description

Shift is an interval timer made as simple as possible (but not any simpler). Set up in seconds: • Work • Rest • Repeat How long you exercise – how long you recover – how many rounds. That’s all. Tap Start and Shift takes it from there. Finished workouts stay in History, so your last workout can be your next preset. Load it and go. A few essentials: • Voice cues or simple tones that don’t lower your music • Keeps time in the background • A Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island • A workout display you can turn sideways • Made for iPhone and iPad Completely free. No ads, no paywall, no subscriptions. No accounts, analytics or tracking. Your workouts stay on your device.

Screenshots

Workout Timer4 screens
Shift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shift at none against Workout Timer's 5. Workout Timer's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Shift 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 Workout Timer against 5.0 for Shift. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Workout Timer ships an update weekly, Shift every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Workout Timer versus Shift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWorkout TimerShift
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJosh Approved LLCJorick van Meijeren

Customer experience

Workout Timer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shift

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Shift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Workout Timer free?
Workout Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift free?
Shift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Workout Timer or Shift?
Workout Timer and Shift are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Workout Timer or Shift have ads?
Neither Workout Timer nor Shift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Workout Timer or Shift?
Workout Timer ships an update weekly, and Shift every 4 days. Most recently, Workout Timer was updated on October 28, 2026 and Shift on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons