Comparison

BareTimer vs Nixie Tube Timer

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

Head to head
About

BareTimer

Features
Read full description

Set the timer. Do the work. BareTimer is a bare-essentials workout timer for any sport. No ads, no account, no sign-up, and no internet required. Just open it and go. Most workout timer apps are buried in ads, logins, subscriptions, and clutter you never use. BareTimer is the opposite: a clean, fast gym timer with big readable numbers, clear audio cues, and only the timer modes you actually need. It is a free interval timer, AMRAP timer, EMOM timer, and Tabata timer in one simple app. FIVE WAYS TO TIME A WORKOUT • Countdown: Set the time, hit go, count down to zero. • For Time: Count up to a target. See how long it took, or race a cap. • AMRAP: As Many Rounds As Possible. Set a cap, hit go, work. • EMOM: Every Minute On the Minute, with an audible cue at every interval. • Intervals: Repeating work and rest, a classic Tabata-style interval timer. BUILT FOR THE GYM FLOOR • Big, high-contrast numbers you can read mid-set and across the room. • Distinct beeps for warnings versus transitions, so you never miss a cue. • The screen stays awake while the timer runs. • Choose a timer face you love: Rounded, Heavy, Serif, Digital, Pixel, or Neon. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT • No account needed. Just download and start. • Works fully offline. No connection required. • Your data stays put. Nothing ever leaves your device. EVERYTHING IS CONFIGURABLE Work, rest, rounds, and sounds, all yours to tweak. A workout timer for CrossFit, boxing, lifting, running, climbing, HIIT, and functional training. Whether you are timing a WOD, a round, or a rest, BareTimer keeps it simple.

About

Nixie Tube Timer

This app provides a visually appealing countdown timer with photorealistic nixie tubes. It allows users to extend timers mid-countdown and customize sound and color themes. It operates fully offline with no data tracking.

Highlights
  • Photorealistic nixie tube display
  • Extend timers mid-countdown
  • Eight customizable color themes
  • Six synthesized tick sounds and four alarms
  • Import custom alarm audio
  • User-defined timer increment buttons
  • Fully offline operation
  • Screen stays awake during countdown
Features
Read full description

Down to 30 seconds and need longer? Tap +1m and the clock reads 1:30, still running. Photorealistic nixie tubes, eight color themes, fully offline, nothing tracked. A TIMER YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO LOOK AT This is a countdown built around photorealistic nixie-tube digits. Dial in hours, minutes and seconds, hit Start, and watch the tubes glow down one digit at a time — a focus sprint, a kid's timeout, a pot on the stove. The screen stays awake while it runs. STRETCH A TIMER THAT'S ALREADY RUNNING This is the part other timers don't do. You set one minute. It counts down to thirty seconds and you realize you need longer. Tap +1m and the clock reads 1:30 and keeps going — still running, never stopped, never reset, nothing to start over. EIGHT COLOR SCHEMES Neon Green, Cyber Blue, Amber Glow, Crimson Red, Deep Purple, Hot Pink, Sunny Yellow and Rainbow. Switch instantly, no restart. A Full Glow style spreads the aura across the whole screen if you want more of it. SOUND ON YOUR TERMS Six tick sounds — Classic, Soft, Digital, Woodblock, Mechanical, Pendulum — synthesized on the fly and locked in step with the digits. Four alarms: Radar, Beacon, Chime, Pulse. Import your own audio file as a custom alarm, or set either to None for silence. Ticks and alarm have their own volume sliders. THE BUTTONS ARE YOURS The amounts you add are the ones you choose — +30s, +1m, +5m, +25m, whatever your day actually uses. Nothing is preset for you; press and hold to remove one. They sit right under the countdown while it runs, one tap from the tubes. Durations you run often come back as one-tap shortcuts too. BUILT TO BE QUICK - Timers from a few seconds up to 99:59:59 - Timed against the clock, so it stays accurate instead of drifting - Pause, resume, restart, cancel — or stretch the countdown without pausing it - Haptic feedback on start, on tap, and at zero - A local notification when the timer ends, even if you have left the app PRIVACY, PROPERLY No accounts, no ads, no analytics, no tracking, no data collection of any kind. The app never sends anything anywhere. Everything you set stays on your device. Free. iPhone, iOS 17 and later.

Screenshots

BareTimer4 screens
Nixie Tube Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nixie Tube Timer at none against BareTimer's 1. BareTimer's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence 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. BareTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Nixie Tube Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BareTimer ships an update every 5 days, Nixie Tube Timer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
BareTimer versus Nixie Tube Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBareTimerNixie Tube Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel SierraGood Gary Apps LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BareTimer

One-time1
  • Pro$5.99
None

Nixie Tube Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BareTimer free?
BareTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nixie Tube Timer free?
Nixie Tube Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BareTimer or Nixie Tube Timer have ads?
Neither BareTimer nor Nixie Tube Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BareTimer or Nixie Tube Timer?
BareTimer ships an update every 5 days, and Nixie Tube Timer every 3 days. Most recently, BareTimer was updated on October 31, 2026 and Nixie Tube Timer on November 6, 2026.

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