Otso vs Visual Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Otso
This app provides a visual countdown timer that uses a shrinking colored wedge instead of numbers. It offers various aesthetic designs and tactile feedback, making time management intuitive for all ages. The app is designed for privacy with no accounts or data collection.
- Visual countdown wedge
- Customizable faces and sounds
- Dynamic Island and Lock Screen integration
- No ads or subscriptions
- Private by design
- Tactile feedback and animations
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A coloured wedge shrinks as the time runs down. Everyone in the room can read it at a glance — no numbers, no arithmetic, nobody asking how long is left. One price, once — iPhone, iPad and Mac. No ads, no subscriptions, no account. SET IT UP • Maximum: 5, 10, 15, 30, 60 or 120 minutes • Clockwise or counter-clockwise • Sound and haptics, each switched separately: dial, alarm, interface • The countdown carries on in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen • The screen stays awake while it runs • It keeps real time with the app closed PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No tracking. No data collected. Pay once, keep it. HOW IT FEELS • Drag the dial or twist the knob. It ratchets, click by click • Tap to pause, tap to carry on • At zero it shakes, rings and buzzes, like a kitchen timer • Every face sounds different: walnut knocks, glass rings, LCD clicks like a watch button • Flick the dial and it spins down to a stop • Hit either end and it thuds — you feel the limit • Tilt the phone and the polished faces catch the light • Party bursts into confetti. Aurora shimmers while you work FIFTEEN FACES Each has its own character. • Classic — charcoal body, glass lens, red disc • Pastel — candy-soft toy, knurled knob • Rainbow — lilac, an arc that shrinks colour by colour • Neumorph — soft, sculpted, quiet • Glass — translucent, on a light wall • Flat — pure, bold, no chrome • Paper — warm stationery, an ink needle • Wood — turned walnut, terracotta wedge • LCD — dot matrix on a backlit sage screen • Rugged — machined blades behind thick rubber • Midnight — black with a hot coral glow • Halo — a glowing amber ring • Neon — a magenta tube humming in the dark • Aurora — a curtain of light over a starfield • Party — a frosted cake that bursts into confetti Otso is a bear, named for the forest king of Finnish folklore. A timer should sit quietly in the room and be understood without a word. For lessons, workshops, exams, focus sessions, homework and cooking — and anyone who thinks better when time is visible. Children read it as easily as adults.
Visual Timer
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A simple timer that shows the remaining time as an area you can see. You do not have to read numbers. Just watch the colored part shrink, and you know how much time is left. ■ A dial you can read instantly The sector gets smaller as time runs out. Numbers and tick marks are printed on the face, so you can also check the exact minutes. ■ The whole dial changes Choose 1, 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes. Pick 1 minute and one full turn takes a minute, so even short times start from a full disc and you can see the whole amount. You can also set any length from 1 to 180 minutes. ■ Set the time by dragging Just drag around the dial. No number pad. ■ Hide the digits You can turn off the remaining-time readout when the area alone is easier to grasp. ■ Full screen Show only the disc, in a large size. Stand the device on a desk and read it from across the room. Works in both portrait and landscape. ■ When time is up Bell, beep or chime, or no sound at all. Vibration can be switched on or off. The alarm sounds even when the silent switch is on. If the timer ends while the app is closed, a notification lets you know. ■ Five colors Red, blue, green, orange and purple. Good for ・Study sessions and pomodoro intervals ・Cooking and housework ・Keeping to time in meetings and presentations ・Helping children get ready or tidy up ・Showing time to a whole room in a classroom
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Visual Timer at Free against Otso's $0.99. Visual Timer also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Otso's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On 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
Visual Timer is free to download; Otso costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Otso | Visual Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SIMON HEUSCHKEL | Ryouhei Azuma |
In-app purchases
Otso
No in-app purchases
Visual Timer
No in-app purchases









