Comparison

Pulse vs Interval Pulse Timer

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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. QUICK START IN TWO TAPS Work, rest, rounds — three tiles and a big START. Or start from 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 — glanceable across the room, color-coded: focus, work, rest, done • 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 (iOS 18 and later) • 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 Pulse runs entirely on-device. No account, no analytics, no tracking, no ad SDKs. Your timers and history stay on your phone. Privacy Policy: https://trypulsetimer.com/privacy. SUPPORT support@trypulsetimer.com · https://trypulsetimer.com/support Time things in chunks. Or go until you're done. $3.99.

About

Interval Pulse Timer

Create and run custom interval workouts with named, colored segments and adjustable rounds. Features include audio cues, haptic feedback, and a history tracker. Optimized for focus without distractions.

Highlights
  • Custom interval workouts
  • Apple Watch app integration
  • Live Activity and Dynamic Island support
  • Audio and haptic cues
  • Workout history and habit tracking
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Build your own HIIT workouts and run them with a clean, focused interval timer. Interval Pulse Timer lets you create custom sequences of named, color-coded intervals — work, rest, warm-up, whatever you need — repeat them for as many rounds as you want, and run them with a big countdown ring, sound cues, and haptic feedback so you always know what's next without looking at your phone. FEATURES • Build unlimited custom workouts with named, colored, timed intervals • Apple Watch app — start any workout from your wrist with full run controls, and finished workouts sync back to History on your iPhone • Live Activity — see the current interval, round, and countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island while a workout runs • Optional warm-up and cool-down segments (with their own colors) that run once, not per round • Repeat any workout for 1–99 rounds, or instantly re-run it from the finish screen • Drag to reorder workouts and intervals • Big countdown ring with round progress and "next up" preview • Audio + haptic cues for interval changes and the final countdown • Screen stays awake during a workout • History tab with streaks, weekly totals, and a habit-tracking calendar • Light, Dark, and System appearance • 100% offline — no account, no ads, no tracking. All data stays on your device. Whether it's Tabata, EMOM, or your own custom split, Interval Pulse Timer keeps the workout simple and the setup out of your way.

Screenshots

Pulse4 screens
Interval Pulse Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Interval Pulse Timer at none against Pulse's 2. Interval Pulse Timer also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Pulse sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Interval Pulse Timer 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 Pulse against 5.0 for Interval Pulse Timer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulse ships an update every 5 weeks, Interval Pulse Timer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pulse versus Interval Pulse Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulseInterval Pulse Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLance MerrillNha Hoang

Customer experience

Pulse

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Interval Pulse Timer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pulse

One-time2
  • Pulse — Standard$3.99
  • Pulse — Supporter$9.99
None

Interval Pulse Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulse free?
Pulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Interval Pulse Timer free?
Interval Pulse Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pulse or Interval Pulse Timer?
Pulse and Interval Pulse Timer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Pulse or Interval Pulse Timer have ads?
Neither Pulse nor Interval Pulse Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse or Interval Pulse Timer?
Pulse ships an update every 5 weeks, and Interval Pulse Timer every 2 days. Most recently, Pulse was updated on September 19, 2026 and Interval Pulse Timer on August 6, 2026.

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