Comparison

Restcue vs NextSet

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

Head to head
About

Restcue

Features
Read full description

Restcue is a rest timer for lifting that you never have to touch mid-workout. Start a session and then just train. Restcue runs on your Apple Watch: it times the rest between sets, taps your wrist when rest is up, and reads on-device motion and heart rate to catch the moment you pick the weight back up — so the timer moves on by itself, without you looking at a screen. Put the phone away and lift. FREE TO USE. NO ADS. Hands-free rest timing, automatic set detection, Apple Health and your full history are free. There are no ads, no account and no "watch a video to unlock" nonsense. If you want the extras, Restcue Pro unlocks them, and you can try it free for a week. HANDS-FREE BY DESIGN • Rack the weight and rest starts itself — no tap needed • A haptic tap when rest is over, with optional reminders until you're back under the bar • Detection runs on device, set after set, for the whole session • Prefer control? Switch to manual and it's one tap to start, skip or extend a rest ON YOUR WRIST — OR IN YOUR HAND • The full session runs standalone on Apple Watch; your phone can stay in your bag • Start a workout on your Watch straight from your iPhone, with the same rest time on both • The same session on iPhone and iPad, with a Live Activity on the Lock Screen • Every session is saved to Apple Health as a Strength Training workout SEE WHERE THE HOUR WENT • Each session broken down set by set, rest by rest • Working time against rest time — the dead minutes you never noticed • Share a session card in a tap, in whichever layout suits it A WEEKLY GOAL, NOT A DAILY CHORE • Set how many workouts a week you're aiming for and build a weekly streak • Rest days never break it, and a rest week now and then keeps it alive • Strength workouts from any app in Apple Health count • A short recap after each session, and a gentle reminder only when the week is about to slip RESTCUE PRO — try it free for a week • Heart-rate rest: rest until your heart rate is back down to a target you set, or hold the countdown while it's still high, with your live heart rate on your wrist and the target a tap away • Spoken cues through AirPods • Custom haptic patterns • Deeper history: trends, charts and rest insights Restcue Pro is a yearly subscription with a one-week free trial, or a one-time lifetime unlock. The subscription renews automatically unless it's canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your Apple Account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before then. Manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. NO ACCOUNT, NOTHING TRACKED There is no sign-in, no email, no advertising identifier and no location. Restcue works entirely on your devices, and the only thing it writes to Apple Health is a standard Strength Training workout. Contributing anonymized sensor recordings to improve detection is strictly opt-in and off by default. WHAT YOU NEED Automatic set detection needs an Apple Watch (watchOS 11 or later) and permission to read heart rate and motion. Without a Watch, Restcue is a clean manual rest timer on iPhone and iPad. Restcue is a training aid, not a medical device. It doesn't diagnose, treat or monitor any medical condition. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://restcue.maploft.com/privacy

About

NextSet

Features
Read full description

Keep a short rest from turning into a long scroll. NextSet is a rest timer for workouts organized into sets. • Choose 30 seconds to 10 minutes of rest and start the countdown after each set. • Get interval reminders every 30 or 60 seconds, with at most two extra reminders after rest ends. Optional system alarms require separate permission. • See the countdown on your Lock Screen and supported Dynamic Island. Start the next set or add 30 seconds directly. • Optional app limits: restrict selected apps or websites during training, make them available during rest, and share a 1- or 2-minute usage allowance each round. Requires individual Screen Time authorization. • Release limits for the current workout at any time while timing continues. Finishing clears this app's restrictions. • Use the paired Apple Watch to start rest, extend it, begin your next set or confirm finishing. Start on iPhone and keep it connected. Wrist taps work while the watch app is active; background reminders use the iPhone system alarm. • Keep your last 30 workouts on device and create a share image showing total duration, all rest and recorded sets. • English and Simplified Chinese follow system or app language settings. No account, ads or in-app purchases. Timing starts with your actions. NextSet does not detect every unlock or lock the whole phone. Screen Time measures selected-item usage separately from the rest timer; system callbacks may be delayed. Extending rest does not add an allowance. Notifications depend on notification and Focus settings. Sets are recorded by your taps. Total duration includes rest. Extra rest is not phone usage, and share images do not claim whole-phone usage or a phone-use score. NextSet does not record heart rate, start a HealthKit workout or provide medical advice. Choose rest durations that suit your training.

Screenshots

Restcue4 screens
NextSet1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NextSet at none against Restcue's 2. NextSet also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). Restcue's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Restcue sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. NextSet asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Restcue ships an update every 4 days, NextSet daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
Restcue versus NextSet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRestcueNextSet
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaploft少鹏 冯

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Restcue

Subscriptions1
  • Restcue Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Restcue Pro$19.99
None

NextSet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Restcue free?
Restcue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NextSet free?
NextSet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Restcue or NextSet have ads?
Neither Restcue nor NextSet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Restcue or NextSet?
Restcue ships an update every 4 days, and NextSet daily. Most recently, Restcue was updated on November 5, 2026 and NextSet on November 10, 2026.

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