Big Timer vs Nixie Tube Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Big Timer
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A simple countdown timer that's big, clear, and easy to use. KEY FEATURES โข Repeat: Restart the same timer when the countdown ends โข History: Quickly restart one of your recently used timers โข Alarms: Set the alarm sound, volume, and duration โข Themes: Choose between Light and Dark The free version includes banner ads. Watch a video ad to hide them for 15 minutes. PRO FEATURES Unlock Pro with a one-time purchase to get: โข An ad-free experience โข Custom themes: Choose your text color, background color, and font โข More alarm options: Get additional alarm sounds and choose a timer completion sound from your device's music library Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Note: Completion sounds selected from your music library play only while the app is visible on screen. When the app is in the background, the completion notification uses the notification sound instead.
Nixie Tube Timer
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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 โ 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 โ 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 โ Classic, Soft, Digital, Woodblock, Mechanical, Pendulum โ 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 โ +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 โ 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nixie Tube Timer at none against Big Timer's 1. Nixie Tube Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 days). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Big Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Nixie Tube Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Big Timer ships an update every 6 days, Nixie Tube Timer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Big Timer | Nixie Tube Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 3 days โ better |
| Ads | Yes | No โ better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tsukutena | Good Gary Apps LLC |
In-app purchases
Big Timer
- Pro Upgrade$3.99
Nixie Tube Timer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Big Timer free?
Is Nixie Tube Timer free?
Do Big Timer or Nixie Tube Timer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Big Timer or Nixie Tube Timer?
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