Comparison

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.

Head to head
About

Big Timer

Features
Read full description

A simple countdown timer that's big, clear, and easy to use. KEY FEATURES โ€ข Repeat: Restart the same timer when the countdown ends โ€ข History: Quickly restart one of your recently used timers โ€ข Alarms: Set the alarm sound, volume, and duration โ€ข 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: โ€ข An ad-free experience โ€ข Custom themes: Choose your text color, background color, and font โ€ข 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.

About

Nixie Tube Timer

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 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

Big Timer4 screens
Nixie Tube Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Big Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Nixie Tube Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Big Timer versus Nixie Tube Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBig TimerNixie Tube Timer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 3 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTsukutenaGood Gary Apps LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Big Timer

One-time1
  • Pro Upgrade$3.99
None

Nixie Tube Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Big Timer free?
Big Timer 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 Big Timer or Nixie Tube Timer have ads?
Big Timer shows ads; Nixie Tube Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Big Timer or Nixie Tube Timer?
Big Timer ships an update every 6 days, and Nixie Tube Timer every 3 days. Most recently, Big Timer was updated on September 21, 2026 and Nixie Tube Timer on October 7, 2026.

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