Comparison

Zen Timer vs Tasks N Timers

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

Head to head
About

Zen Timer

Enhance your focus with a calm Pomodoro and study timer. Track your progress, unlock new looks for your companion, and enjoy a ritualistic approach to productivity with customizable scenes and sounds. Integrates with Apple devices and services for a seamless experience.

Highlights
  • Pomodoro and Flow focus timer modes
  • Customizable scenes and soundscapes
  • Orbilla companion that grows with focus time
  • Daily planner and Apple Reminders sync
  • Focus Circles for shared focus sessions
  • Cross-device support (iPhone, iPad, Watch, Mac)
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Focus. Grow. Evolve. Zen Timer is a calm Pomodoro and focus timer for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Every session you finish helps Orbilla, your focus companion, grow, rank up and unlock new looks. Pick what you want to focus on: Study, Reading, Journal, Meditation, Deep Focus or a HIIT Workout. Set an intention and press start. Zen Timer moves you into rest on its own, waits until you're ready for the next round, and keeps honest track of the time you actually spent. ORBILLA GROWS WITH YOU - Focus time earns leaves for Orbilla's wardrobe and your Zen Garden - Eight ranks to climb, from Cadet to Marshal - Nothing is ever lost, and nothing is sold for money A TIMER THAT FEELS LIKE A RITUAL - Painted scenes for every mode, in a light Dawn and a deep Dusk theme - Living atmospheres that move gently while you work: Mountain Mist, Aurora, Ember Glow, Ocean Tide, Starfield and more - Classic Pomodoro rounds, or Flow mode: count up while you're in the zone, then take a longer break - Start the next round automatically, or keep the screen on during a session - Spoken cues, singing-bowl chimes or quiet haptics SOUNDS FOR DEEP FOCUS - Original soundscapes: tanpura drone, soft rain, ocean, forest, singing bowls and warm hum - Your own sound mix, or Apple Music songs and playlists sized to your session PLAN A CALMER DAY - Plan my day: type or say your list and get a calm schedule, made on your device - A visual day planner that checks your Calendar for conflicts - Tasks with two-way Apple Reminders sync FOCUS TOGETHER - Focus Circles: see when friends are focusing, with no calls - SharePlay a session on FaceTime and start, pause and rest in sync CELEBRATE EVERY RETURN - A completion moment with petals and a quick "how deep was your focus?" check-in - A Zen Garden that grows a new plant for every routine you finish - Insights, streaks that never punish you, and a weekly rhythm report EVERYWHERE YOU ARE - Mac: a native app with a menu bar timer and keyboard shortcuts - Apple Watch: start a session on your wrist, with haptics at every phase - iPad: a two-column layout with keyboard shortcuts - Live Activity and Dynamic Island, widgets, StandBy, Control Center, Siri and Shortcuts - Alarms that ring on silent and in StandBy when a break or session ends - Apple Health: log meditation as Mindful Minutes and HIIT as workouts (optional) - Accessible: Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency PAY ONCE. FOCUS EVERYWHERE. One Zen Plus plan covers iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. Your routines and history sync through your own iCloud. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your devices and in your own iCloud. ZEN PLUS Study mode, Flow mode, alerts, widgets, Shortcuts and Orbilla's ranks are free. Zen Plus unlocks all six modes, every scene and soundscape, the planner and Plan my day, tasks and Reminders sync, Focus protection, detailed insights, the weekly report, iCloud sync and your routines on Apple Watch. - Zen Plus Monthly: 1-month auto-renewable subscription - Zen Plus Yearly: 1-year auto-renewable subscription - Zen Plus Lifetime: one-time purchase, not a subscription New subscribers can start with a 1-week free trial; if you don't cancel at least 24 hours before it ends, the subscription begins. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. If Plus ends, your routines, tasks and history are kept. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://orbilla.com/privacy/

About

Tasks N Timers

Features
Read full description

A focus timer built around the tasks you already have. Pick a task, start a session, and stay in the flow. Tasks N Timers works on its own, with Google Tasks, or with Todoist on Pro. FOCUS WITHOUT BREAKING THE FLOW • Choose a session length that fits the work: 5, 15, 25 or 50 minutes. • In the zone? Add +5, +15, +25 or +50 minutes with one tap. No forced breaks, no starting over. • A calm full-screen timer keeps your eyes on the task, not the clock. • The timer keeps accurate time when your phone is locked or the app is closed, and tells you when a session ends. START FROM ANYWHERE • Start a focus session from Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, the Action Button or the app icon's quick action. • Add a Lock Screen or Home Screen widget, or on iOS 18 the Start focus control in Control Center. • See the time left on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island while you focus. PLAN YOUR DAY • Put tasks in Today from any list and see how far you got against your plan. • Get a time estimate for every task, worked out on your device. Accept it or change it in one tap. • Add a task from any screen with the + button. YOUR LISTS, IN ONE PLACE • Use it on its own with no account, connect Google Tasks, or add Todoist with Pro. • Pin your favourite lists, hide the rest, and find any list in seconds. • Move tasks between lists with Undo. Finished tasks go to a Logbook; untick one to bring it back. • Works offline: new tasks and lists wait and are sent when you're back online. SEE WHERE YOUR TIME GOES • An activity heatmap with a square for every day you focused. Showing up each day is what builds the habit. • Every session is logged in the minutes you actually focused. Tap Today, This Week or This Month to see the sessions behind the number. • Edit or delete a session, or log focus time you did away from the app. • Set a weekly goal and build a daily focus streak. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS • With Google connected, your focus history, lists and settings are saved to a private app folder in your own Google Drive, so a new phone or a reinstall gets them back. • No separate account and no servers of ours. CALM BY DESIGN • Light and Pure Dark themes, plus optional ambient sounds (rain, waves, deep). • Quiet confirmations with Undo, so nothing pulls you out of focus. TASKS N TIMERS PRO • Todoist: your projects and tasks in the app; add, edit, finish, move and delete them. • Every earlier month's sessions in Stats (the totals stay free). • Export your sessions as a CSV file. • Log focus time on an earlier day, and move a session to another day. • Every future Pro feature included. • Choose Monthly or Yearly, each starting with a 7-day free trial, or buy Lifetime once. • Monthly: 1 month, $0.99 per month after a 7-day free trial. • Yearly: 1 year, $9.99 per year after a 7-day free trial. • Lifetime: a one-time purchase. Prices shown are in US dollars and may vary by country. Subscriptions: payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for the renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple ID's Subscriptions settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Lifetime is a one-time purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.tasks-n-timers.online/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.tasks-n-timers.online/privacy Tasks N Timers is not affiliated with Google or Todoist. Google Tasks and Google Drive are trademarks of Google LLC. Todoist is a trademark of Doist Inc.

Screenshots

Zen Timer4 screens
Tasks N Timers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Zen Timer at 4 against Tasks N Timers's 2. Tasks N Timers's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Zen Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Tasks N Timers sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zen Timer ships an update every 3 days, Tasks N Timers every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Zen Timer versus Tasks N Timers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZen TimerTasks N Timers
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTAPAN ShatapathyVinodh Balaji Sridharan

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Zen Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Zen Plus Monthly: Focus & Study7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Zen Plus Yearly: Focus & Study7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Zen Plus Lifetime$49.99
3 purchases

Tasks N Timers

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$1.99

Questions

Is Zen Timer free?
Zen Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tasks N Timers free?
Tasks N Timers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Zen Timer or Tasks N Timers have ads?
Neither Zen Timer nor Tasks N Timers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zen Timer or Tasks N Timers?
Zen Timer ships an update every 3 days, and Tasks N Timers every 5 days. Most recently, Zen Timer was updated on October 31, 2026 and Tasks N Timers on November 13, 2026.

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