The Turnkeeper vs Turnwise

Love board games, but wish turns moved a little faster? The Turnkeeper keeps games moving with flexible timers for 2 to 20 players. Use it casually to discourage endless turns, or competitively to give every player a fixed time budget. The Turnkeeper can be used as a simple turn timer or as a multiplayer game clock — like a chess clock built for the whole table. In Turn Timer mode, each player gets a set amount of time for every turn. It’s great for keeping casual games moving and encouraging players to think ahead while others are playing. In Game Timer mode, each player gets a total time budget for the entire game. You can optionally add extra time after each turn, similar to increment timing in chess. Features: • Supports 2 to 20 players • Turn Timer and Game Timer modes • Set timers from 1 minute to 10+ hours • Optional time added after every turn • Count-up or countdown timing • Clockwise, counter-clockwise, or freestyle turn order • Customize player names and colors • Mark defeated players to remove them from the turn order • Add or adjust time during a game • Adjust the per-turn time increment while playing • Loud time-up alerts • Notifications when time expires in the background • Unlimited Undo • Restore an active game after restarting the app • Rotate the game board during setup The Turnkeeper doesn’t automatically eliminate someone when their clock reaches zero. Their timer can continue into negative time, leaving the rules up to your group. Running out of time might mean losing the game, earning a penalty, or simply serving as a reminder to keep things moving. You can also give individual players extra time, making it easy to accommodate beginners or anyone who needs a little longer. Whether you’re trying to fit a game into a short amount of time, speed up a slow-moving session, or run a competitive multiplayer game with chess-style timing, The Turnkeeper helps keep everyone focused and the game moving.

Turnwise is a turn clock for tables of 2–8 players — built for Commander and other Magic: The Gathering formats, trading card games, and board games where turns run long and someone always asks "whose turn is it?" Put one phone or tablet in the middle of the table. Every player gets a tile; a tap passes the turn on. The active player's clock is visible to everyone, and slow turns become a number instead of a vague feeling. THREE WAYS TO PLAY Classic — clocks count up, so you see where the time went: per turn, per round, per player, for the whole game. Add an optional turn limit, fixed (say one minute) or growing round by round as the game gets heavier. When time runs out the clock flags and blinks — the table decides what happens, never the app. Chess Clock — for two players: bullet, blitz and rapid presets in chess notation (1+0, 3+2, 5+3, 15+10 …), fully adjustable time and increment, four increment styles (Fischer before/after, Bronstein, simple delay) and an optional handicap so uneven pairings stay interesting. Hourglass — one pool of time between two players: while you think, your clock falls and your opponent's rises. Slow play arms your opponent. MADE FOR REAL TABLES • Seat map: arrange players the way you actually sit; pick who starts without anyone switching chairs • Time warning: a beep and a buzz before a turn runs out — at a fixed mark or a share of the turn • Optional elimination on timeout in classic games — always a question, never an automatism • Pause, undo a pass, eliminate players, keep playing until a winner stands • Game timeline and stats: every turn's duration, round totals, awards at the end • Timing is wall-clock based — backgrounding the app never loses a second AND NOTHING ELSE Turnwise is completely free and works entirely offline. No account, no ads, no tracking, no subscription — nothing is locked. If it improves your game nights, there's a voluntary tip jar; tipping changes nothing in the app. English, German, French, Spanish. Light and dark mode. iPhone and iPad.