# Swimmingly vs Swimming Timer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Swimmingly at none against Swimming Timer's 2. Swimmingly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (86 vs 5). Swimming Timer's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Swimming Timer sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Swimmingly asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Swimmingly against 4.2 for Swimming Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swimmingly has 86 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Swimmingly's written reviews are positive against 100% of Swimming Timer's.

Swimmingly ships an update every 6 weeks, Swimming Timer every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Swimmingly | Swimming Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (86 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swimmingly/id789829201/reviews) | **[4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swimming-timer/id1627209712/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **86** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 49 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Swimmingly, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/789829204) | [NAOYA ONO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1530328146) |

## What reviewers say

### Swimmingly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swimmingly/id789829201)

Streamline swim meet operations with this app, eliminating paper and reducing volunteer needs. It allows iOS devices to manage roles like starter, timer, stroke & turn judge, and scorekeeper. Approved for sanctioned USA Swimming competitions.

**Highlights:** Sanctioned USA Swimming competitions, No paper required, Digital roles: Starter, Timer, Stroke & Turn Judge, Scorekeeper, iPad required for Scorekeeper, iOS 16-18 compatible

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Huge time saver
- 👍 Very easy to use
- 👍 Makes volunteer lives easier
- 👍 Parents love live results
- 👍 Paperless swim meets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Swimmers not seated right
- 🐛 Swimmer times are wrong
- 🐛 Execution is poorly done
- 🐛 Frustrating to use
- 🐛 Not worth the fees

**Reported bugs**

- Heat sheets have swimmers never seated right
- Swimmer's times are always wrong and usually random numbers
- The timer starts before the buzzer so the times are always 1-2 seconds off
- The moment someone stops a timer the time disappears from the phone
- Nothing runs smoothly with this app or its web version

**Requested features**

- Coaches tab for splits
- Spectator tab for parents to follow times/scores
- Easily backup data during meet
- Dark mode option
- Ability to enter times manually


### Swimming Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swimming-timer/id1627209712)

This app helps swimmers practice race starts with customizable timers and randomized delays. It also functions as a stopwatch to accurately measure lap and split times during training. Results can be saved and organized by date, with customizable event names and color themes.

**Highlights:** Customizable race start timer, Randomized start delays, Lap and split time measurement, Save and view results by date, Editable event names, Customizable color themes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support Developer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Swimmingly free?

Swimmingly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Swimming Timer free?

Swimming Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Swimmingly or Swimming Timer?

Swimming Timer is rated higher. Swimmingly averages 4.2 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Swimming Timer averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do Swimmingly or Swimming Timer have ads?

Swimming Timer shows ads; Swimmingly does not.

### Which is updated more often, Swimmingly or Swimming Timer?

Swimmingly ships an update every 6 weeks, and Swimming Timer every 3 months. Most recently, Swimmingly was updated on October 22, 2026 and Swimming Timer on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*