LotusTimer vs While
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LotusTimer
A minimalist timer designed for meditation, yoga, and workouts. It offers gesture-based navigation, customizable intervals, and relaxing sounds to enhance mindfulness and training sessions. Set daily reminders and affirmations for a complete mindful experience.
- Distraction-free minimalist design
- Gesture-based navigation
- Customizable meditation/workout duration
- Repeat sequence option for interval training
- Warm-up and cool-off timers
- Interval reminders
- Relaxing sound library
- Daily affirmation reminders
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LotusTimer is a beautifully simple meditation timer — quiet, reliable, and designed to stay out of your way. Set your sit, hear a gentle bell, and return to your breath. Whether you meditate daily, unwind with yoga, practice box breathing, or need a calm focus block, LotusTimer gives you just enough structure without clutter or distractions. CALM BY DESIGN • Minimal interface with a clear progress ring and readable time display • Tap to play or pause — no fiddling mid-session • Swipe to skip phases or restart when you need a fresh start • Thoughtful haptics and a refined dark mode for low-light practice • First-launch gesture guide so controls feel natural from day one STRUCTURE WHEN YOU WANT IT • Warm-up and cool-off phases with their own durations and sounds • Interval bell during the main session — gentle chimes to mark time without breaking focus • Repeat sets for longer practice blocks • Six ready-made presets you can apply in one tap: Morning Calm, Silent Sit, Box Breathing, Sleep Wind-Down, Midday Reset, and Pomodoro Calm • Presets update your timer instantly — no custom routine builder, no saved libraries CURATED SOUNDS • A small, hand-picked set of eight bells and tones — plus silent option • Preview sounds before you choose • Assign different sounds to warm-up, main session, cool-off, interval, and alerts DAILY RITUAL REMINDERS • Schedule a daily meditation reminder at the time that works for you • Optional affirmation reminder with your own message and sound • Clear permission flow if notifications are turned off HOME SCREEN & LOCK SCREEN • Widgets show when you're ready to sit, your active preset, and countdown to your next reminder • Tap the widget to open LotusTimer instantly • Lock Screen and StandBy-friendly layouts for a glanceable nudge back to practice BUILT FOR EVERYONE • Dynamic Type support in Settings and guides • VoiceOver labels on timer controls, presets, and sounds • Generous touch targets for comfortable one-handed use PRIVATE & SIMPLE • No account required • No ads • No subscription • Your practice stays on your device — simple and trustworthy LotusTimer is the calm timer object: elegant, distraction-free, and focused on the sit itself.
While
This app provides a focused and distraction-free timer for experienced meditators. It offers a clean interface with customizable features to support your meditation sessions.
- Focused meditation timer
- Clean interface
- Customizable features
- Distraction-free sessions
- For experienced meditators
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The While timer is designed for experienced meditators who are seeking a focused tool for their practice. Offering a clean interface and customizable features, While supports your sessions without distractions.
Screenshots
Verdict
LotusTimer and While both sit at 3.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of While's written reviews are positive against 50% of LotusTimer's. While also leads on price (Free vs $4.99). LotusTimer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (13 vs 2). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support 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
While is free to download; LotusTimer costs $4.99 up front. While sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. LotusTimer asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for LotusTimer against 4.0 for While. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LotusTimer has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of LotusTimer's written reviews are positive against 100% of While's.
LotusTimer ships an update every 15 months, While every 16 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | LotusTimer | While |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (13 ratings) | 4.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months — better | Every 16 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gary Saggu | Mike LaVigne |
Customer experience
LotusTimer
While
In-app purchases
LotusTimer
No in-app purchases
While
- Monthly Subscription$2.001 Month
- Yearly Subscription$10.001 Year
- Lifetime Access$3.99









