Comparison

Interval Timer vs Interval Runner Basic

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

Head to head
About

Interval Timer

Organize your running and high-intensity interval training sessions with ease. Quickly set up custom time intervals for running, walking, warm-ups, and cool-downs. Receive voice and vibration notifications for interval changes, and enjoy background music playback.

Highlights
  • Intuitive design
  • Customizable time intervals
  • Warm-up and cool-down timers
  • Voice and vibration notifications
  • Background music support
  • Foreground/background operation
Features
Read full description

Interval Run is a running interval timer for iPhone and Apple Watch. Create run/walk intervals, sprint sessions, and HIIT workouts in seconds. Train with voice announcements and haptic cues, control workouts from Apple Watch, save sessions to Apple Health, and track your workout history. Choose from 25+ ready-made running workouts or build your own. Follow intervals from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, and focus on your run. 25+ READY-MADE RUNNING WORKOUTS • Explore run/walk workouts, running intervals, sprints, hill repeats, tempo runs, fartlek sessions, ladders, pyramids, and more • Find workouts for speed, endurance, recovery, and different training goals • Start any workout immediately or customize it to match your training • Save your favorites to My Workouts for quick access BUILD YOUR OWN INTERVAL WORKOUT • Create simple run/walk intervals or advanced multi-step workouts • Add warm-up, running, walking, recovery, rest, and cool-down sections • Set a custom duration for every step • Repeat intervals and complete workout blocks • Add custom cues to guide you through each workout step • Build sprint, HIIT, cardio, and structured running sessions • Save multiple workouts and reuse them anytime • Preview the complete workout before you start VOICE & HAPTIC INTERVAL CUES • Hear clear voice announcements at every interval transition • Feel haptic cues when it’s time to run, walk, recover, or rest • Keep your workout active while your iPhone is locked or the app is in the background • Follow your current interval from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island with Live Activities • Listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks while you train RUN WITH APPLE WATCH • Sync workouts to Apple Watch • Start, pause, and control workouts directly from your wrist • Run phone-free with your workouts ready on Apple Watch • Follow interval progress without repeatedly checking your phone • Track heart rate, distance, and active energy during your workout • Get haptic interval cues directly on your Watch • Save completed workouts to Apple Health TRACK YOUR TRAINING • Browse completed workouts in calendar and history views • Review workout duration, intervals, distance, and active energy • Look back at your running and interval training over time • Share your workout results • Export and restore backups of your workout data MADE FOR RUNNERS WHO TRAIN WITH INTERVALS Whether you’re starting with beginner run/walk intervals, adding speed work to your weekly training, preparing for a 5K or another race, or creating a challenging HIIT session, Interval Run keeps every interval clear from start to finish. Use it as a simple run/walk timer, a running interval timer for speed training, an Apple Watch interval timer for phone-free workouts, or a flexible workout builder for more advanced structured sessions. From beginner run/walk workouts to sprints, tempo runs, hill repeats, fartlek training, and custom multi-step sessions, Interval Run adapts to the way you train. Start with one of 25+ ready-made workouts or create your own. Interval Run handles the timing so you can focus on your training. Some features shown, including the full workout library, advanced workout creation, multiple saved workouts, and full workout history, require Interval Run Pro. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Interval Runner Basic

This app provides a versatile training tool for runners, offering various workout routines like Run-Walk and Fartlek. It tracks progress, displays workouts on a map, and allows pace goal setting. Users can listen to music during workouts and export data for platforms like Strava.

Highlights
  • Multiple running routines (Run-Walk, Fartlek, Pyramid)
  • Workout tracking and mapping
  • Pace goal setting and feedback
  • Warm-up and cool-down timers
  • Music integration
  • Exportable workout data
  • Supports kilometers and miles
Features
Read full description

Interval Runner is a general purpose training and workout App for runners that want to use a variety of running techniques like Run-Walk or Always Running. Interval Runner remembers all workouts, can show them on a map and totals them on a weekly or monthly basis. Interval Runner has eight routines allowing a runner to choose a technique that is the most useful for their current running situation. For example, when training for a short race like a 5K, workouts with Fartlek routine help a runner buildup their speed. Another example, when running long races, the Pyramid routine is useful on the day before the long race for a short shakeout run. And Interval Runner has a familiarize mode that simulates running and allows the runner to understanding a routine before using it in a workout. All routines allows the runner to set a one-time Warm-up time before the workout and a one-time Cool-down after the workout finishes. Interval Runner Basic has two general-purpose, AlwaysRun and RunWalk, and six special routines; Fartlek, Mile, LongTraining, Progression, Pyramid, and Breakdown. Got a pace goal? Set a pace and hear periodically during the workout if your are better or worse than that pace and by how much time. Saved workouts can be viewed on a map and exported to file that can be uploaded into Strava. During the workout, the runner can listen to music, Spotify for example, while they hear routine instructions. Interval Runner works both in kilometers and miles and can easily toggles between English and Spanish. It does not use a website, contain advertisements or collect data on the runner -- only requires you and your phone. More information at www.intervalrunner.com or on Facebook "Interval Runner".

Screenshots

Interval Timer4 screens
Interval Runner Basic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Interval Runner Basic at 100% against Interval Timer's 21%. Interval Runner Basic also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Interval Timer's advantage is ratings volume (534 vs 4). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Interval Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Interval Runner Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Interval Runner Basic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Interval Timer has 534 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Interval Timer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Interval Runner Basic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Interval Timer ships an update every 3 months, Interval Runner Basic every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Interval Timer versus Interval Runner Basic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInterval TimerInterval Runner Basic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (534 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings534 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoma SosnovskyJane Brown

Customer experience

Interval Timer

All ratings534 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive21.1%
Neutral8.4%
Negative70.5%

Interval Runner Basic

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Interval Timer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Timer resets or freezes during workout
  • Prompts not working when phone is locked or in pocket
  • Unexpected interval changes or duration changes
  • Compatibility issues with music playback

Requested features

6 requests
  • Option to pause/resume timer
  • Larger time remaining display
  • Apple Watch app
  • Ability to play audio prompts even with screen off
  • More interval options (run/walk/jog)
Show 1 more
  • Congratulatory audio cue at the end

Interval Runner Basic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Interval Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Interval Run Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Interval Run Pro Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99
None

Interval Runner Basic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Interval Timer free?
Interval Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Interval Runner Basic free?
Interval Runner Basic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Interval Timer or Interval Runner Basic?
Interval Runner Basic is rated higher. Interval Timer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 534 ratings, while Interval Runner Basic averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Interval Timer or Interval Runner Basic have ads?
Neither Interval Timer nor Interval Runner Basic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Interval Timer or Interval Runner Basic?
Interval Timer ships an update every 3 months, and Interval Runner Basic every 5 months. Most recently, Interval Timer was updated on October 10, 2026 and Interval Runner Basic on October 5, 2026.

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