Comparison

Interval Timer vs Fartlek Interval Trainer

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

Fartlek Interval Trainer

This running app automatically detects spontaneous intervals during Fartlek runs, providing live color-coded feedback on your effort. It also functions as a powerful timer for structured workouts like HIIT and Tabata, offering detailed metrics and syncing with Strava and Apple Health.

Highlights
  • Auto-detection of Fartlek intervals
  • Live color-coded effort feedback
  • Structured workout timer (HIIT, Tabata)
  • Detailed interval metrics
  • Strava and Apple Health integration
  • Advanced effort level detection
Features
Read full description

Build the interval workout you want. Stay on target while you train. Then learn from every session. FiT is an interval timer and training companion for runners on Apple Watch and iPhone. Create classic intervals, HIIT and Tabata workouts—or run freely with automatic Fartlek interval detection. CREATE WORKOUTS YOUR WAY Build simple work-and-rest sessions or advanced workouts with warm-ups, cooldowns, repeated sets and multiple effort levels. FiT makes even complex sessions clear and easy to follow. STAY ON TARGET Color-coded feedback shows whether you’re on pace. Spoken coaching, audio and haptic alerts help you respond without constantly checking your device—and spoken cues automatically match your chosen language. The Dual Progress Ring shows both your current interval and your overall workout progress at a glance. FARTLEK WITHOUT THE BUTTONS Switch to Fartlek mode and run by feel. FiT detects changes in your speed and automatically converts them into recorded intervals. No reaching for your device. No tapping between efforts. Just run. LEARN FROM EVERY WORKOUT See how each interval performed with detailed pace, heart rate, cadence and distance metrics. Compare workouts to understand how your performance changes over time. Personalized coaching insights use your workout data to highlight meaningful patterns and offer practical recommendations for future sessions. ADVANCED EFFORT TRACKING Advanced workouts can distinguish between sprint, hard, moderate and easy efforts, helping you create more varied sessions and analyze every effort afterwards. APPLE WATCH, IPHONE AND YOUR FITNESS APPS Train in your chosen language on Apple Watch or iPhone. Create and edit interval workouts directly on your watch, with controls for inserting, reordering and deleting interval groups. Save completed workouts to Apple Health and sync your sessions with Strava. KEY FEATURES • Flexible interval timer for running, HIIT and Tabata • Automatic Fartlek interval detection • Dual-ring live workout progress • Color-coded pace and effort feedback • Localized spoken coaching, plus audio and haptic alerts • Create and edit interval workouts on Apple Watch • Detailed pace, heart rate, cadence and distance metrics • Performance tracking for every interval • Workout comparisons and personalized insights • Sprint, hard, moderate and easy effort levels • Apple Health and Strava integration • Light and dark appearance Run free. Train smart. Learn from every session. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS FiT offers an optional auto-renewable subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/39192677

Screenshots

Interval Timer4 screens
Fartlek Interval Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fartlek Interval Trainer at 75% against Interval Timer's 21%. Fartlek Interval Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Fartlek Interval Trainer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Interval Timer ships an update monthly, Fartlek Interval Trainer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Interval Timer versus Fartlek Interval Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInterval TimerFartlek Interval Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (536 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews21.1% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings536 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoma SosnovskyRichard English

Customer experience

Interval Timer

All ratings536 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive21.1%
Neutral8.4%
Negative70.5%

Fartlek Interval Trainer

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

Fartlek Interval Trainer

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
4 purchases

Fartlek Interval Trainer

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time2
  • RemoveAds$0.99
  • Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Interval Timer free?
Interval Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fartlek Interval Trainer free?
Fartlek Interval Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Interval Timer or Fartlek Interval Trainer have ads?
Neither Interval Timer nor Fartlek Interval Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Interval Timer or Fartlek Interval Trainer?
Interval Timer ships an update monthly, and Fartlek Interval Trainer every 9 days. Most recently, Interval Timer was updated on October 22, 2026 and Fartlek Interval Trainer on October 24, 2026.

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