Interval Timer vs RunRoutes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Interval Timer
This app provides a customizable interval timer for running, sprints, and HIIT workouts. It offers voice and haptic cues, Apple Watch integration, and saves data to Apple Health. Choose from pre-made routines or build your own for focused training.
- Customizable run/walk intervals
- Voice and haptic interval cues
- Apple Watch control and phone-free workouts
- Save sessions to Apple Health
- 25+ ready-made running workouts
- Build multi-step advanced workouts
- Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activities
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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/
RunRoutes
Easily plan and follow running routes from your starting point. Get guided turns, track your progress, and even create custom interval workouts. Integrates with your watch for seamless tracking.
- Generate loop routes from any starting point
- Guided turn alerts on watch and phone
- Full-screen map with real-time stats
- Customizable interval workouts
- Couch to 5K training program
- GPX file export and run card sharing
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Your run starts on the map. Open RunRoutes and you are looking at a route from your own front door. Pick a distance, tap once, and a loop appears: a round trip out and back home, no planning, no retracing your steps. Run it from your wrist or your phone. Tap Start and your Apple Watch takes over: turn alerts, pace and a tap on the wrist when it matters, while your phone mirrors the run live on a full-screen map. No watch? Your phone guides you on its own. ROUTES FROM ANY DOOR Pick 5K, 10K or any distance you like, for a run, a jog or a walk with the dog, and RunRoutes draws a loop that starts and ends where you stand. Save the loops you love, run them again, or draw your own by tapping waypoints on the map. GUIDED WHILE YOU RUN The map fills the screen edge to edge with six numbers over it: time, distance, pace, heart rate, calories and the length of your loop. GPS keeps you on the loop, and turn alerts arrive before the corner, on your wrist and on your lock screen. INTERVALS THAT RIDE ALONG Run and walk intervals with a built-in interval timer, on any route or without one. Build your own workouts, or follow the built-in Couch to 5K program: from your first minute of running to 28 minutes nonstop, in 9 weeks. EVERY RUN COUNTS Progress opens on your week: which days you ran, what the week adds up to, and how many weeks you hit your goal. Runs recorded with other apps count too, so your story is complete from day one. TAKE THE ROUTE WITH YOU Share any route as a GPX file to your watch or the running app you already use, and post the run card to your story. RUNROUTES PRO Go Pro for unlimited routes, all custom workouts and the full 5K program: pay once for lifetime access, or subscribe yearly or weekly. Your first route is free. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. Existing purchases remain valid. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://runroutes.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: RunRoutes at 5.0 against Interval Timer's 4.5. RunRoutes also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Interval Timer's advantage is ratings volume (539 vs 2). 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
Both are free to download. Interval Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and RunRoutes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
RunRoutes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Interval Timer has 539 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Interval Timer ships an update fortnightly, RunRoutes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Interval Timer | RunRoutes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (539 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 539 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roma Sosnovsky | Tom van den Bogaart |
Customer experience
Interval Timer
RunRoutes
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)
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- Congratulatory audio cue at the end
RunRoutes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Interval Timer
- Interval Run Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- Interval Run Pro Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Full Version$2.99
RunRoutes
- RunRoutes Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
- RunRoutes Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- RunRoutes Pro Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
- RunRoutes Pro Lifetime$49.99
Questions
Is Interval Timer free?
Is RunRoutes free?
Which has better reviews, Interval Timer or RunRoutes?
Do Interval Timer or RunRoutes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Interval Timer or RunRoutes?
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