Comparison

Interval Timer vs Mindful

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

Mindful

Features
Read full description

Mindful is your daily wellness companion — a simple, beautiful app that gives you a fresh set of personalised activities every day across mindfulness, breathwork, movement, journaling, sleep, gratitude, and more. No complicated programmes. No overwhelming dashboards. Just open the app, see what's on your plate today, and check things off one by one. ------------------------------- WHAT MINDFUL DOES ------------------------------- Every day, Mindful gives you a curated set of wellness activities drawn from 12 categories: • Mindfulness — meditations, grounding exercises, and awareness practices • Breathwork — box breathing, 4-7-8 patterns, and calming breath techniques • Movement — gentle stretches, walks, and body-based exercises • Journaling — prompts to help you reflect and process your day • Gratitude — practices to shift your perspective and notice what's good • Sleep — wind-down routines and habits for better rest • Nutrition — mindful eating and nourishing habits • Self-Care — small acts of kindness toward yourself • Creativity — expressive and playful activities for your mind • Nature — practices that connect you to the world outside • Social — ways to be more present with the people around you • Digital Wellness — intentional tech habits that protect your focus Complete your activities, write a short reflection on how your day felt, and share your progress to your Mindful feed. ------------------------------- STAY ACCOUNTABLE WITH A COMMUNITY ------------------------------- Mindful has a social layer built in. Follow friends, see what they're working on, like and comment on their daily posts, and draw inspiration from people on the same journey. Wellness is easier when you're not doing it alone. ------------------------------- TRACK YOUR PROGRESS ------------------------------- Watch your streak grow day by day. Earn achievements as you hit milestones — your first activity, your first week, your first 100 completions, and many more. Your profile shows a full breakdown of everything you've worked on across every category, so you can see exactly where you're showing up for yourself. ------------------------------- MINDFUL PRO ------------------------------- Free users get one curated activity per day to get started. Upgrade to Mindful Pro to unlock the full experience: - 3 personalised activities every day - All 12 activity categories unlocked - Customise your daily activity mix - Priority support & early access to new features Plans start at less than a coffee a week. ------------------------------- Mindful is designed to be gentle, not guilt-inducing. Miss a day? That's okay. Come back tomorrow. The app meets you where you are, every single day. Download Mindful and start building a life that feels as good as it looks. Terms of Use: https://mindful-app.co.uk/terms Privacy Policy: https://mindful-app.co.uk/privacy

Screenshots

Interval Timer4 screens
Mindful4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Mindful at every 4 days against Interval Timer's monthly. Mindful also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Mindful sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Interval Timer ships an update monthly, Mindful every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Interval Timer versus Mindful: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInterval TimerMindful
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (536 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews21.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings536 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoma SosnovskyJulian Yip

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

Mindful

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
2 purchases

Mindful

Subscriptions2
  • Mindful Pro$4.991 Month
  • Mindful Pro$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Interval Timer free?
Interval Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mindful free?
Mindful is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Interval Timer or Mindful have ads?
Neither Interval Timer nor Mindful shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Interval Timer or Mindful?
Interval Timer ships an update monthly, and Mindful every 4 days. Most recently, Interval Timer was updated on October 22, 2026 and Mindful on October 17, 2026.

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