People look for Time Timer alternatives for a few different reasons. The free app stops at three timers and limited sound and color options, and routines, groups and sync sit behind Premium. The physical timer lives on one desk. And sometimes the red disk is simply the wrong shape of tool: it counts a length you set and start, so it can't help with the hours that slip by before you remember to start anything. The best Time Timer alternative depends on which of those is your reason.
Below are six, starting with the one we make, DuePal, because it covers the case Time Timer doesn't. Each has its own "best for". If you want the wider category, including Time Timer itself, see the best visual timer apps for ADHD.
Where Time Timer still wins
Credit first. Time Timer (4.6, 14,000+ ratings) from Time Timer comes from the makers of the red disk timer that classrooms, therapists and families have used for more than 30 years. Watching the disk shrink is still the clearest way to show "this much time is left" to someone who can't read a clock yet, or who doesn't want to do the arithmetic. The app is free to download on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, the free version runs several timers at once, and the brand also sells physical timers if you want one on a desk or classroom wall. If a shrinking disk for a set length is what you need, you may not need an alternative at all.
1. DuePal — when the time you lose track of is a time of day
DuePal does a different job. A duration timer counts a length: 25 minutes, then it stops, and someone has to start it. DuePal counts down to the fixed points of your day instead. You set them once: stand-up at 9:30, lunch at 12:00, a focus block at 14:00, pickup at 18:30. The countdown to the next one is already running whenever you look, and when that time arrives it moves on to the following one by itself.
It keeps the countdown where you already look: the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island while a due is live, plus Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets. A heads-up arrives a few minutes before each switch, with Snooze and Done on the alert. Dues can repeat on chosen weekdays, every 30 minutes to 4 hours, or on a day of the month. There's a progress-ring clock face if you still want to see the time shrink rather than read it.
DuePal is free to download with two dues and two countdowns of your own, no ads and no account. Premium adds unlimited dues, alarms that ring in Silent mode, public-holiday skipping, Repeat Until Done, the Apple Watch app and every clock style and color, as a weekly or yearly subscription or a one-time purchase.
Skip it if all you want is the red disk for twenty minutes of homework. DuePal is built around the day, not a single task.
2. Visual Countdown Timer — a free timer for a young child
Visual Countdown Timer (4.6, 41,000+ ratings) from Fehners Software was made by a parent whose two-year-old stalled at getting dressed. The timer runs from green to amber to red, a picture is slowly revealed as time runs down, and when time is up the picture spins and a sound plays. You can choose your own photo to reveal, and the background changes with the time of day. It's built for getting dressed, shoes and coats, tidying and brushing teeth.
Skip it if the timer is for you. The rewards are aimed at small children.
3. MultiTimer — several timers on one screen
MultiTimer (4.7, 15,000+ ratings) from MultiTimer goes further than Time Timer's three free timers. You lay out boards of countdowns, count-ups, Pomodoro and interval timers, stopwatches and counters, each with its own label, color, icon and sound. You can add or take away time from a running timer, set timers to restart on their own, and share a link so someone else can follow a timer on the web. It has widgets, Siri and Shortcuts support, iCloud sync, an Apple Watch app, and no ads.
Skip it if a screen full of options makes it harder to start. MultiTimer suits people who enjoy setting things up.
4. Time's Up! — a picture that reveals itself, paid once
Time's Up! — Visual Timer (4.6, 400+ ratings) from Overdesigned turns the countdown into a picture. It has five styles, including Reveal (a photo from your library appears as the seconds tick down), Pixelate and Puzzle, plus plain clock faces. Timers sync between iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV through iCloud, show on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island with Live Activities, and can go up on a TV with AirPlay, which helps for a classroom or an exercise group. On a Mac the timer can float above other windows. There are no ads and no data trackers.
It's free to try for five countdowns, then a one-time purchase unlocks it on all your devices. There's also a paid-upfront edition for schools buying through Apple's Volume Purchase Program.
Skip it if you want something completely free. After the five trial countdowns you'll need to buy it.
5. Gentle Timer — a character that walks across the screen
Gentle Timer: Visual Countdown (4.6, 380+ ratings) from Gentle Timer replaces the disk with a cute animated character that walks across the screen as the timer counts down. When it reaches the other side, time is up. You pick the character, a background and calming music, and a pet can show on the Lock Screen, Home Screen and Dynamic Island. It also has a stopwatch, breathing exercises and a Pomodoro timer, runs more than one timer at once, and has a simple Apple Watch timer.
It's free to download with no ads and no subscription. More characters, pets, backgrounds and music come with a one-time purchase.
Skip it if you'd find an animated character distracting. Gentle Timer is cheerful by design.
6. The Timer in the iPhone Clock app — free and already installed
Before downloading anything, it's worth knowing what the iPhone already does. The Timer in Apple's Clock app counts down any length, and while it runs the countdown sits on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, so you can check it without unlocking. It shows numbers, not a shrinking disk, and runs one countdown at a time, which is the main thing every app above improves on.
Skip it if you need to see time as a shape. That's the whole point of a visual timer, and the built-in one doesn't do it.
How they compare
| App | What it counts | How it shows time | Apple Watch | Price model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Timer | A set length | Shrinking red disk | Yes | Free, 3 timers; Premium for routines and sync |
| DuePal | The times of your day, handing over to the next | Live countdown on the Lock Screen and widgets; progress ring | With Premium | Free, 2 dues; Premium by subscription or once |
| Visual Countdown Timer | A set length | Green to red, picture reveal | — | Free to download |
| MultiTimer | Many timers at once | Boards of colored timers | Yes | Free to download, no ads |
| Time's Up! | A set length | Photo reveal, puzzle, clock faces | — | 5 free countdowns, then a one-time purchase |
| Gentle Timer | A set length | A character walking across | Yes | Free, no subscription; extras paid once |
| iPhone Clock app | A set length | Numbers on the Lock Screen | Yes | Built in |
A dash means the App Store listing doesn't mention it, so we haven't guessed. Details come from each app's App Store listing and website as of October 2026. Free versions change, so check the store page if price is what decides it.
Which Time Timer alternative should you pick?
- For a young child's routine: Visual Countdown Timer, or Gentle Timer if a walking character works better than colors.
- For a classroom or a TV screen: Time's Up!, which syncs to Apple TV and works over AirPlay.
- For lots of things at once (cooking, laundry, a work sprint): MultiTimer.
- For an adult whose day keeps slipping between fixed times: DuePal, alongside a duration timer for the task in hand. Our guide to dealing with time blindness explains why that pairing helps.
- For one quick countdown: the Clock app you already have.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Time Timer?
For a young child, Visual Countdown Timer is free and turns from green to amber to red while a picture is revealed. For several timers at once, MultiTimer is free to download with no ads. If you only need one countdown and don't want another app, the Timer in the iPhone Clock app is free and shows on the Lock Screen while it runs. If what you lose track of is the time of day, not a length of time, DuePal is free to download with two dues and two countdowns.
Is the Time Timer app free?
Yes, Time Timer is free to download on iPhone and iPad and has an Apple Watch app. The free version lets you create up to three timers, run several at once, and use the original 60-minute red disk or any duration, with limited sound, vibration and color options. Premium adds routines built from timer sequences, groups, sync across mobile and desktop, quick +/- buttons and control over disk size and detail.
Is there a Time Timer alternative for adults with ADHD?
Yes. Time Timer itself works for adults, but it counts a length of time you set and start. If your problem is that hours slip by between fixed points of the day, DuePal counts down to those times of day and moves on to the next one by itself, on the Lock Screen and in widgets. If you juggle several things at once, MultiTimer puts many timers side by side.
Which Time Timer alternatives work on Apple Watch?
MultiTimer and Gentle Timer both have Apple Watch apps, and DuePal has an Apple Watch app with complications as part of DuePal Premium. Time Timer has its own Apple Watch app too. Visual Countdown Timer is an iPhone and iPad app.
A countdown that starts itself
Set the times of your day once. DuePal counts down to each one and moves on to the next by itself.
Download DuePal on the App Store →Related: Best Visual Timer Apps for ADHD · How to Deal with Time Blindness. Questions? Email us.
