7 Best Interval Timer Apps for Android (2026)

HIIT, Tabata, EMOM, circuit training — whatever your workout, the timer should count so you can focus on sweating. A good interval timer does three things: it keeps perfect time through work and rest, it tells you what is next without you looking at the screen, and it stays out of your way. Here are the seven interval timers actually worth installing, with the catches their Play listings bury.

Quick Picks

1. Seconds — The Trainer's Choice

Seconds (4.36, 11,543 reviews) is the interval timer personal trainers recommend to clients. Templates for HIIT, Tabata and circuit training, a compound editor to combine timers, text-to-speech that speaks interval names (work out without looking at the screen), per-interval music, and background operation. The full-screen color-coded display works in landscape or portrait — flip your phone sideways on a table and the whole group can follow along. You can even build timers in a web browser and export/import them to share with training partners.

The catch: free users can create unlimited timers but each timer can only be run once — reuse requires the Pro upgrade. For a serious routine you run daily, budget for the upgrade. The web version carries the same restriction.

2. Exercise Timer — The Best Free All-Rounder

Exercise Timer (4.42, 20,028 reviews) is the most customizable free timer: warm-ups, groups, reps-or-timed exercises, an exercise catalog with animated GIFs showing form, voice alerts that read the next exercise five seconds early, lower-your-music-volume ducking so you can hear alerts clearly, and Wear OS support for wrist-based training. It doubles as an AMRAP stopwatch, CrossFit clock, EMOM timer and plank timer, and keeps a history of your workouts.

The catch: the free tier limits you to two custom workouts and three skips per workout, with video ads before starting. The subscription (€3.99/month or €49.99/year) is steep for a timer — most users should stay on the free tier and live with the limits. An online workout creator on exercisetimer.net lets you build routines on desktop.

3. Interval Timer — The Simple Pick

Interval Timer (4.8, 28,200 reviews) does one thing well: clean, customizable work/rest intervals with background operation that keeps working while you play music or use other apps. No exercise library, no tracking — just timing. The highest rating on this list for a reason: it respects the fact that a timer should be invisible.

The catch: advanced patterns are behind a paywall ($1.99/month), and it will never be more than a timer. If that is all you need, it is perfect.

4. Tabata Timer and HIIT Timer — Pure Tabata

For the classic 20-seconds-on/10-seconds-off protocol, this app (4.79, 19,000 ratings) is dead simple: set intervals, sets and cycles, and go. Users praise the memorable motivational quotes between rounds and the genuinely easy setup — it takes under a minute from install to first workout.

The catch: recent reviews complain about aggressive ads (some unskippable) and a yearly paywall to remove them — "it's a timer!" as one reviewer put it. Try it free; if the ads annoy you, Interval Timer is the cleaner alternative.

5. Timer Plus — The Big-Display Option

Timer Plus is completely free and built for visibility: huge bold numbers, voice assistance, and it can flash your screen or rear LED when intervals change — great if your phone sits across the room. Unlimited custom presets and a built-in stopwatch.

The catch: the interface is busier than Interval Timer's. If you want simple, pick #3.

6. Stopwatch Timer — For Sprints and Laps

Built for lap-based workouts: instant stopwatch start, easy lap marking, color-coded splits, swipeable lap lists, themes and presets. Ideal for track sprints and EMOM work where lap times matter.

The catch: it is a stopwatch first, interval timer second — complex multi-interval programming is not its strength.

7. Google Clock — The One You Already Have

Honest mention: Google Clock's timer handles basic intervals, multiple simultaneous timers, and +1 minute on the fly. For simple work/rest alternation with no downloads, it is already on your phone.

The catch: no templates, no voice alerts per exercise, no workout programming. It is a timer, not a training tool.

Know Your Workout: Tabata vs HIIT vs EMOM

Different protocols need different timer features:

• Tabata: 20 seconds max effort, 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds (4 minutes). The simplest pattern — any timer works, but a dedicated Tabata preset saves setup time.
• HIIT: variable work/rest ratios (30/30, 40/20, 45/15). You need customizable intervals — Seconds and Exercise Timer shine here.
• EMOM (every minute on the minute): do a set of reps at the top of each minute, rest the remainder. Needs rep counting plus timing — Exercise Timer's reps mode or Stopwatch Timer's laps.
• AMRAP (as many rounds as possible): one countdown, count your own rounds. Any stopwatch works.
• Circuit training: different exercises with different durations in sequence. You need named intervals with per-exercise times — Seconds' compound editor or Exercise Timer's workout builder.

Pricing Compared

Build Your First Interval Workout

1. Pick a protocol. Beginner? Start with 30 seconds work / 30 seconds rest, 8 rounds.
2. Choose your exercises. Bodyweight basics: squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, plank.
3. Add a warm-up and cool-down. Two minutes of light movement before, stretching after — Exercise Timer and Seconds both support warm-up/cool-down phases.
4. Set voice alerts. Turn on text-to-speech so the app announces each exercise — you should never have to look at your phone mid-burpee.
5. Test with the screen off. Lock your phone and run one round. If the timer keeps going and alerts fire, you are set.
6. Save and reuse. This is where free-tier limits bite — Seconds lets you rebuild (annoying), Exercise Timer caps you at two saved workouts.

Battery and Permissions Notes

• Background running: all seven apps handle this, but aggressive battery optimization (Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung) can kill background timers. If alerts stop with the screen off, exempt the app from battery optimization in settings.
• Do Not Disturb: alarms from timer apps usually bypass DND, but test this before a 6 AM workout.
• Permissions: a timer needs almost nothing — be wary if one asks for contacts or location. None of the apps above require anything suspicious.

What to Look For

• Background operation: the timer must keep running with the screen off — all apps above do.
• Voice alerts: essential if you train without looking at your phone.
• Reuse limits: Seconds' use-once restriction and Exercise Timer's two-workout cap matter for daily routines.
• Ad behavior: video ads before a workout kill momentum — check recent reviews.
• Wear OS: Exercise Timer syncs to your watch; handy for wrist-based training.

The Bottom Line

Want the most powerful timer and don't mind paying? Seconds. Want the best free experience? Exercise Timer. Want dead simple? Interval Timer (4.8 stars don't lie). Pure Tabata purist? Tabata Timer — but watch the ads. Training in a group or across the room? Timer Plus with its giant display and LED flash. For most people, Exercise Timer's free tier is the sweet spot: start there, and only pay when a free-tier limit actually blocks your routine.

FAQs

What is the best interval timer app for Android?

Seconds (4.36, 11.5K reviews) is the most feature-rich for HIIT/Tabata with voice alerts and music per interval. Exercise Timer (4.42, 20K reviews) is the best free all-rounder. Interval Timer (4.8, 28.2K reviews) is the simplest pick.

Is Seconds interval timer free?

Partially — free users can create unlimited timers but each timer can only be run once. Upgrading to the full version removes this restriction.

What is a good free Tabata timer for Android?

Tabata Timer and HIIT Timer (4.79, 19K ratings) is simple and effective, but recent users complain about heavy ads and a yearly paywall. Interval Timer is a cleaner free alternative.

Do interval timer apps work with the screen off?

Yes — Seconds, Exercise Timer and Interval Timer all run in the background with voice or sound alerts, so you can lock your phone or use other apps during workouts.