Best visual timer apps for kids with ADHD or autism: an honest comparison

Six iPhone and iPad visual timer apps compared on the things that matter for a sensitive child: free tier, price model, ads, parent lock, offline use, whether sounds can be turned off, and age fit. We make one of them, and we say so.

Who this page is for

This page is for parents, teachers and therapists who want a visual timer app for a child with ADHD, autism or sensory sensitivity. It covers iPhone and iPad apps only. A visual timer shows time as something a child can see, such as a shrinking disk or a picture that slowly appears, instead of numbers on a clock. Some of the apps below are built for young children. Others are built for everyone from kids to adults. Both kinds show up when you search for "visual timer app", so we compare both and say which is which.

How we picked

We looked at the apps that parents most often name in the same breath as ours: Time Timer, Time's Up!, Visual Countdown Timer, Tokimo and Mouse Timer. On September 5, 2026 we checked that each one exists on the US App Store and was updated in the last twelve months. All five passed; Mouse Timer's last update was October 2025, so it is the oldest of the five. Two other apps parents name, Little Timer Hatch and Happy Kids Timer, were left out because their last App Store update was more than a year ago. Facts come from the App Store listings and the developers' own websites on that date. We did not test every setting in every app. Where a developer does not state a fact, the table says "Not stated by developer". We do not list star ratings or download numbers, because they change daily. Prices are US App Store prices and can change. We do not print our own prices here because they can change.

Comparison table

All facts checked on September 5, 2026 from the US App Store and the developers' websites. "Not stated by developer" means neither the App Store listing nor the developer's website says it. "4+" is the App Store age rating, not a recommendation.

Visual Timer for Kids (our app)

Visual Timer for Kids is made for iPhone and iPad, for young children who cannot read a clock yet. Its App Store age rating is 4+. As the countdown runs, a picture is slowly revealed, so the child has a reason to keep watching. The free version has limited use and a small set of content: 2 pictures, 2 backgrounds, 2 music tracks and 2 alarm sounds. That is enough to try it with your child before paying. Premium adds your own photos, a dice that picks a random picture, and all pictures, backgrounds, music and alarms. The alarm sound and the end animation can each be turned off in settings, which matters for kids who react strongly to noise or movement. The timer keeps running in the background and works offline. There are no ads and no analytics or tracking inside the app. A parental gate sits before any purchase, so a child cannot buy anything by accident.

Where others are better. Premium is a weekly subscription with an intro week, or a longer subscription. Plans are shown in the app. There is no one-time purchase, which Time Timer, Time's Up! and Visual Countdown Timer offer. Settings and purchases sit behind a parental gate; Tokimo uses a parent PIN instead. There is no Android version. You can run one timer at a time, so a teacher who needs several timers or a timed routine with steps will find that in Time Timer instead. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Silicon Macs, but there is no Apple Watch or Apple TV version; Time Timer and Time's Up! cover those.

Time Timer

Time Timer by Time Timer LLC is the app version of the red-disk timer many children know from school. The disk shrinks as time passes. The free version lets you create up to 3 timers, run several at once, use the classic 60-minute disk or any duration, and adjust sound, vibration and color with limited options. A one-time purchase of $9.95 unlocks everything: unlimited customization, routines built from timer sequences, groups, syncing between mobile and desktop, and disk size and detail settings. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. The developer's website also lists an Android version. The listing says the app is for "kids, teens, and adults" and is rated 4+. The App Store privacy label lists analytics and diagnostics data not linked to you, and contact info that may be linked to you.

Where it is better than ours. One payment instead of a subscription. Several timers at once and timed routines with steps, which suits classrooms and therapy sessions. Apple Watch and Mac. The same visual as the physical timer a child may already use at school.

Where it is weaker for a young child. The disk is abstract. Many young children watch a picture appear; fewer watch a red shape shrink. The listing is in English only. Ads, a parent lock, offline use and a full sound-off option are not stated by the developer.

Time's Up! Visual Timer

Time's Up! Visual Timer by Overdesigned, LLC is a picture timer for "you, your kids, or someone else". It has several timer styles: Reveal shows a photo from your library as the seconds tick down, Pixelate makes a photo sharper as time passes, Puzzle puts jigsaw pieces in place, and there are classic clock faces too. Each timer can have its own alert sound and color. Timers sync between iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV through iCloud, and Live Activities show them on the Lock Screen and Apple Watch on iOS 18. The listing recommends Guided Access, an Apple feature, to stop kids from switching apps or changing timers. You get five free countdowns, then a one-time purchase of $5.99 unlocks the app on all your devices. The developer states there are no ads and no data trackers. Age rating 4+. A separate paid version exists for schools buying through Apple's volume program.

Where it is better than ours. One-time price. Your own photos in three different reveal styles. Mac, Apple TV and AirPlay, so the timer can sit on a big screen. No trackers of any kind, stated by the developer.

Where it is weaker for a young child. Five free countdowns is a short trial for testing with a child. It is built for adults as much as for kids, and the developer describes it as a "dark" app with a Light Mode setting added in 2026 for iOS 18 and later. Offline use and a full sound-off option are not stated. English only.

Visual Countdown Timer

Visual Countdown Timer by Fehners Software was made by a parent for a two-year-old. The timer runs from green to amber to red, a picture is slowly revealed, and at the end a sound plays and the picture spins. You can pick a photo from your own library. The background changes with the time of day. Recent updates added presets, a Show Digits option, new tick sounds, a home screen widget and Live Activities when the app is in the background. It is free with ads: the App Store listing is marked "Contains Advertising". One-time purchases are Premium Upgrade $3.99, Remove Ads $1.99 and picture packs at $0.99 each. The developer also sells an Edu edition for $3.99 with no ads and no in-app purchases, made for schools. Languages: English, German and Spanish. Age rating 4+.

Where it is better than ours. Cheap one-time unlocks instead of a subscription. Traffic-light colors give a second cue besides the picture. An ad-free school edition that can be bought in volume.

Where it is weaker for a young child. The free version shows ads, on a screen a child is watching. If you use it with kids, budget the $1.99 ad removal from day one. A parent lock, offline use and a sound-off option are not stated by the developer.

Tokimo

Tokimo is a kids timer with animated animal characters, playful backgrounds and countdown melodies. The developer's website says it is designed for children aged 2 to 12 and works completely offline once downloaded. The App Store listing says all settings are protected with a parental lock, and 2026 updates added a parent PIN and App Blocking, which locks distracting apps when the timer reaches zero. It also has timer statistics for parents. The free version includes the core timer; Premium removes limits and unlocks all characters, backgrounds and melodies. The In-App Purchases list shows a Weekly Plan at $7.99, Monthly Access at $7.99, Yearly Access at $24.99 and Lifetime Access at $59.99. It is translated into 28 languages. Age rating 4+. The privacy label lists analytics and diagnostics data not linked to you; the website says no personal data is collected from children.

Where it is better than ours. A parent PIN on settings, where ours uses a parental gate. App Blocking when time is up, useful for screen-time limits. A lifetime purchase option next to the subscriptions. 28 languages.

Where it is weaker for a young child. The weekly plan costs $7.99 a week, so check the plan before you subscribe. Ads and a sound-off option are not stated by the developer. The app is large at about 487 MB.

Mouse Timer

Mouse Timer by LITALICO Inc. shows time as a small mouse eating apples: the apples shrink as the minutes pass. It was built at the request of teachers and parents at LITALICO classrooms in Japan, which work with children who have developmental differences, and it is made "especially for kids who have hard time understanding the length of time". You set the alarm by choosing a displayed time, and you can reduce the choices shown so a child picks from a few options. The timer can be paused and resumed, and it notifies you when time is up even when the app is not open. The App Store listing says it is free and shows no ads. The In-App Purchases section still lists "White Mouse $0.99", but the November 2024 release note says in-app purchases were removed and all content is free, and the developer's website says "Use for FREE with no extra charges". The App Store privacy label says the developer does not collect any data. 11 languages. Age rating 4+. There is also an Android version.

Where it is better than ours. Nothing to buy. No data collected at all, stated on the App Store. Made by a company that runs classrooms for children with developmental differences. Available on Android too.

Where it is weaker for a young child. One fixed visual, the mouse and apples; no pictures of your own and no background music. You choose from preset times rather than setting any duration. A parent lock, offline use and a sound-off option are not stated by the developer. The last update was in October 2025, so new features arrive slowly.

Looking for a Time Timer alternative app for kids?

This section is about iPhone and iPad apps, not the physical red-disk timer; if you want hardware, a generic 60-minute visual timer from any online shop does the same job as the Time Timer device. Time Timer is the best known name, and many parents start there because the school uses the physical one. When parents look for an alternative, they usually want one of three things.

• Cheaper, or free to try properly. Time Timer costs $9.95 to unlock. Mouse Timer is free with nothing to buy. Visual Countdown Timer unlocks for $3.99, or $1.99 just to remove ads. Time's Up! unlocks for $5.99 after five free countdowns. Visual Timer for Kids is free to try with limited use and a small set of content, and premium is a weekly or longer subscription.
• More playful for a young child. A shrinking red disk is clear but not fun. If your child needs a reason to keep watching, pick a picture timer: Visual Timer for Kids reveals a picture, Visual Countdown Timer reveals a picture with traffic-light colors, Tokimo has animated animals, and Time's Up! reveals, pixelates or puzzles a photo.
• Your own photos. A photo of the family dog or the park you are going to next is a strong motivator. Time's Up! and Visual Countdown Timer let you pick a photo from your library. Visual Timer for Kids does too, in the premium version.

If what you like about Time Timer is several timers at once, timed routines with steps, or the Apple Watch, none of the picture timers above replace that. Keep Time Timer for those jobs.

For Visual Timer for Kids next to the Time Timer app and the physical Time Timer, see our Time Timer alternative page.

How to choose

Four questions to ask before you download anything.

1. Will your child watch it? This matters more than any feature. A child who ignores the timer gets nothing from it. Try a disk timer and a picture timer in their free versions and keep the one your child asks for.
2. How does your child react to sound and movement? Look for a way to turn off the end sound and the celebration. Visual Timer for Kids states this; the others do not say either way. For the others, test the free version or ask the developer before you pay.
3. Who holds the device? If the child holds it, decide whether they may pause the timer. Only Tokimo states a PIN lock on settings. For any app, Guided Access in the iPad settings locks the device to one app and can disable touch on parts of the screen.
4. One payment or a subscription? Time Timer, Time's Up! and Visual Countdown Timer are one-time purchases. Visual Timer for Kids is a subscription. Tokimo offers both. Mouse Timer is free. Think about how long you expect to use the app.

Frequently asked questions

Disclosure: Visual Timer for Kids is made by the author of this page. All other apps belong to their respective developers. Time Timer is a product of Time Timer LLC; we have no connection to that company. Facts were checked on the US App Store and the developers' websites on September 5, 2026 and may have changed since. If you are the developer of one of the apps listed and something is wrong, email AppsForParents@gmail.com and we will fix it.