Alternatives
SmartWOD alternatives
The short version: if you want a free WOD timer with every mode and setting included, try GRIT or Box Timer. If you need an Apple Watch app, look at Seconds or Timer Plus. For a gym with LED wall clocks, GymNext Flex Timer is built for that. SmartWOD is a good app; these are the options worth knowing if it is not quite right for you.
Why people look for an alternative
SmartWOD Timer is free to download and covers AMRAP, EMOM, For Time, Tabata and a custom MIX timer, with an Apple Watch app, Chromecast and guided cool-downs. Its UK App Store listing sells Premium and Premium+ subscriptions, a lifetime option and an Ad-Free upgrade. People usually switch for one of three reasons: they want everything without paying, they want something simpler, or they want a feature SmartWOD doesn't have. The list below is grouped with that in mind.
The alternatives at a glance
| App | Price | Paid options (UK App Store) | Devices | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRIT WOD Timer | Free | None: no subscription, no in-app purchases | iPhone, iPad, AirPlay display | Every WOD mode free, multi-block workouts, logbook |
| Box Timer | Free | None listed | iPhone, iPad | A minimal, no-ads WOD clock |
| Seconds Interval Timer | Free to try | One-off unlock £7.99 (or Seconds Pro, £7.99 up front) | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | Voice-guided intervals and a standalone Watch app |
| Timer Plus | Free download | Premium monthly £2.99, lifetime options from £9.99 | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | Simple HIIT timers with a Watch companion |
| GymNext Flex Timer | Free download | Flex Timer Pro £8.99 a month or £79.99 a year | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, GymNext LED displays | Gyms running wall-mounted LED clocks |
| WODProof | Free download | Membership £6.99 a month or £49.99 a year | iPhone, iPad | Filming WODs with shareable proof links |
Checked 13 October 2026 against each app's UK App Store listing. Prices can change; check the listing before you buy.
The apps in a little more detail
GRIT WOD Timer
Free, with no account, subscription or in-app purchases, so every timer mode and every custom setting is included. For Time, AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata, custom Intervals and a time-of-day Clock, plus Build a WOD to combine blocks and rest into one session. A large landscape clock on iPhone or iPad, a read-only AirPlay display, Live Activities, and an on-device logbook with RX/scaled and notes. No Apple Watch app.
Box Timer
Free, with no ads and no account according to its listing. AMRAP, EMOM, For Time, Tabata and custom intervals, count up or down, a big landscape display, named presets and audio cues that play over your music. A good pick if you want a plain clock and nothing else.
Seconds Interval Timer
A long-standing interval timer for HIIT, Tabata, EMOM and circuits. It reads each interval out loud, chains timers into one compound timer and runs on Apple Watch without the phone. Everything is available from the start, but each timer locks after its first run until you buy the one-off unlock. Seconds Pro is the same app paid up front.
Timer Plus
A straightforward HIIT and Tabata interval timer with voice guidance, saved custom timers, a workout history and an Apple Watch app that runs the timers you saved on your iPhone. Its listing offers a monthly Premium subscription and lifetime purchases.
GymNext Flex Timer
Built around GymNext's wall-mounted LED displays, though it also works on its own. Count up and down, Round, Tabata, EMOM, mixed intervals and sets with rest, Apple Watch control, Bluetooth heart-rate monitors and several timers across a gym at once. Flex Timer Pro is a subscription.
WODProof
More of a training platform than a timer: it films your workout with a timer display and gives competition-ready share links, with programmes and cloud backup on a paid membership. If filming is what you want, compare it with GRIT's free WOD Recorder.
How to choose
Choose GRIT if…
You want the WOD formats SmartWOD covers, plus multi-block workouts and a logbook, with nothing locked and nothing to buy. See GRIT vs SmartWOD for a side-by-side.
Choose another app if…
You train from your wrist (Seconds, Timer Plus), your gym runs LED wall clocks (GymNext Flex Timer), or you need shareable proof videos (WODProof). Staying with SmartWOD makes sense if you like its cool-downs and Chromecast.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to SmartWOD?
If you want the same WOD formats with nothing to buy, GRIT and Box Timer are the two to try. GRIT is free with no account, subscription or in-app purchases, and adds multi-block workouts, AirPlay and a logbook. Box Timer is free, has no ads and keeps things minimal.
Is there a SmartWOD alternative with an Apple Watch app?
Yes. Seconds Interval Timer runs on Apple Watch on its own, Timer Plus has a Watch app for your saved timers, and GymNext Flex Timer can be controlled from Apple Watch. GRIT does not have an Apple Watch app.
What does SmartWOD cost?
SmartWOD Timer is free to download. On the UK App Store its in-app purchases include Premium from £2.99 a month or £14.99 a year, Premium+ from £3.99 a month, a Premium Lifetime option and an Ad-Free upgrade. Check the listing for current prices.
Can I move my SmartWOD workouts into GRIT?
There is no import. Setting a workout up again in GRIT takes a moment: pick the mode, set the time, rounds or intervals, or combine blocks in Build a WOD and save it to your Library.
Every timer unlocked, nothing to buy.
No account, no subscription, no in-app purchases. Download GRIT and start your next WOD.
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