How to choose a WOD timer app: the criteria that really matter.

• The essentials: the four classic formats, a preparation countdown, clear audio cues and working with the screen locked.
• What sets apps apart: presets, round counter, time cap, result logging and hands-free commands.
• Check platforms (Android, iOS, watch), ads, price model and what data the app asks for.
• Run a ten-minute test with your real WOD, the phone on the floor and music playing.
• The best timer is the one you do not have to look at or touch during the WOD.

At minimum, the four classics: AMRAP (countdown), EMOM (signal every minute or interval), For Time (ascending stopwatch with time cap) and Tabata (20 s work, 10 s rest, 8 rounds). To understand what each one does, see the WOD timer guide.

A mixed or configurable mode also lets you chain different blocks in one WOD, for example a 10-minute EMOM followed by an 8-minute AMRAP. It is useful for gym sessions, and not every timer offers it.

• Preparation countdown (about 10 seconds) so you can get into position.
• Clear audio cues at round changes and in the last seconds; audible over music.
• A screen readable from a distance, with big numbers and high contrast.
• Working with the screen locked or in the background without the system stopping the clock.
• A reliable pause and a way to resume without losing time.

If any fails, the app distracts you mid-WOD. It is the first filter.

• Presets: save your usual setups so you do not recreate them each session.
• Round counter and rep counter, so you do not lose count.
• Configurable time cap for For Time workouts.
• Result logging and context (load, version, feel).
• Voice or hands-free: spoken cues or voice control when your hands are busy with the bar.
• Watch or big-screen support if you train at home or in a box.

Built-in logging solves the problem of loose notes. For what to log and how, see the WOD benchmark guide.

1. Set up a 3-minute AMRAP and a 3-minute EMOM and check you can do it without reading manuals.
2. Leave the phone on the floor two meters away with music playing, and check the cues are audible and the numbers readable.
3. Lock the screen and check the timer keeps signaling.
4. Pause mid-interval, resume and verify no time is lost or gifted.
5. Save the setup as a preset and repeat it the next day.
6. Check how and where the result is logged and whether you can see it afterwards.

Do it with each candidate and compare notes. Drop the one that makes you look at the screen mid-set.

• Price model: free, free with ads, subscription or one-off payment. Check exactly what the free part includes, because prices vary by country and date.
• Ads: an ad on screen during the WOD is a design flaw.
• Data: what the app asks for (account, location, health) and why; a clear privacy policy is a good sign.
• Platforms: availability on Android, iOS and watch; some apps exist on only one.
• Language: cues in your language if you use voice.

Before paying for anything, test the free version with a full WOD. And if you already use other timer apps or a GPS tracker, count how many you have to open in a single week: that number is a criterion too.

A timer solves the WOD, but other questions follow: where do I log the result, how do I compare with last week, what do I use for the run outdoors. With other timer apps and a GPS tracker you end up with the phone in your hand between one and the other, and your numbers scattered.

Before adding one more app, ask yourself whether you can have it in one place: timer, benchmarks and result log, an outdoor session with an inactivity check and community. That is what Zoku Athletics aims for, and you decide whether it fits with the ten-minute test.

• Choosing by store rating without testing with your WOD.
• Paying before checking it covers your favorite format.
• Installing five apps and consistently using none.
• Not checking behavior with the screen locked or another music app open.
• Not thinking about where you will log the result afterwards.

Zoku Athletics includes a multimodal timer with the classic formats (For Time, AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata and mixed), unlimited benchmarks to measure your progress and a community feed. All of it is on the Free plan, no card required. Hands-free voice commands (HandsFree) are on the Pro plan. How the account is created and the subscription managed is in account and subscription on the Zoku site.

If you only need the clock, the online WOD timer on this website runs in the browser, with no sign-up and no cookies.

The app is not public on the stores yet. It is in testing and there is no launch date.

The Free plan is free, with no card and no expiry. Pro and Elite are paid; what each includes is shown in the plans section of the home page.

Who is behind the website and the app: About Zoku Athletics.

• WOD timer: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata: What a WOD timer is and how to use it: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata formats, how to choose one, set it up and log the result.
• Benchmark WODs: Fran, Cindy, Grace, Helen: Fran, Cindy, Grace and Helen: what each benchmark WOD is, how to repeat it under comparable conditions and how to track your progress.
• What is a WOD? Formats and meaning: What a WOD is and how to read one: AMRAP, EMOM, For Time and Tabata, what Rx and scaled mean and how to log the result to compare it.