The Core Difference
While people often use the terms interchangeably, a stopwatch counts up from zero to measure how long an event takes, whereas a timer counts down from a specified duration to zero to signal when time is up.
When to Use a Timer
- The Pomodoro Technique: Working in strict 25-minute intervals requires a countdown
- Timeboxing: Limiting yourself to exactly 15 minutes for checking emails or messages before returning to deep work
- Deadlines: Creating a sense of urgency (e.g., "I have 1 hour to finish this essay")
When to Use a Stopwatch
- Freelance Time Tracking: Measuring exactly how many hours and minutes you spent on a client project
- Process Execution: Timing how long it takes for a large video to render or a complex software build to finish
- Open-Ended Tasks: When you want to see how long a task naturally takes without the pressure of a countdown
FlipCloc Offers Both
Instead of keeping multiple tabs open for different tools, FlipCloc integrates an aesthetic online timer and an online stopwatch into one seamless interface. You can even peek at the clock in between sessions using the menu, or for an ultrafast peek, press C for Clock, and switch back to Stopwatch with S or Pomodoro with P without missing a heartbeat.
Switch Modes
Toggle instantly between Stopwatch and Timer, or even Clock mode with two taps or a single keyboard shortcut
Custom Timer
Set custom values for your Pomodoro sessions, or use it as a standard timer by simply zeroing out the break values
Alerts and Chimes
Have it chime at the end of a Pomodoro session, or set it to ring at a custom interval