Hourglass is an excellent free countdown timer for Windows, and if you need to time the oven, a meeting, or several things at once, keep using it. If you are looking for an Hourglass alternative because you want a focus timer, one that stays on top while you click and type through it, warns you before the end, logs overtime, and will not let you pause on a weak moment, TimeFence is built for that. It is a one-time purchase for Windows 10 and 11 that runs offline with no account.
The two apps solve different problems. This page shows where each one wins.
A focus timer that floats above your work, lets clicks through, and can lock you in.
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What is Hourglass good at?
Hourglass, by Chris Dziemborowicz, calls itself “the simple countdown timer for Windows,” and it earns the description. From its website:
- Smart input: type “5 minutes” or a date and time like “August 11 at 8 pm” and press Enter.
- Always on top, optional, plus a full screen mode and a notification area mode.
- Multiple timers, each with a title and its own color theme.
- Loop timer, pop up when expired, close when expired, remember recent timers, and resume an accidentally closed timer.
- Command line arguments to start a timer and set options.
- Sounds: built-in beeps or your own.
- Installer or portable version.
- “Absolutely free to use, free to share, and free to hack. No ads. No in-app purchase.”
Two practical notes from the same page: the download is listed “for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10” (Windows 11 is not named, though many people run it there), and it requires Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8. The latest version listed is 1.15.
What does TimeFence do differently?
TimeFence is designed as a focus timer rather than a general countdown. From its Microsoft Store listing:
- Always-on-top progress ring HUD that floats above every window.
- Click-through overlay: “click, type, and scroll right through the timer overlay without it ever stealing your keyboard focus.”
- Strict Mode: disables the Pause and Quit buttons during a sprint.
- Phase chimes for the Warning and Overtime phases.
- Session history with CSV export: focus hours, planned durations, and overtime.
- Global hotkey: Win+Alt+2 starts or stops a 25-minute sprint from anywhere.
- Offline, no telemetry, no account. Native Rust and Tauri app for Windows 10 and 11.
How do Hourglass and TimeFence compare?
| Hourglass | TimeFence | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | One-time Store purchase |
| Always on top | Optional | Always, by design |
| Click-through, no focus steal | Not stated | Yes |
| Any duration by typing | Yes, smart input | Hotkey for 25-minute sprints; see the app |
| Multiple timers with titles | Yes | Focus sprints, one at a time |
| Full screen countdown | Yes | No, it is a small HUD |
| Pause | Yes, Ctrl+P | Yes, unless Strict Mode is on |
| Lock yourself in | No | Strict Mode removes Pause and Quit |
| Warning before the end | Not stated | Warning chime |
| Overtime | Not stated | Overtime phase and log |
| History and export | Recent timers list | Session history with CSV export |
| Command line | Yes | No |
| Portable version | Yes | Store install |
| Windows versions listed | XP to 10, needs .NET 4.8 | Windows 10 and 11 |
Why does a focus timer need click-through?
A countdown window that is always on top still covers part of your screen. With Hourglass’s on top option, the timer is a normal window: clicks on it go to the timer, so you end up moving it to a corner or minimizing it to the tray. Hourglass’s own FAQ notes that “the Pause and Stop buttons only appear when you move your mouse cursor onto the timer window,” which is tidy for a kitchen timer and easy to trigger when you are working under it.
TimeFence’s ring lets clicks pass through, and it does not take keyboard focus, so it can sit over the corner of your editor all day. For time blindness, a cue you never have to move is a cue that keeps working.
See your sprint shrink in the corner of your screen, and get a chime before it ends.
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Why does Strict Mode matter?
Hourglass makes pausing easy, with a button and Ctrl+P. That is right for a general timer. For a focus sprint, the easy pause is often the problem: you pause to check something and the sprint never restarts.
TimeFence’s Strict Mode disables Pause and Quit for the session. You decide before you start whether this block is optional. If it is not, the app holds you to it. Use it on purpose, for blocks you are willing to finish.
When should I keep Hourglass?
Keep Hourglass, it is free and good, when you need:
- General timers: cooking, laundry, a parking meter, a break reminder.
- Several timers at once with titles and colors.
- A full screen countdown, for example on a shared screen or for a talk.
- Timers that end at a clock time, like “8 pm.”
- Scripting through command line arguments, or a portable copy on a USB drive.
TimeFence does not try to be any of those.
When is TimeFence the better fit?
Pick TimeFence when you:
- Lose track of time while working on a PC and need the timer visible without moving it.
- Pause or quit sprints and want a mode that removes those options.
- Want to know when you are running over, and see it later in your history.
- Want a record you can export to CSV, with no account or cloud.
Plenty of people run both: Hourglass for life admin timers, TimeFence for work sprints.
How do I start a first sprint in TimeFence?
- Install TimeFence from the Microsoft Store.
- Position the ring where your eyes naturally land.
- Press Win+Alt+2 to start a 25-minute sprint.
- Turn on Strict Mode if this block is not optional.
- Work through the ring. Click, type, and scroll as normal.
- Notice the Warning chime, wrap up, and check Overtime in your history if you ran over.
For more context, read our guide to fixing time blindness with a desktop timer and see the always on top timer for Windows 11 page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hourglass safe and free?
It is distributed free by its developer with no ads or in-app purchases. Download it from the developer’s own website.
Does Hourglass work on Windows 11?
Its website lists Windows XP through 10 and requires .NET Framework 4.8. Windows 11 is not named.
Can TimeFence run multiple timers?
TimeFence is built around one focus sprint at a time. For several simultaneous timers, Hourglass is the better tool.
Is TimeFence a subscription?
No. It is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store.
Try TimeFence
Get TimeFence from the Microsoft Store and read the TimeFence product page. Comparing app-based options too? See TimeFence vs Focus To-Do, Forest, and Pomofocus.
Keep Hourglass for the kitchen. Use TimeFence for the work.
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Microsoft, Windows, and .NET are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Hourglass is the work of its developer, Chris Dziemborowicz. Other product names are trademarks of their owners. TimeFence is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Last updated 17 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.