Speech timers, ranked

Best Speech Timer in 2026

If you are the Timer, you should be watching the speaker, not juggling a stopwatch, signal cards, names, and notes. Our top pick is speaking.app: it creates one Live link that remote speakers, event screens, or everyone in a video call can follow as the timer runs, while the controls and speaker log remain private. Timer4TM is the best Android option, ToastBuster Timer is the best iPhone option, and a physical timing light is a simple choice for meetings held entirely in one room.

Open the free speech timerSee the full list
At a glance
  1. 1.speaking.appWeb (any device)
  2. 2.Timer4TMAndroid
  3. 3.Toastmasters Timer (Navarrete)Android + web
  4. 4.ToastBuster TimeriOS
  5. 5.A physical timing lightIn-room hardware

Reviewed August 2026

speaking.app publishes this roundup and is one of the tools listed. We have tried to be straight about where it wins and where another tool is the better pick. Here is how we evaluated.
01

speaking.app

Our toolWeb (any device)

A free browser-based timer with one Live link for multiple devices and video calls.

Best for clubs that need remote speakers, event screens, and the Timer to follow the same live timing signal.

  • Full-screen green, yellow, and red signals, with presets for Table Topics, evaluations, and prepared speeches.
  • One Live link keeps phones, computers, projectors, and video calls synchronized, with black, recent-time, or timeline views between speakers.
  • The browser-based speaker log builds the final report, works in five languages, and needs nothing installed.
  • It runs in a browser rather than as a native phone app or a dedicated timing light.
  • You can time a meeting without an account. Saving meetings across devices and sharing or copying the report requires a free account.
Free. Timing a meeting needs no account; a free account saves meetings across devices and turns the report into a shareable link.Open the free speech timer
02

Timer4TM

Android

A free, ad-free Android timer built specifically for Toastmasters meetings and contests.

Best for Timers on Android who want a dedicated app with pre-set timers and a built-in timing report.

  • Timers for every common segment can be set up before the meeting, with quick threshold changes and auto-adjusting yellow times.
  • A progress bar, vibration cues, and options for color-blind and low-vision users.
  • When you stop a timer, its result is added to a report you can share via clipboard or file, and the app is actively updated.
  • Android only, and single-device: no web version and no projector view.
  • The report shares as copied text or a file rather than a link.
Free, with no ads.Visit site
03

Toastmasters Timer (Navarrete)

Android + web

A free, open-source Toastmasters timer with an Android app and a web version.

Best for clubs that want an open-source timer in their own language.

  • Timing presets for the common segments, including contest-style light-green and over-time states.
  • Available in several languages.
  • Open source, with the code on GitHub, and available as both an Android app and a browser version.
  • One device at a time: no shared or projector display view.
  • Timing history is built for reading a report out, not sharing one as a link.
Free and open source.Visit site
04

ToastBuster Timer

iOS

A modern iPhone timer for the timekeeper role, with full-screen color alerts and automatic session history.

Best for Timers on iPhone who want the timer running from the Lock Screen while they watch the speaker.

  • The whole screen changes color and the phone buzzes at each milestone, so you watch the speaker, not the clock.
  • Keeps running in the background with a Live Activity on the Lock Screen, and can add time if you forgot to press start.
  • Every speech is saved automatically with speaker, role, and final time.
  • iPhone and iPad only, and still a young app with a small track record.
  • No projector or shared display view, and timing history stays in the app.
Free, with an optional one-time Pro unlock.Visit site
05

A physical timing light

In-room hardware

A dedicated lamp with green, yellow, and red lights, switched by hand: the classic club setup.

Best for clubs that meet in the same room every week and want a dedicated in-room signal.

  • Easy to see from the back of the room, and unaffected by notifications, screen timeouts, or a phone dying mid-speech.
  • The controls are simple: one switch for each color.
  • You still need a separate stopwatch, a paper log, and your own arithmetic for the report.
  • Remote speakers only see it if the club points a camera at it or adds a separate online signal.
A one-time hardware purchase; prices vary widely by seller, and many clubs build their own.

The method

How we evaluated

  • Signals first: full-screen green, yellow, and red that a speaker can actually see, with thresholds you can set per segment.
  • The whole role, not just a stopwatch: a per-speaker log, a Timer’s report at the end, and a way to share it.
  • Where it works: in the room, on a projector, and in online or hybrid meetings.
  • What you get free, and whether the tool is actively maintained in 2026.
  • Facts are based on each vendor's public product pages and app store listings as of July 2026.
Best Speech Timer in 2026: summary
ToolBest forWorks onPrice
1. speaking.appBest for clubs that need remote speakers, event screens, and the Timer to follow the same live timing signal.Web (any device)Free. Timing a meeting needs no account; a free account saves meetings across devices and turns the report into a shareable link.
2. Timer4TMBest for Timers on Android who want a dedicated app with pre-set timers and a built-in timing report.AndroidFree, with no ads.
3. Toastmasters Timer (Navarrete)Best for clubs that want an open-source timer in their own language.Android + webFree and open source.
4. ToastBuster TimerBest for Timers on iPhone who want the timer running from the Lock Screen while they watch the speaker.iOSFree, with an optional one-time Pro unlock.
5. A physical timing lightBest for clubs that meet in the same room every week and want a dedicated in-room signal.In-room hardwareA one-time hardware purchase; prices vary widely by seller, and many clubs build their own.

Based on each vendor's public product and pricing pages, reviewed August 2026. Details change; check the vendor's site for current terms.

Try it right now

Rehearse against the lights

“Pick the 5 to 7 minute preset and deliver your next speech at full volume with the timer running. Aim to finish after green and before red. If you are still in the middle when red appears, shorten the speech before your next run instead of speaking faster.”

5-7 minutes

Open the free speech timer

Common questions

What is the best timer app for Toastmasters?

For running the role from a browser on any device, including online and hybrid meetings: speaking.app, with nothing to install and no account needed to time a meeting. If you want a native app, Timer4TM is the strongest choice on Android and ToastBuster Timer on iPhone. All three are free.

What do the green, yellow, and red timing signals mean?

Green means the speaker has reached the minimum time. Yellow warns that the maximum is approaching. Red means the maximum has been reached and it is time to close. Clubs differ on how long each signal stays visible, so follow your agenda and club practice.

What are the standard Toastmasters speech timings?

The example ranges in the official Timer script: Table Topics runs 1 to 2 minutes (green at 1:00, yellow at 1:30, red at 2:00), evaluations 2 to 3 minutes, and most prepared speeches 5 to 7 minutes with green at 5:00, yellow at 6:00, and red at 7:00. A speaker’s project or your agenda may specify a different range; use that range.

How do you time speeches in an online or hybrid meeting?

The main challenge online is making sure the speaker can see the signal, so agree on the method before the first speaker. With speaking.app, create a Live link and open it in a clean browser window, send it to the meeting host, or open it on another device by QR code. Share only that view in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or another call app; the Timer keeps the controls and speaker log private.

Do we need the official timing lights, or is an app enough?

A physical light is easy for the whole room to see and needs no technology on the lectern, but it only signals: you still time, log, and calculate by hand. An app or browser timer does the logging and the report for you. Many clubs run both, with the light facing the speaker and the timer app keeping the record.

Can the Timer’s report be shared with the club afterward?

It depends on the tool. speaking.app turns the meeting log into a report you can share with the club as a link; creating the link takes a free account. Timer4TM exports its report as copied text or a file, and Navarrete’s timer keeps a history you can read from or export. With a physical light and paper log, you will need to share the results manually.

Keep exploring

More from speaking.app

Free speech timerTimer role guideToastmasters tools hubPractice Table TopicsBest filler word counter

Run your next meeting with one timer.

Choose a preset, add the speakers, and start. Create one Live link for remote devices and event screens, or share the view in Zoom or Google Meet. Every viewer follows the same timer.

Open the free speech timer

Free. No account needed to time a meeting.