Free Tabata Timer - 20/10 Online Timer with Sounds
The classic 20/10 - a Tabata HIIT timer with sounds, and presets
How to use this Tabata Timer
The default is the real thing: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, 8 rounds - four minutes. Hit start: a bell opens each work interval, and countdown beeps carry you into every switch. Stack multiple Tabatas with a break between, or adjust work and rest for Tabata-style intervals.
Open a preset on a gym TV's browser and run it full-screen - the display stays awake through the final round.
What is Tabata?
Tabata is the interval protocol from Dr. Izumi Tabata's 1996 research: all-out work for 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times - four minutes that taxed both aerobic and anaerobic systems in the original study. The catch everyone forgets: the protocol only works at genuinely maximal effort. If round 6 feels sustainable, it isn't Tabata - it's a 20/10 interval workout, which is still great training and exactly what the 30/15 and 40/20 presets above are for. True-to-protocol movements keep it simple and all-out: assault bike, rowing sprints, burpees, air squats, kettlebell swings.
Tabata vs HIIT in one line: every Tabata is HIIT, but HIIT is any high/low interval structure - Tabata is the fixed 20/10×8 prescription. This tool doubles as a Tabata HIIT timer for any ratio; for the full comparison see the Tabata vs HIIT vs circuit guide, and for building complete sessions, the Tabata training set-up guide.
Sounds - and music that moves with the 20/10s
Cue sounds built in: a bell opens each work interval, and countdown beeps carry you into every switch - loud enough for a garage or a class.
The part no other Tabata timer has: in FitVizPro on iOS and FitViz on Android, FitBeats plays fully licensed workout mixes whose intensity shifts with the intervals - energy pushes on the 20s, drops on the 10s, no DJ-ing mid-round. Voice cues and pick-your-pack sound options live there too. It's why classes running this free Tabata timer on a gym display sound as sharp as they look.
Why this free Tabata timer
Free, no ads, no signup
Shareable presets
Runs full-screen on any screen
Every format
Frequently Asked Questions
A Tabata timer runs the 20-seconds-work / 10-seconds-rest x 8-rounds protocol automatically, with sound cues for each switch, so you train instead of clock-watching. This one adds presets and custom ratios.
That's the prescription from Dr. Izumi Tabata's 1996 study - the 2:1 work:rest ratio at maximal intensity produced aerobic and anaerobic gains in four-minute sessions. The asymmetric rest is the point: you start each round under-recovered.
One protocol is exactly 4 minutes (8 rounds of 30 seconds). Real sessions usually stack 2-4 Tabatas with 1-minute breaks - 10-20 minutes total including warm-up.
At true maximal effort, one protocol is a legitimate conditioning dose - that was the study's finding. If you can do three back-to-back without the breaks, the effort wasn't Tabata-maximal.
Tabata is one fixed HIIT prescription (20/10x8). A general HIIT timer takes any ratio - this Tabata timer handles both, and custom work/rest lives one tap away in the timer hub.
Yes - a bell opens each work interval and countdown beeps carry you into every switch. Voice cues and interval-synced music (FitBeats) are in FitVizPro on iOS and FitViz on Android.
Open a preset URL in the TV's browser and run it full-screen - the display stays awake through the final round. For actual casting from a phone or tablet, the FitViz Tv app casts directly; for synced multi-screen classes with the workout displayed alongside, that's the Fit Viz workout display.
Completely - no ads, no account, nothing to install. Built by Fit Viz, whose gym platform also starts free.
Movements you can hit maximally with zero setup: assault bike, row sprints, burpees, air squats, kettlebell swings, mountain climbers. Skill-heavy or heavy-barbell movements break down at true 20/10 intensity.
Further Reading
CrossFit Software
Tracking + WOD App
Smart Gym Display
Put this on every screen
This timer is free forever. Fit Viz runs it on gym TVs alongside the workout, scheduling, and the rest of the room.