Eggtimer routines vs Delay by Zapier
Use a Delay step for a wait inside one Zap.
Use a routine when the timed sequence needs its own identity and controls.
Reviewed October 18, 2026. Written by Gotoh Industries LLC, the operator of Eggtimer.app. Competitor entries describe their official documentation; we have not independently benchmarked their infrastructure or purchased their paid plans. “Not established” means the reviewed sources do not establish a capability, not that it is absent.
| Need | Delay by Zapier | Eggtimer server automation |
|---|---|---|
| Wait for a duration | Delay For. | Create a duration timer; one second to 30 days. |
| Wait until a date | Delay Until; this is already supported. | Create a deadline timer with an explicit ISO timezone offset. |
| Repeat focus/break stages | A fixed sequence can be assembled from multiple Delay/action steps. | One finite recipe with cycles; start, step, cycle and finish events. |
| Inspect and cancel one run | Inspect the Zap run using Zapier’s workflow/history controls. | Stable run ID, original phase deadlines, event history and one cancellation operation. |
| Receive a completion | The Zap proceeds after its delay. | Direct Catch Hook POST, or a private native integration polling trigger. Polling depends on the Zapier plan. |
| Limits and metering | Documented wait range: one minute–30 days. Delay steps do not count as tasks; plan eligibility and other actions still apply. | Free plan: 50 new runs/day, ten active slots, 500 reserved routine events/day per workspace. Shared caps apply. |
Example: four 25/5 cycles
One Eggtimer recipe has two steps—25 minutes Focus, five minutes Break—and four cycles. A phase.completed event identifies each completed stage, including the cycle, phase label, scheduled time and observed time. Filter by label in Zapier if only breaks should trigger an action.
Each phase keeps its original deadline even when an earlier event needs a retry. Delivery may be late, duplicated or out of order. Use event_id to deduplicate before consequential actions. Run the preset · Read the full event contract.
Choose the smaller solution
If a single Zap just needs to wait, its built-in Delay is usually simpler. Eggtimer helps when a person, API client and assistant need to inspect the same timed run, when several workflows react to stage events, or when the routine must have a separate cancel control.
Our native app is a private beta, not a public App Directory listing. Direct Catch Hooks are a separate option. Neither is a guarantee that later Zap actions succeed. Eggtimer has no unbounded cron scheduler, generic signed destinations or webhook replay UI.
Primary sources
Zapier’s Delay documentation · Eggtimer one-shot contract · Eggtimer routine contract.