There are no really great ones, they never advanced past 1980s technology and the phone apps just don't have the sensitivity or tactical controls you need when moving fast. Of all the ones I tried the Pact Club Timer was the simplest and best, $139 or so.
This is another item on my "buy someday" list.. was hoping there was a cheaper model for those of us not competing, just looking to track training progress, and run some standardized drills.
You can try the phone apps, they are probably getting better and may work for your situation. Maybe if you shoot where you can set it on a table or otherwise prop it up so it can "hear" better.
Can't go wrong with a PACT or CED timer. I like the PACT one better, seems to be a stronger unit and able to take more abuse like being dropped or bumped.
My bud and I used one of the iphone apps over the weekend, and once we got it calibrated for our pistols, it worked pretty well. The nice thing about the apps is that you can get results electronically and track progress easier (vs manually writing it down and entering it).