Comparison

Mister Softee NorCal vs Chimes!

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mister Softee NorCal

Discover the nearest Mister Softee trucks in the Bay Area. Get exclusive specials, discounts, and the latest updates on all things Mister Softee. Stay informed about your favorite ice cream treats.

Highlights
  • Locate nearby trucks
  • Access specials and discounts
  • Receive latest information
  • Stay updated on events
Features
Read full description

Find your Mister Softee truck in the Bay Area. See where our trucks are on a live map, save the places that matter to you, and get a heads-up when a truck is close by. LIVE MAP Trucks appear on the map while they're out, updated continuously through the afternoon and evening. Every pin shows how recently it was seen, so you always know what you're looking at. YOUR PLACES Save home, work, a park, or anywhere else you'd want to catch us. Type an address - no need to be standing there. A HEADS-UP WHEN WE'RE CLOSE Turn on alerts and we'll let you know when a truck is getting near one of your saved places. Quiet hours are built in, and we deliberately keep alerts rare: no spam, no repeats, no buzzing all afternoon. CROWD TIPS Big group at the park? Let us know about a gathering happening right now. If we're close, we will try to make it there. WHEN A TRUCK IS AT A PRIVATE EVENT Trucks booked for private events still show on the map, clearly labeled, so you know they're not available to flag down. Mister Softee NorCal serves the San Francisco Bay Area.

About

Chimes!

Discover nearby ice cream vans and get alerts when your favorite vendors are close. Set up geofences to be notified when an active vendor enters your chosen area. View vendor locations on a map to easily decide when to make a purchase.

Highlights
  • Locate nearby ice cream vans
  • Receive vendor alerts
  • Create custom geofences
  • View vendor locations on map
  • Vendor profile management
Features
Read full description

Chimes helps customers find nearby ice cream vans and receive alerts when a favourite vendor enters their chosen area. Set a postcode and radius to create a geofence circle, then Chimes notifies you when an active vendor comes close. You can open the map to see the vendor location and quickly decide whether to head out and buy. Vendors can manage their display name, contact details, icon, and privacy settings so customers only see and hear about them when they are actively trading. Chimes is designed to make local van discovery simple, timely, and easy to use for both customers and vendors.

Screenshots

Mister Softee NorCal4 screens
Chimes!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mister Softee NorCal at 2.8 against Chimes!'s 1.5. Mister Softee NorCal also leads on ratings volume (59 vs 4). Chimes!'s advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (25% vs 13%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mister Softee NorCal holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mister Softee NorCal has 59 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 13% of Mister Softee NorCal's written reviews are positive against 25% of Chimes!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mister Softee NorCal ships an update every 2 months, Chimes! fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Mister Softee NorCal versus Chimes!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMister Softee NorCalChimes!
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (59 ratings) — better1.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews12.5% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings59 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMister Softee NorCal, Inc.RICHARD JAMES STIMSON

Customer experience

Mister Softee NorCal

All ratings59 ratings
Positive39.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative54.2%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral8.3%
Negative79.2%

Chimes!

All ratings4 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

Mister Softee NorCal

No in-app purchases

None

Chimes!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mister Softee NorCal free?
Mister Softee NorCal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chimes! free?
Chimes! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mister Softee NorCal or Chimes!?
Mister Softee NorCal is rated higher. Mister Softee NorCal averages 2.8 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while Chimes! averages 1.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Mister Softee NorCal or Chimes! have ads?
Neither Mister Softee NorCal nor Chimes! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mister Softee NorCal or Chimes!?
Mister Softee NorCal ships an update every 2 months, and Chimes! fortnightly. Most recently, Mister Softee NorCal was updated on September 18, 2026 and Chimes! on September 15, 2026.

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