Comparison

Class Chime vs GBE Connect

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

Head to head
About

Class Chime

This app helps students by sending timely notifications for online meetings, eliminating the need to search for links. It features a clean interface for scheduling recurring events and managing an entire semester of meetings quickly.

Highlights
  • Timely meeting notifications
  • Link access for online classes
  • Clean interface
  • Easy recurring event scheduling
  • Semester-long meeting management
Features
Read full description

With most schools going completely online, having to hunt down the link for every meeting right before it begins only makes it worse. Class Chime hopes to eliminate that problem by sending you timely notifications with all the information you need to join whatever meetings you might have. With a clean interface that handles recurring events with ease, Class Chime makes it possible to schedule an entire semester of meetings in just minutes. Of course free, and obviously adless The first app by developer Milo Cassarino, a sophomore student at Case Western Reserve University.

About

GBE Connect

Features
Read full description

GBE Connect lets teachers and students connect to Growing Beyond Earth® PlantLab devices via Bluetooth to: • View real-time sensor data. • Download logged sensor data for analysis. • Automatically sync logged data with the GBE Data Portal. • Keep the PlantLab’s clock and time zone synchronized with your phone. • Program lights and fans using built-in programs or custom JSON. • Configure Wi-Fi settings. • Install PlantLab firmware updates. • View device information, including the PlantLab’s MAC address. Each time you connect to a PlantLab, GBE Connect automatically synchronizes its internal clock and time zone with your phone. PlantLabs without a Wi-Fi connection save sensor logs to an internal SD card for later upload. GBE Connect automatically detects accumulated logs and uploads them to the GBE Data Portal. Depending on the amount of stored data, this may take from a few seconds to several minutes. GBE Connect can also install new PlantLab firmware, including new features and bug fixes, wirelessly over Bluetooth. Available updates will appear in the app. PlantLabs connected to Wi-Fi receive firmware updates automatically without user intervention. GROWING BEYOND EARTH® PLANTLAB The GBE PlantLab is a custom-built growing environment for classroom plant experiments. Its dimensions, lighting, and ventilation are modeled after NASA plant habitats aboard the International Space Station. PlantLabs support a wide range of experiments, including research on food production under resource-constrained conditions relevant to spaceflight. Each PlantLab has a lighting panel with four independently controlled LED channels (red, green, blue, and white) and a programmable fan. Its sensor module measures temperature, humidity, air pressure, carbon dioxide concentration, and light levels. Connections are also provided for optional accessories, including a soil moisture sensor and water pump. When connected to a compatible Wi-Fi network, the PlantLab automatically sends sensor data to the GBE Data Portal at 10-minute intervals and receives firmware updates automatically. ABOUT GROWING BEYOND EARTH® Growing Beyond Earth® (GBE) transforms middle and high school classrooms into a global space agriculture research network. Students conduct hands-on research to help identify food plants that could sustain astronauts on long-duration space missions. Designed and operated by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in partnership with NASA, GBE has more than 450 participating schools worldwide. Since its inception in 2015, the program has engaged more than 80,000 students. Students grow crops in tabletop PlantLabs modeled after NASA plant habitats aboard the International Space Station. As they conduct experiments, students collect plant growth and yield data while the PlantLabs record environmental conditions. Scientists and mission experts at NASA Kennedy Space Center use these data to help inform crop-selection decisions for future space missions. GBE invites students to participate in one of humanity’s most important long-term challenges: developing resilient food-production systems beyond the limits of traditional agriculture. By investigating how crops grow in controlled environments under constrained conditions, students contribute to research that may one day help support human life in space while advancing sustainable food production here on Earth. HOW TO ENROLL IN GROWING BEYOND EARTH® Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden accepts applications from middle and high schools worldwide.

Screenshots

Class Chime4 screens
GBE Connect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Class Chime at 13.0 against GBE Connect's 18.2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Class Chime ships an update every 3 weeks, GBE Connect every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Class Chime versus GBE Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClass ChimeGBE Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMilo CassarinoCarl Lewis

In-app purchases

None

Class Chime

No in-app purchases

None

GBE Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Class Chime free?
Class Chime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GBE Connect free?
GBE Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Class Chime or GBE Connect have ads?
Neither Class Chime nor GBE Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Class Chime or GBE Connect?
Class Chime ships an update every 3 weeks, and GBE Connect every 5 weeks. Most recently, Class Chime was updated on November 3, 2026 and GBE Connect on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons