Comparison

Five Bells vs The Analog Clock

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

Head to head
About

Five Bells

This app replicates the traditional ship's bell system for marking time and watch changes. Users can configure bell sequences, set hourly chimes, and schedule quiet times. It also offers additional information for sailors.

Highlights
  • Traditional ship's bell simulation
  • Configurable bell sequences
  • Hourly single bell option
  • Scheduled quiet time
  • Maritime information for sailors
Features
Read full description

For sailors or anyone interested in maritime tradition. The ship’s bell has traditionally been used to mark the passage of time and the changeover of watches aboard ships. Five Bells aims to replicate this tradition on your iPhone®. Bells can be configured to sound a traditional or simplified sequence. Alternatively, a single bell can be struck every hour. A scheduled quiet-time can be enabled to prevent bells from sounding during a scheduled period. Additional information relevant to sailors is also provided.

About

The Analog Clock

This app displays a customizable analog clock on your entire screen. Personalize background and theme colors, and choose between numbers or Roman numerals for the dial. A premium plan unlocks all designs and advanced customization options.

Highlights
  • Full-screen analog clock display
  • Ad-free clock viewing
  • Landscape orientation support
  • Customizable background and theme colors
  • Choice of number or Roman numeral dial
  • Access to all designs with Premium Plan
Features
Read full description

What can you do with “The Analog Clock” app? ・Display analog clock on the entire screen ・No ads when displaying the clock ・Landscape display are supported ・Background color, theme color, dial letters can be changed It's the perfect app to keep your analog clock. No ads are displayed when the clock is displayed! It also supports landscape orientation and can be used for many purposes. About the clock appearance change function ・For the background color, you can choose your favorite color. ・You can choose the theme color of the clock from two types, white and black. ・You can choose from two types of clock letters: numbers and Roman numerals. Additionally, there is a Premium Plan for a more comfortable experience. Premium Plan Benefits ・Access to all designs! ・Regular additions of new designs! ・No advertisements. ・With the premium plan, you can customize even the smallest details of your clock design, choosing from a wider range of designs! Clock Design Customization Features in the Premium Plan ・Customize the design of the hour hand, minute hand, second hand, and clock face. ・Freely specify background color, hour and minute hand design, second hand design, clock face design, text color, and frame color. ・You can choose from two types of clock letters: numbers and Roman numerals. Customize to your favorite colors and enjoy your personalized analog clock! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Five Bells4 screens
The Analog Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Five Bells at none against The Analog Clock's shown. Five Bells also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 54%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). The Analog Clock's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 239) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, 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. Five Bells sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and The Analog Clock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Five Bells against 4.6 for The Analog Clock. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Analog Clock has 2.4K ratings behind it against 239, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Five Bells's written reviews are positive against 54% of The Analog Clock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Five Bells ships an update every 2 months, The Analog Clock every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Five Bells versus The Analog Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive BellsThe Analog Clock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (239 ratings) — better4.6 (2.4K ratings)
Positive reviews79.5% of reviews — better53.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2392.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMark GouldVida Apps Incorporated

Customer experience

Five Bells

All ratings198 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative12.8%

The Analog Clock

All ratings2,336 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive53.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative43.5%

User reviews

Five Bells

From 239 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔔 Great bell sounds
  • 👍 Exactly what users wanted
  • 💡 Useful for time tracking
  • 💰 Free with donation option
  • 🌙 Quiet hours feature appreciated

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Quiet time feature doesn't work
  • ⏰ Time incorrect/chiming late
  • 🔇 Silence function doesn't work
  • 🔊 Too loud, needs volume control
  • 🔔 Half-hour bell can be annoying

The Analog Clock

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🕰️ Helpful for timing activities
  • 💡 Customizable background color
  • 🕰️ Good visual representation of time

Room to improve

  • 🙅‍♀️ Lack of alarm/timer features
  • 🤖 Excessive ads and tracking
  • 🔍 Difficulty changing clock appearance
  • 🕰️ Inaccurate time display

Bugs and requests

Five Bells

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Quiet time feature doesn't work
  • Time incorrect, chiming late
  • Silence function doesn't work
  • App doesn't work on Apple Watch, only one ding
  • Number of bells doubled on iPad compared to iPhone
Show 4 more
  • App strikes bells when it wants, not always when required
  • Bells stopped working after iOS 17 upgrade
  • App doubles strikes (e.g., 16 bells at noon)
  • Developer webpage link goes to an error

Requested features

6 requests
  • Nicer clock interface
  • Volume control or loud/medium/quiet switch
  • Option to leave out half-hour bell
  • Ability to have app on Apple Watch
  • Choice of bell sounds
Show 1 more
  • Fix Apple Watch integration

The Analog Clock

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Clock time not displaying correctly
  • Ads interfering with other app functions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add alarm and timer functions
  • Reduce ads and tracking
  • Allow more customization options
  • Improve time accuracy

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Five Bells

One-time3
  • Regular Coffee$1.99
  • Large Coffee$2.99
  • Lunch$4.99
3 purchases

The Analog Clock

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Plan - 1 Month$3.991 Month
  • Premium Plan - 1 Year7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Premium Plan - 1 Year7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Five Bells free?
Five Bells is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Analog Clock free?
The Analog Clock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Five Bells or The Analog Clock?
Five Bells is rated higher. Five Bells averages 4.7 out of 5 from 239 ratings, while The Analog Clock averages 4.6 from 2.4K ratings.
Do Five Bells or The Analog Clock have ads?
The Analog Clock shows ads; Five Bells does not.
Which is updated more often, Five Bells or The Analog Clock?
Five Bells ships an update every 2 months, and The Analog Clock every 8 months. Most recently, Five Bells was updated on October 22, 2026 and The Analog Clock on October 24, 2026.

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