Five Bells vs Simple_Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Traditional ship's bell simulation
- Configurable bell sequences
- Hourly single bell option
- Scheduled quiet time
- Maritime information for sailors
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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.
Simple_Clock
A minimalist analog clock designed with a classic Apple iPad aesthetic. It offers the unique ability to integrate calendar events and reminders as clock hands for enhanced time management.
- Classic Apple iPad style analog clock
- Optional calendar integration as clock needles
- Optional reminders integration as clock needles
- Minimalist design
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Classic Apple iPad style clock. Feature • Add Calendar and Reminders as clock needles (optional) Support: vibecoder.company@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Five Bells at none against Simple_Clock's shown. Five Bells also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Simple_Clock's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Five Bells sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Simple_Clock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Five Bells against 4.7 for Simple_Clock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 198 and 133 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Five Bells's written reviews are positive against 71% of Simple_Clock's.
Five Bells ships an update every 2 months, Simple_Clock every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Five Bells | Simple_Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (198 ratings) — better | 4.7 (133 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.5% of reviews — better | 70.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 198 — better | 133 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mark Gould | Seung-Un Ham |
Customer experience
Five Bells
Simple_Clock
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Fix Apple Watch integration
Simple_Clock
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Five Bells
- Regular Coffee$1.99
- Large Coffee$2.99
- Lunch$4.99
Simple_Clock
- Remove Ads (Lifetime)$4.99
Questions
Is Five Bells free?
Is Simple_Clock free?
Which has better reviews, Five Bells or Simple_Clock?
Do Five Bells or Simple_Clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Five Bells or Simple_Clock?
Other comparisons
