# Five Bells vs Simple_Clock

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Five Bells | Simple_Clock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (198 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/five-bells/id1579094984/reviews)** | [4.7 (133 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-clock/id6477709832/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **198** | 133 |
| Positive reviews | **79.5% of reviews** | 70.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 36 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Gould](https://appshunter.io/developer/1575372263) | [Seung-Un Ham](https://appshunter.io/developer/447543367) |

## What reviewers say

### Five Bells

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/five-bells/id1579094984)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Regular Coffee | $1.99 | one-time |
| Large Coffee | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lunch | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Simple_Clock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-clock/id6477709832)

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.

**Highlights:** Classic Apple iPad style analog clock, Optional calendar integration as clock needles, Optional reminders integration as clock needles, Minimalist design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads (Lifetime) | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Five Bells free?

Five Bells is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Simple_Clock free?

Simple_Clock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Five Bells or Simple_Clock?

Five Bells is rated higher. Five Bells averages 4.7 out of 5 from 198 ratings, while Simple_Clock averages 4.7 from 133 ratings.

### Do Five Bells or Simple_Clock have ads?

Simple_Clock shows ads; Five Bells does not.

### Which is updated more often, Five Bells or Simple_Clock?

Five Bells ships an update every 2 months, and Simple_Clock every 5 days. Most recently, Five Bells was updated on October 1, 2026 and Simple_Clock on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*