Big Ben vs Sound Effects Boards Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Big Ben
Experience the iconic Big Ben on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Customize your display with digital clock options, a seconds hand, and authentic tick-tock sounds. Enjoy hourly chimes and quarter-hour alerts, even when the app is closed, for a decorative and timely experience.
- Digital clock display
- Seconds hand option
- Tick-tock sound
- Quarter-hour chimes
- Hourly tolling
- Background notifications
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During 2009, the UK Parliament celebrated the 150th anniversary of its world famous Clock Tower, Great Clock and Great Bell. The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell. 1859 was the beginning for all three elements when the Clock Tower was completed, the Great Clock started on 31 May and the Great Bell’s chimes were heard for the first time on 11 July. Have your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV display the time of day in style. Options include: adding a digital clock display showing a seconds hand having it make a tick-tock sound having it chime every quarter of an hour and toll on the hour (the chiming and tolling sounds will play even when the app is not open, so long as your device is not muted and you allow notifications in the General Settings for Big Ben) having it chime only on the hour instead of every quarter of an hour having a "Quiet Hours" period during which no chimes will play Pointless? Maybe. Decorative? Certainly. NB If you wear an Apple Watch, make sure you turn off Mirror iPhone Alerts From: BigBen or you will not hear the chimes. Thanks to all who left comments and suggestions for improvement.
Sound Effects Boards Pro
Access over 300 humorous sound effects and prank noises organized into more than 50 diverse soundboards. Explore categories like party, comedy, animals, and alarms for endless entertainment and practical jokes.
- Over 300 fun sounds
- 50+ entertaining soundboards
- Multiple categories (party, comedy, animals, alarms)
- Prank and joke features
- 5 apps in 1 (Fun, Annoying, Scary, Sci Fi, Sound Effects)
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Get more than 300 fun sounds to make you laugh and prank your friends & family! More than 50 highly entertaining soundboards including party, high frequency, comedy, cartoon, animals, beer, burps, farts, sirens, wake up alarms and more! This fun sound app is 5 apps in one - Fun, Annoying, Scary, Sci Fi and Sound Effects Boards. Feel free to try out the free ad supported versions by scrolling down to the Developer Apps section.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sound Effects Boards Pro at 4.2 against Big Ben's 3.8. Sound Effects Boards Pro also leads on chart position (#153 vs unranked). Big Ben's advantage is ratings volume (41 vs 5) and device support (4 vs 2). On review sentiment, 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
Big Ben costs $2.99 and Sound Effects Boards Pro $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sound Effects Boards Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Big Ben has 41 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Big Ben's written reviews are positive against 50% of Sound Effects Boards Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Big Ben ships an update every 41 months, Sound Effects Boards Pro every 33 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Big Ben | Sound Effects Boards Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 3.8 (41 ratings) | 4.2 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 41 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 41 months | Every 33 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #153 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ettore Software Ltd. | iGreenEarth |
Customer experience
Big Ben
Sound Effects Boards Pro
Bugs and requests
Big Ben
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes immediately upon opening
- Not compatible with iOS 15, iOS 17, iOS 12
- Doesn't chime when phone is locked or in background
- No sound output despite notifications enabled
- App won't launch on iPhone 15.3.1
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- Crashes on iPhone 12 mini
- VoiceOver notifications interfering with chimes
- Hourly chime not functioning on iOS 11.2.6
- Chimes stop working after app update
- Tick-tock sounds out of sync with second hand
- Paid version requires repurchase and doesn't work
Requested features
20 requests- Night mode/silent hours scheduling (9pm-5am)
- Adjustable volume control within app
- Smooth minute hand animation
- Hourly-only chime option (disable quarter chimes)
- Background chimes while phone is locked
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- Chimes on half-hour intervals
- Dynamic backgrounds based on time of day/weather
- Updated Big Ben chimes post-renovation
- Customizable lock screen display
- iPad/universal app version
- Weather integration
- Multiple background images/locations
- Chimes on watch/wearables
- Alarm functionality
- Tick-tock sounds in sync with second hand
- Floodlit Big Ben for nighttime display
- GPS-based daylight/sunset lighting
- Screen saver functionality
- Quieter/softer tick-tock option
- Delay between quarter and hour chimes
Sound Effects Boards Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Big Ben
No in-app purchases
Sound Effects Boards Pro
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Big Ben free?
Is Sound Effects Boards Pro free?
Which has better reviews, Big Ben or Sound Effects Boards Pro?
Do Big Ben or Sound Effects Boards Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, Big Ben or Sound Effects Boards Pro?
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