Big Ben vs LETS CROSSING
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 (or iPod Touch) 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) Pointless? Maybe. Decorative? Certainly. NB Sounds will only play through earphones on 1st gen iPod Touch. Thanks to all who left comments and suggestions for improvement. In particular to Dave, whose persistence finally motivated us to release this new version.
LETS CROSSING
Experience realistic railroad crossings from around the world, enhanced by generative AI. Capture unique, AI-generated train photography images. Subscribe for premium features and collect your own original AI art.
- Realistic railroad crossing simulations
- AI-generated train photography
- Collect unique AI art
- Multiple country simulations
- Subscription for premium features
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Play at your favorite railroad crossing anytime, anywhere! Experience the "Train Photography Simulation App" powered by cutting-edge generative AI technology. Collect your own unique and realistic AI-generated train photography images! This app lets you experience railroad crossings from various countries, recreated with stunning realism. By tapping the camera button, you can also obtain realistic train photography images generated by state-of-the-art generative AI technology. Additionally, by subscribing to a paid plan, you'll receive train photography tickets, allowing you to collect your own original AI-generated train photography images. Terms and Privacy Policy: https://nakajimamasao-appstudio.web.app/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: LETS CROSSING at Free against Big Ben's $0.99. LETS CROSSING also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 28 months). Big Ben's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume and device support 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
LETS CROSSING is free to download; Big Ben costs $0.99 up front. LETS CROSSING sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Big Ben asks for nothing beyond the download.
LETS CROSSING holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Big Ben's written reviews are positive against 100% of LETS CROSSING's.
Big Ben ships an update every 28 months, LETS CROSSING every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Big Ben | LETS CROSSING |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (38 ratings) | 4.2 (24 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38 — better | 24 |
| Update frequency | Every 28 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 114 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ettore Software Ltd. | Masao Nakajima |
Customer experience
Big Ben
LETS CROSSING
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
LETS CROSSING
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Big Ben
No in-app purchases
LETS CROSSING
- Monthly Standard$3.491 Month
- Monthly Premium$4.991 Month
- Additional Passes$2.49
- Trial$2.49
- Purchase train photo passes$3.99
Questions
Is Big Ben free?
Is LETS CROSSING free?
Which has better reviews, Big Ben or LETS CROSSING?
Do Big Ben or LETS CROSSING have ads?
Which is updated more often, Big Ben or LETS CROSSING?
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