Comparison

TouchBells vs ChimesSS

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

Head to head
About

TouchBells

This app is a virtual carillon instrument for iPad, offering xylophone, vibraphone, and tubular bell sounds. Users can play freely, record and share songs, and learn to play through a teach mode. It's designed for musical exploration and early childhood education.

Highlights
  • Virtual carillon instrument
  • Xylophone, Vibraphone, Tubular Bells sounds
  • Song recording and playback
  • Song sharing with other users
  • Teach mode for learning songs
  • Adjustable stereo effect
  • Tunable instrument pitch
Read full description

TouchBells is an easy and fun to use carillon music instrument (Glockenspiel) for the Apple iPad. The instrument covers a range of 1 1/2 octaves (from C3 to F#4). Classic Xylophone sounds, Vibraphone sounds and Tubular Bells sounds are available. With TouchBells, you can just freely play along or record and play back your songs. You can also share the songs you recorded with other TouchBells users. By using the TouchBells teach mode,  you can learn how to play the songs other TouchBells users share with you. TouchBells is also great for kids early musical education. TouchBells has several unique features: - Xylophone or Vibraphone sounds. - Adjustable Stereo effect. - Its tunable, you can alter the instrument pitch. - Song recording and song management. - Share you songs with other TouchBells users by eMail. - Export your songs for iTunes. - Learn how to play using the Teach Mode. - Play dynamically using TouchBells touch-sensitivity feature. - Choose from four different bar captions (None, German-, American- and Solmisation-Style). Furthermore, TouchBells includes 25 demo songs: - Cradlesong (Wiegenlied) - Frere Jacques - Muss i denn, muss i denn zum Staedtele naus - Silent Night - My Bonny Is Over The Ocean - Ode to Joy - The moon as risen - Rondo all Turka (Turkish March) - When the Saints Go Marching In - Matilda - What shall we do with the trunken sailor? - Kojo no Tsuki - The Song of the Volga Boatmen - La Cucaracha - O Christmas Tree - Jingle Bells - Happy Birthday To You - Schneewalzer - Auld Lang Syne - Row, Row, Row Your Boat - Für Elise - Michael Row the Boat Ashore - She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain - Hänschen Klein - Old Mac Donald With the demo songs and the TouchBells Teach Mode, you can start directly with the learning how to play!

About

ChimesSS

This app provides a 1.5 octave tubular bell interface for playing music. It includes recording capabilities for vocals or voice memos, with options to adjust audio file format for email sharing. Users can also play along with other music apps.

Highlights
  • 1.5 octave tubular bell interface
  • Recording function for vocals and voice memos
  • Adjustable audio file format for recording
  • Send recorded data via email
  • Play along with other music apps
  • iTunes file sharing support
Features
Read full description

ChimesSS is a Tubular bell application. This application displays 1.5 octaves on the screen, and you don't need to change octaves to play them. Added the recording function! It picks the surrounding sounds as well, and you can use it in many different ways such as recording your vocals or creating a voice memo. You can also send the recorded data via email. Note that the maximum attachment size of an email depends on the iOS device you are using. Please contact your cell phone service provider for further information. - A 10 seconds recording is around 450 kB. - Support iTunes file sharing(http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4094?viewlocale=en_US) Added the play with other music app button on the right side of the record button (however, this disables the recording). For example, you can play along with your favorite songs on Music app. Now you can select the audio file format when recording. If you want to send a file via email, record at "22kHz / 8 bit" to reduce the file size. - Users who have a problem with the musical instrument app that doesn't make any sound. (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5137?viewlocale=en_US) Range: C52-G71 1.5 octaves (20 keys) - Display scale on keyboard - Support orientation (Up/Down) - Record button/ Play button / Stop button / Send the sound data via Email button - Support iTunes file sharing - Play with other music app button

Screenshots

ChimesSS1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TouchBells at 78% against ChimesSS's 29%. TouchBells also leads on price ($1.99 vs $2.99). ChimesSS's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 2.5) and device support (3 vs 1). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

TouchBells costs $1.99 and ChimesSS $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChimesSS holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of TouchBells's written reviews are positive against 29% of ChimesSS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchBells ships an update every 5 months, ChimesSS every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TouchBells versus ChimesSS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchBellsChimesSS
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating2.5 (2 ratings)4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews — better28.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas BraunYUJI HASEBE

Customer experience

TouchBells

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%

ChimesSS

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%

In-app purchases

None

TouchBells

No in-app purchases

None

ChimesSS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TouchBells free?
TouchBells costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChimesSS free?
ChimesSS costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TouchBells or ChimesSS?
ChimesSS is rated higher. TouchBells averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ChimesSS averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do TouchBells or ChimesSS have ads?
Neither TouchBells nor ChimesSS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchBells or ChimesSS?
TouchBells ships an update every 5 months, and ChimesSS every 4 months. Most recently, TouchBells was updated on October 8, 2026 and ChimesSS on October 13, 2026.

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