Comparison

TouchBells vs FretBuilder

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

FretBuilder

Features
Read full description

Grow as a musician by visualizing notes on your instrument's fretboard. With this app, you can view some (or all) of your instrument's fretboard, tap to hear pitches at any string/fret, and use overlays to help you quickly identify pitches. The app supports multiple fretted string instruments, including guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele. It also features some of the most common preset tunings. Some advanced features of the app are enabled with a subscription, including custom fretboard designs (via photo library selection), custom instrument tunings, and a special overlay mode that lets you tap any position on the fretboard to see the individual pitch! More features are planned, so keep your eyes peeled and your instruments tuned! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

FretBuilder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FretBuilder at Free against TouchBells's $1.99. TouchBells's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 15 months). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

FretBuilder is free to download; TouchBells costs $1.99 up front. FretBuilder sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. TouchBells asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchBells ships an update every 5 months, FretBuilder every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
TouchBells versus FretBuilder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchBellsFretBuilder
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating2.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 15 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas BraunBrandon Fraune

In-app purchases

None

TouchBells

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

FretBuilder

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly premium$1.991 Month
  • Yearly premium$19.991 Year

Questions

Is TouchBells free?
TouchBells costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FretBuilder free?
FretBuilder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TouchBells or FretBuilder have ads?
Neither TouchBells nor FretBuilder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchBells or FretBuilder?
TouchBells ships an update every 5 months, and FretBuilder every 15 months. Most recently, TouchBells was updated on October 29, 2026 and FretBuilder on October 27, 2026.

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