Comparison

Mobel bell ringing simulator vs 16 Drones

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

Head to head
About

Mobel bell ringing simulator

Practice church bell ringing and handbell change ringing with this simulator. It allows users to practice any method, view blue line diagrams, and even create their own compositions. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Highlights
  • Practice any method on 4-16 bells
  • Ring plain courses and custom touches
  • View blue line diagrams with zoom
  • Access 20,000 methods from library
  • Adjust ringing speed and gaps
  • Edit methods and calls
Features
Read full description

Mobel is a bell ringing simulator for church bell ringers and handbell change ringers. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Mac. When ringers are at home, travelling or at towers, Mobel lets them practise any method they are going to ring. It also shows the blue line diagram for any method, including bobs and singles. Practise any method on 4 to 16 bells. Ring plain courses, or touches that Mobel creates (including spliced). Add your own touches (compositions). Ring any bell; handbell ringers can ring any pair. Mobel rings the other bells, and speaks any calls. Conduct: put in bobs and/or singles yourself. See the blue line diagram for any method or composition that you have added. Line styles with or without the underlying bell numbers, or as a grid. Lines for bobs and singles. Pinch to zoom the diagram. Select from 20,000 methods in the Central Council library. Change the speed of the ringing. Ring with or without a handstroke gap. Have Mobel wait if you hesitate - or continue in perfect rhythm. Edit methods and calls to create new methods or doubles variations. Basic instructions for using Mobel on iPhone and iPad: - Tap a bell to select it for ringing. - Tap Start to start the bells ringing rounds. - Then tap Go to ring the current composition and method. - Tap the bottom of the screen to ring the bell you selected. - For handbells, tap right and left to ring a pair. - Conducting: tap the top of the screen for a bob or single. - Tap Show to see the blue line for the current method. - Then double tap to change line style, or pinch to zoom. - Tap the info (i) button to view and change settings. - Tap the Help buttons for further information. From iOS 13.4 onward you can also ring using a keyboard on iPad/iPhone. Mobel comes from AbelSim, producer of the world's best-selling change ringing simulators: Abel for Windows PCs and Mabel for Apple Mac (see www.abelsim.co.uk). Mobel is not intended for handbell tune ringers: it rings changes, not tunes. The latest version runs on iOS 12 and later. Earlier versions of Mobel are still available for previous versions of iOS.

About

16 Drones

Create evolving soundscapes and harmonic textures with a powerful ambient drone synthesizer. Shape layered drones using custom wavetables and envelopes, then perform expressively in key. Offers deep timbral control and flexible MIDI integration.

Highlights
  • 16 drone voices for layered textures
  • Custom wavetable synthesis
  • Per-voice drone envelopes
  • Subtractive synthesis layer
  • Expressive in-key performance voice
  • Support for musical scales
  • Standalone and AUv3 operation
  • MIDI input and learn
Features
Read full description

16 Drones is an ambient drone synthesizer built for evolving textures, harmonic soundscapes, and expressive in-key performance. Shape layered drones with a custom wavetable engine, per-voice controls, per-voice custom drone envelopes, and an additional subtractive layer. Then perform on top with a dedicated Play voice that stays in the same scale. Designed to be deep but immediate, 16 Drones gives you rich timbral control, musical scale exploration, expressive performance options, flexible MIDI workflow, and both standalone and AUv3 operation. Features: 16 drone voices for layered evolving textures Custom wavetable synthesis with per-voice control Per-voice custom drone envelopes for motion and character An additional subtractive layer for extra depth and weight A dedicated Play voice for expressive in-key performance Rich musical and exotic scales Standalone app and AUv3 instrument support MIDI input support for performance and control MIDI Learn for fast hardware mapping Aftertouch expression support, including polyphonic aftertouch Factory presets for fast inspiration

Screenshots

Mobel bell ringing simulator4 screens
16 Drones4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 16 Drones at Free against Mobel bell ringing simulator's $5.99. 16 Drones also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Mobel bell ringing simulator's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 50%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, ratings volume, 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

16 Drones is free to download; Mobel bell ringing simulator costs $5.99 up front. 16 Drones sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mobel bell ringing simulator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Mobel bell ringing simulator against 4.7 for 16 Drones. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Mobel bell ringing simulator's written reviews are positive against 50% of 16 Drones's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mobel bell ringing simulator ships an update every 6 weeks, 16 Drones every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mobel bell ringing simulator versus 16 Drones: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobel bell ringing simulator16 Drones
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (22 ratings) — better4.7 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews91.4% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings22 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbelSimRuben Terron Rodriguez

Customer experience

Mobel bell ringing simulator

All ratings22 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative6.2%

16 Drones

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Mobel bell ringing simulator

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

16 Drones

One-time1
  • 16 Drones Pro$11.99

Questions

Is Mobel bell ringing simulator free?
Mobel bell ringing simulator costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is 16 Drones free?
16 Drones is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mobel bell ringing simulator or 16 Drones?
Mobel bell ringing simulator is rated higher. Mobel bell ringing simulator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while 16 Drones averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.
Do Mobel bell ringing simulator or 16 Drones have ads?
Neither Mobel bell ringing simulator nor 16 Drones shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mobel bell ringing simulator or 16 Drones?
Mobel bell ringing simulator ships an update every 6 weeks, and 16 Drones every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mobel bell ringing simulator was updated on October 14, 2026 and 16 Drones on October 9, 2026.

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