Comparison

Cuckoo vs HourChime

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

Head to head
About

Cuckoo

This utility app simulates a cuckoo clock, chiming every hour and half-hour. Users can toggle the cuckoo sound on or off and customize alarm modes. Additional sounds and background images are available for purchase, along with an option to remove ads.

Highlights
  • Hourly and half-hourly cuckoo chimes
  • Customizable alarm modes
  • Add-on purchases for sounds and backgrounds
  • Ad removal option
  • Toggleable cuckoo sound
Features
Read full description

This is "Cuckoo Clock". When this app running, Cuckoo sing every hour and every 30minutes. When you want hear Cuckoo Singing, press the switch button inside of bottom.Cuckoo Singing about 30 Hour. If you don't need Cuckoo, please switch off again. You can change Alarm mode and Custom. And can buy add-on for additional sounds, background images also remove Ad. App URL scheme is: cuckoo://

About

HourChime

This app provides hourly or 30-minute voice cues and sounds to help you stay focused and on track. It features customizable quiet hours and a clean, battery-friendly interface. The app is designed for reliable background operation.

Highlights
  • Hourly/30-minute chime intervals
  • Spoken time announcements
  • Customizable mute schedule
  • Background operation
  • Battery-friendly design
  • Light/Dark Mode support
Features
Read full description

Chime your day into focus. Hourly or every-30-minute voice cues that keep you on track. Quiet when you need it—powerfully simple when you don’t. HourChime is a focused time-management app that keeps your rhythm with hourly or every-30-minute chimes and optional spoken time, delivering notifications reliably in the background. Set quiet hours with a mute schedule for sleep, meetings, or deep work. A clean, intuitive UI is optimized for Light/Dark Mode and designed to be battery-friendly with no unnecessary background tasks. Features • Chime interval: hourly or every 30 minutes • Spoken time announcement (on/off) + bell sound toggle • Mute Schedule: per time window/day for sleep & meetings • AM/PM or 24-hour display switch • Works reliably in the background after permission • One-time in-app purchase removes ads & unlocks all features (Restore Purchases supported) • Minimal data use; privacy-minded by design Perfect for • Focus sessions, study blocks, and Pomodoro-style routines • Office hours, standups, and calendar-free time awareness • Gentle timekeeping at home and bedtime wind-downs Download now and give your day a clear, calm cadence.

Screenshots

Cuckoo4 screens
HourChime4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HourChime at 4.7 against Cuckoo's 3.4. HourChime also leads on ads (none vs shown). Cuckoo's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Cuckoo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HourChime sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HourChime holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cuckoo has 16 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Cuckoo's written reviews are positive against 62% of HourChime's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cuckoo ships an update every 3 months, HourChime every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cuckoo versus HourChime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCuckooHourChime
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (16 ratings)4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews — better61.5% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToshihiko TamboMitsuhiro Hashimoto

Customer experience

Cuckoo

All ratings16 ratings
Positive56.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative22.0%

HourChime

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cuckoo

One-time1
  • Cuckoo Premium Feature$0.99
1 purchases

HourChime

One-time1
  • Premium$1.99

Questions

Is Cuckoo free?
Cuckoo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HourChime free?
HourChime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cuckoo or HourChime?
HourChime is rated higher. Cuckoo averages 3.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while HourChime averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Cuckoo or HourChime have ads?
Cuckoo shows ads; HourChime does not.
Which is updated more often, Cuckoo or HourChime?
Cuckoo ships an update every 3 months, and HourChime every 2 months. Most recently, Cuckoo was updated on September 19, 2026 and HourChime on September 10, 2026.

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