Special Text Tones Lite vs Text Message Sounds
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Special Text Tones Lite
Customize your phone's text message alerts with a variety of sound effects, voice alerts, and musical tones. Set custom sounds as ringtones as well. No internet connection or email required to install tones.
- Custom text alert sounds
- Set tones as ringtones
- Offline tone installation
- Variety of sound effects
- Voice alerts
- Musical tones
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With Special Text Tones Lite you have the free version of Special Text Tones - the ultimate weapon to customize your text tones. You can choose between a selection of cool sound-effects, voice-alerts and musical tones to give your phone that special touch when you get a text message. Of course, all tones can also be set up as ringtones. With this app you do not need to send any email to install the tones, you even don't need an internet connection, simply follow the instructions on the info screen and have fun with your custom text alert sounds. The option to set top custom text alert sounds is available for all users of iOS 5.0. For more tones please get the full version. Thanks ;)
Text Message Sounds
Discover a wide variety of sound effects and ringtones specifically designed for text message alerts. Easily preview and save your favorite sounds to personalize your notifications. Enjoy a collection of loud, funny, and popular alert tones.
- Popular sound effects for alerts
- Customizable text message ringtones
- Save favorite sounds
- Loud ringtones
- Funny sound effects
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Text message sounds includes popular sound effects perfect for a text message ringtone or any kind of alert tone. Simply tap a button to listen to the text message sound effects and ringtones. Easily save your favorite as a custom text message sound. Text message sounds includes: Loud text message ringtones easy and safe to use save your favorite text message sound funny sound effects and many more Enjoy these free text message sound effects!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Text Message Sounds at 3.8 against Special Text Tones Lite's 2.5. Text Message Sounds also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (45% vs 17%). Special Text Tones Lite's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, update cadence, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Special Text Tones Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Text Message Sounds asks for nothing beyond the download.
Text Message Sounds holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Text Message Sounds has 83 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Special Text Tones Lite's written reviews are positive against 45% of Text Message Sounds's.
Special Text Tones Lite ships an update every 30 months, Text Message Sounds every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Special Text Tones Lite | Text Message Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (2 ratings) | 3.8 (83 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 45.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 83 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 30 months | Every 19 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Oliver Schneewind | Catherine Lopez |
Customer experience
Special Text Tones Lite
Text Message Sounds
In-app purchases
Special Text Tones Lite
- Remove ads now !$0.99
Text Message Sounds
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Special Text Tones Lite free?
Is Text Message Sounds free?
Which has better reviews, Special Text Tones Lite or Text Message Sounds?
Do Special Text Tones Lite or Text Message Sounds have ads?
Which is updated more often, Special Text Tones Lite or Text Message Sounds?
Other comparisons
