Comparison

JoyaTimer vs 雅楽BGM

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

Head to head
About

JoyaTimer

This app helps you precisely time bell strikes, inspired by a Japanese New Year's tradition. It allows customization of strike intervals and counts, with a special mode to ensure the final strike lands exactly at midnight. Features include sound and vibration alerts, with additional modes for quick starts and timing challenges.

Highlights
  • Customizable strike interval and count
  • Joya Mode for precise midnight timing
  • Sound and vibration alerts
  • Device stays awake while timer runs
  • Compass for orientation
  • Start Now and Game Mode (Beta)
Features
Read full description

JoyaTimer is a specialized yet simple timer app inspired by a Japanese traditional New Year’s Eve event called “Joya no Kane”. At many Buddhist temples across Japan, priests strike the temple bell 108 times on New Year’s Eve. The final strike should sound exactly at 0:00 a.m. on January 1st. This app helps you ring the bell at precise timing with sound and vibration (iPhone only). I originally made this app for New Year’s Eve 2011 and actually used it. It was convenient, so I decided to publish it. Key Features • Set the interval (seconds) between strikes (default: 20 seconds) • Set the number of strikes (default: 108) • “Joya Mode” (default: ON) automatically calculates and displays when you should start the first strike so that the last strike finishes exactly at midnight • Sound alerts at the configured interval, plus vibration support (iPhone only) • If Joya Mode is OFF, you can pause the timer • While Joya Mode is ON, the Start button disappears after starting to prevent accidental taps • The device will not sleep while the timer is running (please watch your battery) • Compass: find north on the timer screen (supported devices only) Tip When you press Start, it counts as the first strike. If you plan to ring 108 times, setting the count to 109 and ignoring the first “strike” can make the operation easier. How-to Video https://youtu.be/CQwCRaXpC9I New Features from Ver. 7 • Start Now (Beta): quick-start support for late-evening use • Game Mode (Beta): timing challenge for accurate bell strikes • End-time setting: choose when the ringing should finish Improvements after Ver. 7 • (7.1) Improved judgement accuracy and score display • (7.1) Enhanced mic threshold tuning and effects • (7.2) Enhanced scoreboard and high-score effects • (7.3) Internal code optimization and maintainability improvements Notes / Important • Please make sure your iOS device clock is accurate • Airplane Mode is recommended (the app is configured not to run in the background) • Test and simulate the timer in advance • If pressing Start exactly at the first strike is difficult, set the count to 109 and begin from the second alert • “Time Correction” was added in Ver. 2.9 because it is hard to adjust iOS clocks at the second scale. If your device is 5 seconds ahead of actual time, set it to “-5”. Since Airplane Mode is recommended, network time sync (e.g., NTP) is not assumed; manual correction works best • If you find any bug, please contact the support page (Facebook page) Sound List (sound number mapping) Sound quality is not good yet; we plan to re-record in the future. 1. Electric sound 2. Big bell (Electric) 3. Big bell in Jyousenji temple (bad sound due to a crack) 4. Bell in Jyousenji (Large Kin) 5. Bell in Jyousenji (Medium Kin) 6. Sawari in Jyousenji

About

雅楽BGM

Features
Read full description

婚礼や上棟式、又、葬儀や年祭、年忌などの式典に手軽に雅楽のBGMが取り入れることができます。吹止めボタンがついてますので、タイミングをみて手早く吹止めをいれることができます。 小さな会場でしたら、バッテリ内蔵Bluetoothスピーカーとセットで使うといいかもしれません。全ての曲がエンドレス再生されます。

Screenshots

JoyaTimer4 screens
雅楽BGM2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 雅楽BGM at none against JoyaTimer's 1. 雅楽BGM also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). JoyaTimer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On price 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

Both are free to download. JoyaTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 雅楽BGM asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, 雅楽BGM every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
JoyaTimer versus 雅楽BGM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoyaTimer雅楽BGM
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB176 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaishin UeyamaMichitoshi Nariai

In-app purchases

1 purchases

JoyaTimer

One-time1
  • Donate a cup of coffee.$0.99
None

雅楽BGM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JoyaTimer free?
JoyaTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 雅楽BGM free?
雅楽BGM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do JoyaTimer or 雅楽BGM have ads?
雅楽BGM shows ads; JoyaTimer does not.
Which is updated more often, JoyaTimer or 雅楽BGM?
JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, and 雅楽BGM every 11 months. Most recently, JoyaTimer was updated on October 10, 2026 and 雅楽BGM on October 12, 2026.

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