Comparison

JoyaTimer vs Prayer

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 I originally made this app for New Year’s Eve 2011 and actually used it.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

Prayer

This app offers a collection of Japanese sutras for remembrance and prayer for deceased loved ones. It includes instrumental sounds and a recording function, allowing users to personalize their spiritual practice. Users can also display photos of those they wish to honor.

Highlights
  • 78 Japanese sutras
  • Instrumental sounds (drum, singing bowl)
  • Recording function
  • Customizable sutra playback order
  • Photo display for loved ones
  • Preset landscape images
Features
Read full description

This app is for prayers in memory of deceased & loved people. You may pray for them by listening to the sutras on this app. Sounds provided by this app: - 78 Japanese sutras (Heart Sutra, Shingonshu, Soutoushu, Nichirenshu, Jodoshu, Jodoshinshu, etc.) - wooden drum (instrument) - singing bowl (instrument) This app has a recording function, so you can also use your own sounds. When you select multiple sutras in the settings, they will play in order from top to bottom. You can also chant sutras yourself using the buttons that make wooden drum and singing bowl. You can switch display of ten photos of someone who has passed away. For those who prefer not to use photos, we also offer preset images such as landscapes.

Screenshots

JoyaTimer4 screens
Prayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Prayer at 55% against JoyaTimer's 0%. Prayer also leads on iOS requirement (12.3 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads 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. JoyaTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Prayer sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
JoyaTimer versus Prayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoyaTimerPrayer
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews55.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaishin UeyamaHANBUNCO, INC.

Customer experience

JoyaTimer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Prayer

Written reviews20 reviews
Positive55.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative30.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

JoyaTimer

One-time1
  • Donate a cup of coffee.$0.99
10 purchases

Prayer

One-time10
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • HEART SUTRA$1.99
  • NICHIREN SHU HOUBENPONDAINI$1.99
Show 7 more
  • SHINSHU OOTANIHA SHOUSHINGE$1.99
  • SHINSHU OOTANIHA NENBUTSU$1.99
  • JOUDOSHINSHU HONGANJIHA SHOUSHINNENBUTSUGE$1.99
  • KOUYASAN SHINGONSHU SANKI$1.99
  • KOUYASAN SHINGONSHU HEART SUTRA$1.99
  • SHINGONSHU CHISANHA HEART SUTRA$1.99
  • SOUTOU SHU FUMONBONGE$1.99

Questions

Is JoyaTimer free?
JoyaTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Prayer free?
Prayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do JoyaTimer or Prayer have ads?
Neither JoyaTimer nor Prayer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JoyaTimer or Prayer?
JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, and Prayer every 2 months. Most recently, JoyaTimer was updated on October 10, 2026 and Prayer on October 3, 2026.

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