# BrainHQ vs BY THE BELL

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BY THE BELL at none against BrainHQ's 2. BrainHQ's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months) and chart position (#200 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BrainHQ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. BY THE BELL asks for nothing beyond the download.

BrainHQ ships an update every 2 months, BY THE BELL every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BrainHQ | BY THE BELL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (22K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainhq/id537452201/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **22K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#200** | — |
| Size | 172 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Posit Science](https://appshunter.io/developer/329913981) | [Be Fit Annapolis, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1539783450) |

## What reviewers say

### BrainHQ

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainhq/id537452201)

**Currently charting:** #200 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

This app offers a scientifically-backed brain training program designed to improve cognitive functions like memory, attention, and processing speed. It features adaptive exercises that adjust to your performance, fitting into your daily routine with sessions as short as five minutes.

**Highlights:** Scientifically validated brain exercises, Improves memory and processing speed, Adaptive training adjusts to performance, Daily free exercise, Personalized brain fitness goals, Flexible training sessions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BrainHQ | $13.99 | per month |
| BrainHQ | $94.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Scientifically-backed brain exercises
- 🤓 Challenging and engaging games
- 🧠 Noticeable cognitive improvements
- 👍 Customizable training focus
- 🤝 Responsive customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🤔 Unclear instructions and scoring
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🙈 Limited free version
- 🎨 Lack of diversity in some exercises

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Audio issues on iOS
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Progress reset issues

**Requested features**

- Apple Watch app
- Apple TV app
- Better progress tracking in-app
- Customizable difficulty levels
- More diverse representation in exercises


### BY THE BELL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/by-the-bell/id6746057933)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BrainHQ free?

BrainHQ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BY THE BELL free?

BY THE BELL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do BrainHQ or BY THE BELL have ads?

Neither BrainHQ nor BY THE BELL shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BrainHQ or BY THE BELL?

BrainHQ ships an update every 2 months, and BY THE BELL every 12 months. Most recently, BrainHQ was updated on November 1, 2026 and BY THE BELL on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*