Chime Squirrel vs Hourly Chime
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chime Squirrel
This app helps you stay productive by setting customizable recurring chimes for repetitive tasks, exercise routines, or study sessions. It runs in the background, providing timely audio reminders without requiring manual dismissal. Optimize your daily workflow with flexible interval settings and a user-friendly interface.
- Variable interval chimes
- Quick chime setup
- Multiple chime sounds
- Light and dark themes
- Runs in the background
- Repeating interval sequences
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Chime Squirrel is a flexible interval timer and chime app. Set up repeating chimes at any interval, run multiple chimes simultaneously, and stay on track without checking your phone. Whether you're timing meditation sessions, workout intervals, work sprints, pomodoro timer, or any repeating activity, Chime Squirrel keeps the screen active and sounds your chime right on schedule. FEATURES • Quick Chime — set up and start a simple interval chime in seconds • Interval Chimes — create and save custom chime sequences with multiple intervals • Multiple themes — choose from several color themes to match your style • Screen stays on — no need to unlock your phone between chimes • iPad support — works on iPhone and iPad with a shared layout Upgrade to Pro to unlock additional interval chimes beyond the free limit.
Hourly Chime
This app provides hourly spoken time alerts and custom voice reminders to help you manage your daily routine and build better habits. It offers hands-free, screen-free notifications with customizable sounds and text-to-speech capabilities.
- Talking clock functionality
- Customizable hourly alerts
- Voice reminders
- Background notifications
- Flexible day selection
- Ad-free PRO version
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Lose track of time while working or studying? Caynax Hourly Chime brings you back to the moment with a familiar hourly signal—without making you check the clock. • Choose the days and hours you want a chime; create an easy rhythm for focus sessions, short breaks and everyday routines. • Get audible signals and background notifications. Set up a simple hourly alert instead of another full alarm. • Use the time cue to remember to stretch, drink water, switch tasks or wind down. Notifications depend on your device settings. A CLOCK CUE FOR THE WAY YOU LIVE A clock on your phone can tell you the time, but checking it often leads to another distraction. An hourly signal is different: it gives you a small checkpoint while you keep reading, writing, creating, cooking, or taking care of everyday tasks. You decide when that interruption is useful. Use chimes during work hours, select particular weekdays, and leave quieter parts of the week alone. BUILD A ROUTINE WITHOUT MORE ALARMS A chime can mark the end of a study hour, remind you to move after sitting at a desk, or prompt a quick check of your next task. It's also a helpful cue when you tend to lose track of time during long periods of concentration. You don't have to treat every signal as a deadline. Sometimes hearing that another hour has passed is all you need to reset your attention and choose what to do next. KEEP YOUR CHIMES ORGANIZED Create settings for different parts of your day instead of relying on one generic alarm. Duplicate a chime setup with a swipe, then adjust it for another situation. Sort your chimes by time or by name, and find deleted items in the Trash view. With PRO, choose the precise minute and second for a cue, have the clock say the time or a phrase you wrote, use your own sound, or add a chime at sunrise or sunset. ALERTS ON YOUR TERMS Chimes use iOS notifications and sound behavior. What you actually hear depends on notification permission, volume, Focus or Silent settings, and the available system voices. This app is intended for everyday time awareness, not as a guaranteed alarm for urgent or medical events. Free features cover basic time chimes. PRO unlocks spoken time and your own text-to-speech messages, custom alert sounds, minute-and-second timing and sunrise/sunset chimes. PRO removes ads and is available through a subscription or a one-time purchase. Removing ads alone is a separate purchase and does not unlock PRO. Make your day easier to follow, one chime at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chime Squirrel at 4.0 against Hourly Chime's 2.0. Chime Squirrel also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (99 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Chime Squirrel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hourly Chime sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Chime Squirrel holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chime Squirrel has 99 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Chime Squirrel's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hourly Chime's.
Chime Squirrel ships an update monthly, Hourly Chime every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chime Squirrel | Hourly Chime |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (99 ratings) — better | 2.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 67.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 99 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Luke Ryan, LLC | Jakub Flisinski |
Customer experience
Chime Squirrel
Hourly Chime
Bugs and requests
Chime Squirrel
Reported bugs
8 issues- App stops working when in background
- Interval data lost after update
- Timer resets to start when app is not on screen
- App behaves erratically
- Edit page does not change settings
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- App freezes and hangs up
- Notifications announce chime finish instead of start
- Chiming constantly and getting multiple alerts after setup attempt
Requested features
11 requests- Apple Watch compatibility
- Ability to set different intervals within a timer
- Siri integration for speaking chime titles
- Option to have notifications announce chime start instead of finish
- More subtle and longer chime sounds (like a gong)
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- Custom ringtones
- Schedule timers for specific days/times (e.g., Mo-Fr 8-17h)
- Ability to save multiple timer configurations
- Ability to set timers to keep chiming until reset
- More sound options beyond basic chimes/beeps
- Ability to start timers automatically in the morning
Hourly Chime
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chime Squirrel
- Upgrade To Pro$2.99
Hourly Chime
- PRO version$2.996 Months
- PRO version$3.991 Year
- No ads$5.99
- PRO version$22.99
Questions
Is Chime Squirrel free?
Is Hourly Chime free?
Which has better reviews, Chime Squirrel or Hourly Chime?
Do Chime Squirrel or Hourly Chime have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chime Squirrel or Hourly Chime?
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