Comparison

Cliff Timer vs BellAlert

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

Head to head
About

Cliff Timer

Calculate the height of lightning strikes using a simple stopwatch and physics formulas. Measure the time between seeing lightning and hearing thunder to determine distance and height.

Highlights
  • Lightning height calculation
  • Lightning distance calculation
  • Uses physics formulas
  • Simple stopwatch interface
  • Real-time results
Features
Read full description

Cliff Timer is a simple and powerful app that lets you measure real-world distances using just a stopwatch and basic physics. By timing how long it takes for an object to fall, you can estimate the height of cliffs and other drops, or measure how far away a storm is by counting the seconds between lightning and thunder. Designed to be easy to use while still based on real equations, Cliff Timer turns quick observations into meaningful measurements, making it perfect for outdoor exploration, learning, or satisfying your curiosity about the world around you. This app uses the formula for height, h=12⋅g⋅t^2, and the formula for lightning, d=t/5. Start the stopwatch, and the app will give you the information.

About

BellAlert

Assign custom sounds to notifications to instantly know what's happening without looking at your phone. Share unique alert codes with others to send them instant, personalized notifications with their chosen sounds. Manage alerts with timestamps, disappearing notifications, and an "oops" feature to un-ring alerts.

Highlights
  • Custom sounds for each notification
  • Shareable alert codes
  • Instant alerts on recipient devices
  • Home Screen widget for quick alerts
  • Undo/cancel sent alerts
  • Disappearing notifications
  • Private and track-free design
Features
Read full description

Some notifications matter more than others. Bell Alerts lets you give each one its own sound — so you know what just happened without even looking at your phone. Create a bell, share its code, and ring it. Everyone you've shared it with gets the alert instantly — each on their own phone, with the sound they picked. Dinner's ready, the dog's at the door, the meeting's starting: make it a bell. MAKE IT YOURS • A different sound for every bell — a dozen original tones to choose from • Per phone: you pick your sound, your family picks theirs • Vibrate-only or mute any bell, anytime • 11 app icons to match your style SEND A BELL IN A TAP • Create a bell — it gets its own private, unguessable code • Share the code; anyone who adds it is subscribed • Ring it from the app — or straight from a Home Screen widget, without opening anything • Changed your mind? "Oops" un-rings it — the alert crosses itself out everywhere STAY ON TOP OF IT • Recent rings at a glance, with timestamps — canceled ones clearly marked • A Home Screen widget shows the latest bells the moment they ring • Disappearing alerts tidy themselves up after a time you set PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account, no sign-up, no tracking • Bells are private codes — only the people you share them with get the rings • Verified on device with App Check; standard encryption only FOR POWER USERS Bell Alerts can also receive alerts from your own internet server — the same bring-your-own-server idea as the open-source app ntfy. Send a notification from any script or service you run and it arrives as a custom bell on every subscribed phone. It's a software integration over the internet; no extra hardware or accessory is involved. Setup guide included. Make every alert sound like what it is.

Screenshots

Cliff Timer4 screens
BellAlert4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BellAlert at none against Cliff Timer's 3. BellAlert also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Cliff Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. BellAlert asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Cliff Timer against 4.9 for BellAlert. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 11 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cliff Timer ships an update every 5 months, BellAlert every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cliff Timer versus BellAlert: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCliff TimerBellAlert
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (10 ratings)4.9 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1011 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrank SchipaniCurtis Waldner

Customer experience

Cliff Timer

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

BellAlert

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Cliff Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Yearly$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lightning Distance Access$1.99
None

BellAlert

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cliff Timer free?
Cliff Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BellAlert free?
BellAlert is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cliff Timer or BellAlert?
Cliff Timer and BellAlert are both rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 11 ratings respectively.
Do Cliff Timer or BellAlert have ads?
Neither Cliff Timer nor BellAlert shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cliff Timer or BellAlert?
Cliff Timer ships an update every 5 months, and BellAlert every 2 days. Most recently, Cliff Timer was updated on October 2, 2026 and BellAlert on October 15, 2026.

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