Comparison

Bell vs WrittenWords

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

Head to head
About

Bell

A minimalist timer designed to support your meditation practice without distractions. It offers gentle bells, ambient sounds, and progress tracking. Integrates with Apple Health and Siri for a seamless experience.

Highlights
  • Minimalist meditation timer
  • Gentle bells and ambient sounds
  • Daily reminders and mindfulness prompts
  • Streak and total minute tracking
  • Apple Health, Siri, and Shortcuts integration
  • CSV session log export
  • One-time purchase
Read full description

Bell was made for meditators. It doesn't sell you courses. It doesn't connect to social media. It doesn't track your every move. Bell exists to support your meditation practice — not interrupt it. It's a tool for stillness. Built with care. One-time purchase. No subscriptions, ever. • Sit down and start in seconds. No account, no onboarding — just set your time and begin. • A timer that gets out of the way. Gentle bells, optional ambient sounds, and nothing to pull you out of your practice. • Build a real practice. Daily reminders and streaks help you show up consistently without feeling like a productivity app. • Your data stays yours. Track your history, export your session log, and sync mindful minutes to Apple Health. • Works with Siri and Shortcuts. Start a session hands-free or build it into your morning automation.

About

WrittenWords

Digitize your handwritten notes and journals. Scan physical pages, get searchable text transcriptions, and organize your writings. Access your entire archive across devices and export your data anytime.

Highlights
  • Scan handwritten pages
  • Searchable text transcription
  • Preserve original images
  • Organize by journal and tag
  • Create cross-journal collections
  • Add typed entries
  • Export as TXT or PDF
  • Data export and account deletion
Features
Read full description

YOUR ANALOG LIFE, SEARCHABLE WrittenWords is a digital companion for people who still prefer pen and paper. Scan handwritten pages, review the transcription, and preserve the original image alongside searchable text. FIND THE MOMENT YOU REMEMBER Search across years of writing using a name, place, phrase, or idea. WrittenWords finds exact words as well as related passages, so finding a memory no longer depends on knowing which journal holds it. KEEP YOUR JOURNALS ORGANIZED - Preserve original page images beside editable text - Group entries by physical journal, date, page number, and tag - Create collections that bring related passages together across journals - Add typed entries whenever pen and paper are not nearby - Access the same archive on iPhone and the web - Export entries and journals as TXT or PDF - Download a complete archive of your data - Protect local access with Face ID BUILT AROUND YOUR WRITING Your journals are not public and are available only after signing in to your account. WrittenWords does not sell journal content or use it for advertising. You can export your archive or delete your account from the app at any time. INCLUDED AND MEMBERSHIP ACCESS Your first 10 scanned pages are included for the lifetime of your account. A monthly or annual membership lets you continue scanning pages from your personal journals. Search, sync, organization, editing, and export remain available without a membership. Membership renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged at confirmation and for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in App Store subscription settings. Prices are shown before purchase. Membership is intended for personal journal scanning. Unusually high-volume, automated, shared, or commercial use may be slowed or paused to keep WrittenWords reliable. Privacy Policy: https://written-words.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://written-words.com/terms

Screenshots

Bell4 screens
WrittenWords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WrittenWords at Free against Bell's $2.99. WrittenWords also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Bell's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

WrittenWords is free to download; Bell costs $2.99 up front. WrittenWords sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Bell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WrittenWords holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 8 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bell ships an update every 3 weeks, WrittenWords daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bell versus WrittenWords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBellWrittenWords
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (3 ratings)4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings38 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam ClaxonWrittenWords LLC

In-app purchases

None

Bell

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

WrittenWords

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$6.991 Month
  • Annual Membership$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Bell free?
Bell costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is WrittenWords free?
WrittenWords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bell or WrittenWords?
WrittenWords is rated higher. Bell averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while WrittenWords averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.
Do Bell or WrittenWords have ads?
Neither Bell nor WrittenWords shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bell or WrittenWords?
Bell ships an update every 3 weeks, and WrittenWords daily. Most recently, Bell was updated on November 5, 2026 and WrittenWords on October 31, 2026.

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