# Bell vs WrittenWords

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Bell | WrittenWords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bell-simple-meditation-timer/id6749400916/reviews) | **[4.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writtenwords/id6772270087/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **8** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 82 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adam Claxon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1830342038) | [WrittenWords LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772270089) |

## What reviewers say

### Bell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bell-simple-meditation-timer/id6749400916)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### WrittenWords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writtenwords/id6772270087)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Membership | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual Membership | $69.99 | per year |


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