Comparison

Humm Bowl vs Quell

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

Head to head
About

Humm Bowl

Features
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HummBowl brings the ancient healing power of Tibetan singing bowls to your fingertips. FEATURES: โ€ข 7 Chakra singing bowls with authentic frequencies โ€ข 8th "Other" bowl for additional sound layers โ€ข Mix multiple bowls to create your unique soundscape โ€ข Adjustable volume control for each bowl โ€ข Save and load your favorite sound sessions โ€ข Sleep timer with gentle fade out โ€ข Background audio playback โ€ข Daily meditation reminders โ€ข Beautiful, calming interface โ€ข Premium sound variants for deeper experience Perfect for meditation, yoga, sleep, relaxation, and stress relief. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/Experience the transformative power of sound healing today.

About

Quell

Features
Read full description

Quell is a deep-focus app with one job: help you sit down and do one undivided thing. No streaks. No badges. No feed. You tap Begin, a calm arctic ring starts counting up, and a 40 Hz binaural beat plays underneath. When you are done, you end. That is the whole ritual. WHY 40 Hz 40 Hz is the gamma band โ€” the brain rhythm tied to attention and memory, and the most-studied frequency in sound-based focus research. Quell generates it live: two pure tones, one slightly different in each ear, that your brain fuses into a single 40 Hz pulse. WHAT IT DOES - A 40 Hz binaural beat, generated live on your device. Two pure tones on a deep, warm carrier (130 Hz left, 170 Hz right). It needs stereo headphones to create the beat. - An optional coach voice. Short, grounded lines, spaced minutes apart, that nudge you back when your attention drifts. It is sports-psychology self-talk, not generic meditation, and it is a natural recorded voice, not a robotic one. - Optional music under the beat. Four moods of original, AI-generated tracks (lofi days, lofi night, global beats, ambient) that sit quietly beneath everything. Off by default. - A count-up timer. No fixed length, no pressure. The session lasts as long as you stay. THE SCIENCE, HONESTLY We lead with 40 Hz because the research is real โ€” it is the gamma approach popularized on the Huberman Lab podcast. A 2022 meta-analysis found binaural beats gave a small but significant lift to attention and memory, and a 2025 study confirmed that a 40 Hz beat measurably entrains the brain while improving attention. But we will not oversell it: not every study agrees, and the effect varies from person to person. Treat the 40 Hz tone as a low-risk way to settle into deep work, not a guarantee. DESIGNED TO DISAPPEAR Quell is dark, still, and quiet on purpose. The only bright thing is the ring. It keeps playing while your screen is off, with controls on the lock screen, so you can put the phone down and work. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything runs on your device. No account, no sign-in, no tracking, no analytics, no servers. Your settings stay on your phone. FREE AND PAID The 40 Hz beat and the timer are free, forever. A single one-time purchase unlocks the music moods and the coach voice. Pay once, it is yours. No subscription. Quell. Quiet the noise.

Screenshots

Humm Bowl4 screens
Quell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Quell at none against Humm Bowl's shown. Quell also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). Humm Bowl's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Humm Bowl sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Quell sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Humm Bowl ships an update every 2 weeks, Quell daily. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Humm Bowl versus Quell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHumm BowlQuell
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size135 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBin GuOleksandr Pavlov

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Humm Bowl

Subscriptions2
  • HummBowl Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • HummBowl Premium (Yearly)$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Annual Membership$4.99
1 purchases

Quell

One-time1
  • Quell Unlock$9.99

Questions

Is Humm Bowl free?
Humm Bowl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Quell free?
Quell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Humm Bowl or Quell have ads?
Humm Bowl shows ads; Quell does not.
Which is updated more often, Humm Bowl or Quell?
Humm Bowl ships an update every 2 weeks, and Quell daily. Most recently, Humm Bowl was updated on November 9, 2026 and Quell on November 5, 2026.

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