Humm Bowl vs Quell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Humm Bowl
Read full descriptionHide full description
HummBowl brings the ancient healing power of Tibetan singing bowls to your fingertips. FEATURES: โข 7 Chakra singing bowls with authentic frequencies โข 8th "Other" bowl for additional sound layers โข Mix multiple bowls to create your unique soundscape โข Adjustable volume control for each bowl โข Save and load your favorite sound sessions โข Sleep timer with gentle fade out โข Background audio playback โข Daily meditation reminders โข Beautiful, calming interface โข 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.
Quell
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
Humm Bowl ships an update every 2 weeks, Quell daily. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Humm Bowl | Quell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Daily โ better |
| Ads | Yes | No โ better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 135 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bin Gu | Oleksandr Pavlov |
In-app purchases
Humm Bowl
- HummBowl Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- HummBowl Premium (Yearly)$19.991 Year
- Annual Membership$4.99
Quell
- Quell Unlock$9.99









