Comparison

FastBell vs Basho Steps

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

Head to head
About

FastBell

Features
Read full description

FastBell is the simplest way to start intermittent fasting. When the bell rings, eat. When it rings again, stop. Simple enough to stick with. 6 FASTING PLANS - 12:12 โ€” 12 hours fasting / 12 hours eating (free, gentle start) - 14:10 โ€” 14 hours fasting / 10 hours eating (free, easy intro) - 16:8 โ€” 16 hours fasting / 8 hours eating (most popular) - 18:6 โ€” 18 hours fasting / 6 hours eating - 20:4 โ€” 20 hours fasting / 4 hours eating - OMAD โ€” One Meal A Day (23:1) KEY FEATURES - Large countdown timer shows remaining time at a glance - Start and stop fasting with a single tap - Streak tracking to build your fasting habit - Push notifications when fasting starts and ends - Dark theme for comfortable nighttime use - Fully offline โ€” no internet required - No ads โ€” stay focused PRIVACY FIRST All data stays on your device. Nothing is ever sent to a server. FASTBELL PRO Upgrade to Pro to unlock the 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, and OMAD plans, detailed statistics, custom notifications, and widgets. 12:12 and 14:10 are free. Subscription Info: - Weekly, monthly, and yearly plans available - Billing begins after you confirm the selected plan - Payment is charged to your Apple ID account - Subscription auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - Manage or cancel in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://starcrown.co.jp/privacy

About

Basho Steps

Features
Read full description

Walk, and Basho's journey moves with you. In 1689 the poet Matsuo Basho set out from Edo on foot and walked the deep north for about 150 days. This pedometer turns your own steps into that road. Each milestone opens a new station of Oku no Hosomichi, with the original hokku and a fresh English rendering written for this app. THE FREE ROAD - TO MATSUSHIMA Leave the grass door at Fukagawa. Pass Senju, Nikko, the barrier at Shirakawa, the twin-trunk pine, and the morning bell at Shiogama. At 18,000 steps you reach Matsushima Bay - the most beautiful place on the journey, and the one where the master wrote no poem at all. Some places are already poems. You only walk into them. THE OKU ROAD - ONE PURCHASE, THE DEEP NORTH Past the bay the road bends inland: the summer grass of Hiraizumi, the stillness of the mountain temple, the gathered rains of the Mogami, the rough sea at Izumozaki, the scent of the springs at Yamanaka, and the clam-shell parting at Ogaki, where the journey ends by beginning again. WHAT THIS APP IS - Real hokku by Basho in the original, with original English renderings - Your steps only, counted on your iPhone and kept on your iPhone - An Apple Watch companion that sends each station to your wrist - A travel pack of ten things you cannot use, and are glad to have WHAT THIS APP IS NOT No ads. No account. No tracking. No data collection. No location. No health claims - this is a book that happens to count steps, not a fitness program. One purchase opens the second half forever. There is no subscription.

Screenshots

FastBell3 screens
Basho Steps4 screens

Verdict

The call

FastBell and Basho Steps are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. FastBell sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Basho Steps sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FastBell ships an update every 3 days, Basho Steps every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
FastBell versus Basho Steps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFastBellBasho Steps
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days โ€” betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarcrown IncRIEKO NAITO

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FastBell

Subscriptions1
  • FastBell Pro Weekly3 Days trial$0.997 Days
1 purchases

Basho Steps

One-time1
  • The Oku Road$2.99

Questions

Is FastBell free?
FastBell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Basho Steps free?
Basho Steps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FastBell or Basho Steps have ads?
Neither FastBell nor Basho Steps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FastBell or Basho Steps?
FastBell ships an update every 3 days, and Basho Steps every 4 days. Most recently, FastBell was updated on October 5, 2026 and Basho Steps on October 7, 2026.

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