ViSota vs Roundbell

ViSota is a quiet meditation timer — and, if you want it, a line of the Buddha's own words to sit with before you begin. Set your time, choose a bell, and sit. Nothing else asks for your attention. A timer that stays out of the way • Gentle opening and closing bells, and interval bells if you like them. • Soft ambient backgrounds — rain, a forest at night, a river, a quiet hall. • Save a sitting as a preset — your duration, sound and bells in one tap. • An optional daily reminder. • Works fully offline. Nothing to sign up for. A verse to sit with (optional) Before you sit, ViSota can offer a short verse from the Pāḷi canon — the Buddha's own words — on a theme such as the hindrances, the factors of awakening, or the boundless qualities (loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity). Tap a Pāḷi word to see its meaning in your language. Take it or leave it; the timer is complete on its own. Yours, in your language The app speaks many languages, and the verses are drawn from the canon in each tradition's own words wherever we can. A gift ViSota is free and non-commercial — offered as a gift of Dhamma (dāna). No ads. No accounts. No tracking. We collect no data; your settings stay on your device. Sit however you sit. ViSota just keeps the time and, if you wish, offers a few words to begin.

Roundbell is a timer for people who hold a room. It was built for men's circles, and it suits anything run on shared time: sharing rounds, meditation sittings, workshops, supervision groups. Set the length, choose where the bells fall, and put the phone down. THE BELLS Two recorded Tibetan singing bowls, one deeper and one lit. Pick which one opens the session and which one closes it. Tap either bowl to hear it before you commit. Or open in silence. A facilitator has usually just finished speaking, and a gong across that is the last thing the room needs, so starting without one is a single tap. BELLS ALONG THE WAY Place bells inside the session without watching the clock: • Midpoint: one bell at the halfway mark • 20 seconds to end: a gentle warning before time is up • By participants: enter how many people are in the circle and the session divides evenly between them, with a bell at each handover • Any moment you choose: type it in, and the bell lands there Bells hold what you asked for, not a number of seconds. Change the length of the session and the midpoint is still the midpoint. SETTING THE TIME Tap the clock and type a duration. Press and hold plus or minus to run through the minutes. Or take one of six lengths facilitators actually use. SAVED SETUPS Build a session once and save it under a name: check-in, focus, closing round. Load it with a tap. Mark one and the app opens on it every time. WHILE IT RUNS • The bells ring even when the phone is on silent. The bell is the point • The screen stays awake, so the time is always visible • The clock keeps correct time even if the phone locks mid-session • Add time without stopping, for a round that was interrupted • Restart from the timer screen, not from the settings • Turn the phone on its side for a clock the far side of the circle can read • When the session ends, one button rings the closing bowl again, for as long as the circle needs LIGHT AND DARK A dark theme for a dim room, a light one for daylight, or follow the phone and let it change at dusk on its own. QUIET BY DESIGN No account. No sign-up. No analytics, no advertising, no tracking of any kind. Roundbell collects nothing at all. Your settings never leave your device. It works offline. Free, with no purchases inside. Made with love for the community, by Daniel Lerner, men's circle facilitator.