Comparison

Zen Timer. vs Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

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

Head to head
About

Zen Timer.

This app helps you focus on meditation and mindfulness with customizable timers. Set preparation, meditation, interval, and cool-down times with various alert sounds and background music. Track your progress and maintain logs for a more peaceful practice.

Highlights
  • Create unlimited custom timers
  • Adjust preparation, meditation, and interval times
  • Select from 18 free interval sounds
  • Choose background music
  • Supports background and lock screen operation
  • Meditation log and report tracking
  • Multiple profiles and reminders
Features
Read full description

Zen Timer is a handy app to help you focusing on zen/meditation/insight, you can totally relax without worrying about time. It has four default timers and you can create and custom your own timers. You can custom the preparation time, meditation time, interval number & interval time (each interval time can be different), cool down time. 18 free sounds are available to be chosen as switch interval alert sound. Start the timer and enjoy the peace... Key Features: ⁃ Custom and create unlimited timers. ⁃ Custom preparation time, meditation time, interval number, interval time, cool down time and background picture. ⁃ Each interval time can be set as different duration. ⁃ Choose background music to be played from device. ⁃ Supports running in background and lock screen. ⁃ 18 free interval switch sounds. ⁃ Set switch sounds to be played one, two or three times. ⁃ Keep and share meditation logs. ⁃ Meditation time reports. ⁃ Multiple profiles. ⁃ Create unlimited reminders. ⁃ Passcode protection. ⁃ Dropbox backup and restore. ⁃ Supports transferring to Health app. ⁃ Supports Today Widget. ⁃ Supports Apple Watch version. ⁃ Supports universal version (available on both iPhone and iPad). If you have any question or suggestion, please email to linklinksapp@tom.com.

About

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

This app provides a minimalist and focused timer for various meditation practices, including Zen and Zazen. It offers multiple profiles, detailed statistics, customizable chimes, and reminders to support your mindfulness journey. Integration with Apple's Health app is also available.

Highlights
  • Multiple user profiles
  • Detailed session statistics
  • Collection of chimes
  • Open and silent session options
  • Multiple themes
  • Practice reminders
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Namaste for Meditation is the perfect timer for zen and zazen, any kind of meditation, really. It gives you only what is absolutely necessary during your meditation sessions. It's simple, focused, and minimalist. You can take advantage of features, such as: - multiple profiles - detailed statistics - a collection of chimes - open and silent sessions - several themes to fit your practice - reminders to remind you of your practice - integration with Apple's Health application You can choose from a variety of configuration settings to guide you through your meditation sessions. Even though it comes with plenty of options, it's simple to use. I'm sure you're going to love it. Namaste Premium is an optional, yearly subscription that you can purchase to unlock additional features. The payment for Namaste Premium is charged to your iTunes account. Your iTunes account is charged for renewal 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can disable the automatic renewal of your subscription at any time by visiting the settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. The current price for Namaste Premium is $9.99 USD per year. This may vary from country to country. Namaste's Privacy Policy: https://zenfoundry.co/privacy-policy/ Namaste's Terms and Conditions: https://zenfoundry.co/terms-and-conditions/

Screenshots

Zen Timer.4 screens
Simple Zazen Meditation Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Zazen Meditation Timer at 4.5 against Zen Timer.'s 3.4. Simple Zazen Meditation Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 11 months). Zen Timer.'s advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Zen Timer. sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 6 months and Simple Zazen Meditation Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Zen Timer.'s written reviews are positive against 92% of Simple Zazen Meditation Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zen Timer. ships an update every 11 months, Simple Zazen Meditation Timer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Zen Timer. versus Simple Zazen Meditation Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZen Timer.Simple Zazen Meditation Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (13 ratings)4.5 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.2% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1322 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB50 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperLINKLINKS LTDBart Jacobs

Customer experience

Zen Timer.

All ratings13 ratings
Positive46.2%
Neutral23.1%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative30.4%

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

All ratings22 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Zen Timer.

Subscriptions1
  • Premium - 6 months14 Days trial$4.996 Months
One-time1
  • Pro Version$49.99
3 purchases

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

Subscriptions3
  • Namaste Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Namaste Premium$14.991 Year
  • Namaste Premium Yearly$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Zen Timer. free?
Zen Timer. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Zazen Meditation Timer free?
Simple Zazen Meditation Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Zen Timer. or Simple Zazen Meditation Timer?
Simple Zazen Meditation Timer is rated higher. Zen Timer. averages 3.4 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Simple Zazen Meditation Timer averages 4.5 from 22 ratings.
Do Zen Timer. or Simple Zazen Meditation Timer have ads?
Zen Timer. shows ads; Simple Zazen Meditation Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Zen Timer. or Simple Zazen Meditation Timer?
Zen Timer. ships an update every 11 months, and Simple Zazen Meditation Timer fortnightly. Most recently, Zen Timer. was updated on October 15, 2026 and Simple Zazen Meditation Timer on October 22, 2026.

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