Comparison

5Rhythms vs HeartMath

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

Head to head
About

5Rhythms

Discover and book movement classes and workshops globally. Access exclusive in-home practice sessions and music. Track your progress and connect with teachers and the community.

Highlights
  • Find and book classes worldwide
  • Access exclusive mini-waves for home practice
  • Listen to music collection
  • Watch community perspectives
  • Student logging for progress tracking
  • In-app messaging with teachers
Features
Read full description

Take your 5Rhythms practice with you wherever you are in the world! Find and book weekly classes & workshops in 55+ countries on 6 continents. Access exclusive mini-waves for your own quick in-home daily practice (in-app purchase) and access Raven Recording's music collection. Watch/Listen to perspectives and be inspired by the art of our community as we look through the 5Rhythms lens in our every day lives. Student Logging to track your dancing path towards our teacher training programs. In-app messaging with teachers and organizer. Created by Gabrielle Roth and practiced by tens of thousands worldwide, 5Rhythms® is a philosophy, perspective, performance art and a dynamic movement practice rooted in the principle that if you put the psyche in motion it will heal itself. Movement is both the medicine and the metaphor, reaching across all languages, cultures and age groups to transform suffering into art, art into awareness, and awareness into action. Wherever the 5Rhythms are practiced, a community is born to dance, to sweat, to change, to support, and to provide a safe space for each of us to shatter the ego’s hold and awaken the juicy, unpredictable, fascinating, edge-walking, rock star part of ourselves that yearns to be free. Creativity. Connection. Community.

About

HeartMath

This app helps you manage stress, improve focus, and achieve optimal performance by aligning your heart, mind, and emotions. It offers guided sessions, immersive journeys, and coherence practices based on over 30 years of research.

Highlights
  • Real-time HRV Coherence Measurement
  • Coherence Training
  • Scientifically Validated Techniques
  • Guided Learning Sessions
  • Progress Tracking
  • Heart-Brain Coherence Benefits
Features
Read full description

Align your heart, mind, and emotions to help you manage stress, improve focus, and perform at your best. Enjoy HeartMath’s free intro experience to access your heart’s natural intelligence and see your heart-brain coherence as real-time feedback. Then start your 7-day free trial to explore a comprehensive collection of guided sessions, immersive journeys, and coherence practices designed to help you experience greater calm, focus, clearer thinking, and a more balanced you. **Inner Balance Coherence Plus sensor owners: Use your sensor to unlock a lifetime subscription.** Built on 30+ years of research on the heart-brain connection and supported by over 500 research studies, HeartMath is used in wellness and resilience programs at organizations including Stanford Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente, as well as in professional sports, the military, law enforcement, leading universities, non-profit organizations, and major corporations. It is used by coaches, trainers, and health professionals for stress education and resilience training. The HeartMath system is more than stress management: it’s a journey to more heart-centered living. This app puts HeartMath’s practical, research-supported tools right at your fingertips. Make mental and emotional well-being an achievable part of your daily life. The HeartMath technology is for stress education and resilience training. It is not a medical device. We encourage you to consult a health professional before making any medical decisions. KEY FEATURES • Real-time HRV coherence feedback: Use your phone’s camera or upgrade to the Inner Balance Coherence Plus sensor for a more precise signal and a free app subscription. • Coherence training: Whether you choose the game or the guided mode, watch your heart-rhythm pattern and coherence change in real time. • Research-Supported: Techniques developed from 30+ years of scientific research to help boost focus, positive feelings, and your ability to manage stress. • Guided learning: Explore guided meditations, courses, and videos led by HeartMath trainers. • Progress tracking: View your progress over time with a variety of chart options. WHAT REGULAR COHERENCE PRACTICE CAN SUPPORT Heart-brain coherence is a balanced, focused state you create yourself through calm breathing and positive focus. Coherence supports the body’s natural ability to shift from tension to calm, helping you manage everyday stress and build inner balance. • SUPPORTS STRESS MANAGEMENT & EMOTIONAL BALANCE • SUPPORTS FOCUS AND MENTAL CLARITY — coherent states are associated with more focus, clarity, and creativity. • SUPPORTS RESILIENCE — regular practice can help you adapt to and recover from challenging situations more quickly. • ENHANCES EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND SELF-AWARENESS — practice can support a greater sense of inner calm and a more mindful relationship with your emotions. Subscription terms: • Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each year. • You can cancel your subscription at any time in your account settings. • You will not be refunded for any unused portion of a subscription. • Price is subject to change. • Subscriptions are not available in all countries. • Full subscription terms: https://my.heartmath.com/terms If you’d like to purchase an Inner Balance Coherence Plus sensor to unlock complimentary lifetime access to the HeartMath app, please visit the HeartMath website.

Screenshots

5Rhythms4 screens
HeartMath4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HeartMath at Free against 5Rhythms's $1.99. HeartMath also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (4.6K vs 8). 5Rhythms's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

HeartMath is free to download; 5Rhythms costs $1.99 up front. 5Rhythms sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and HeartMath sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $39.00 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HeartMath holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HeartMath has 4.6K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of 5Rhythms's written reviews are positive against 73% of HeartMath's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

5Rhythms ships an update every 2 months, HeartMath every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
5Rhythms versus HeartMath: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter5RhythmsHeartMath
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (8 ratings)4.9 (4.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews73.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings84.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB185 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer5Rhythms Global IncHeartMath Inc.

Customer experience

5Rhythms

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

HeartMath

All ratings4,564 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews171 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative21.6%

Bugs and requests

5Rhythms

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

HeartMath

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sensor connection issues on newer devices
  • App crashes and freezes on iPhone 16 Pro
  • Inaccurate heart rate and coherence readings
  • Screen sleep behavior disrupting sessions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Allow playing music/sounds during sessions
  • Provide audio feedback on coherence levels
  • Add session history customization and details
  • Improve sensor compatibility with older devices

In-app purchases

4 purchases

5Rhythms

One-time4
  • Beating Drums$2.99
  • Nemah Wave$2.99
  • ReUnion$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Peaceful waves$2.99
4 purchases

HeartMath

Subscriptions4
  • HeartMath Premium7 Days trial$39.001 Year
  • HeartMath Premium7 Days trial$59.001 Year
  • HeartMath Premium7 Days trial2 variants$79.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • HeartMath Premium7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is 5Rhythms free?
5Rhythms costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is HeartMath free?
HeartMath is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 5Rhythms or HeartMath?
HeartMath is rated higher. 5Rhythms averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while HeartMath averages 4.9 from 4.6K ratings.
Do 5Rhythms or HeartMath have ads?
Neither 5Rhythms nor HeartMath shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 5Rhythms or HeartMath?
5Rhythms ships an update every 2 months, and HeartMath every 3 weeks. Most recently, 5Rhythms was updated on September 15, 2026 and HeartMath on September 25, 2026.

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