Comparison

Controlled Breathing Assistant vs Respire

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

Head to head
About

Controlled Breathing Assistant

This app guides you through cardiac coherence and daily breathing exercises with customizable audio cues and visual aids. It helps reduce stress and promote relaxation through guided breathing cycles, offering personalized session durations and breath ratios. Track your progress and earn virtual rewards for consistent practice.

Highlights
  • Customizable session duration
  • Adjustable inhale/exhale ratios
  • Selectable breath rate
  • Choice of background sounds and images
  • Audio cues for breath transitions
  • Mood tracking and virtual rewards
Features
Read full description

The application that works with sound, when your iPhone / iPad goes into sleep mode. This feature prevents the battery to be too much discharge when we launch a cardiac coherence cycle. Your helper to practice cardiac coherence or daily breathing. Breathe with eyes closed following the soft audio beat for deeper relaxation. Thanks to your assistant you can : - customize the session duration - customize the Inhale to Exhale ratio (relaxing , coherence, energizing ) - customize the number of breaths per minute - display/hide the time before the end of the cardiac coherence cycle - customize a delay, so you can get situated before the breathing begins Thanks to your assistant you can : - Choose background sound from the available list - Choose the beat tone sound from the available list - Select the background image from the available list - Choose the sound that indicates the switch between inspiration and expiration Your assistant allows you to : - To record notes with which you follow the progress of your mood - To obtain virtual rewards for each session Cardiac coherence, here is a simple way to reduce stress . It is a breathing exercise that is practiced over a short period of 5 minutes . Unlike other techniques, it can be used anywhere and anytime. Using this technique you will be able to take a relaxing moment where you want it ; in public transport, in your car, at home. A setting menu allows you to change the preferences depending on when or where you practice exercise. Cardiac Coherence is compatible with VoiceOver To improve the application, write a review to the app or write at this email address : eorvain+app@gmail.com Credits : Music: https://www.bensound.com

About

Respire

Reduce daily stress and anxiety with guided mindful breathing exercises. This app helps you achieve heart coherence for proven health benefits, offering customizable sessions and reminders for consistent self-care. Suitable for all ages, it provides a simple path to relaxation.

Highlights
  • Guided breathing sessions
  • Heart coherence practice
  • Anxiety and stress reduction
  • Customizable reminders
  • Variety of breathing techniques
  • Apple Health integration
Read full description

“Respire” helps you reduce daily stress with just a few mindful breathing sessions. Simply follow the shape’s movement and let yourself be guided. Practicing these breathing exercises brings you to a state called “heart coherence”, which has numerous proven health benefits. Studies show that practicing this technique three times a day provides maximum benefits. With “Respire”, you can set reminders for these sessions at any time of the day or week—perfect for self-care! KEY FEATURES OF “RESPIRE” • Recommended and approved by doctors. • Based on mindfulness principles. • Slows heart rate and breathing. • Provides relaxation and calm from the very first session. • Reduces anxiety and stress. WITH THE FREE VERSION OF “RESPIRE,” YOU GET: • Unlimited access to guided breathing sessions. • Customizable vibrations for practicing with closed eyes. • A wide selection of sounds. • An intuitive reminder system. • Light and dark themes. • Widgets for quick access to personalized sessions. • Apple Health integration. WITH “RESPIRE PLUS” (a single lifetime purchase): • Access to breathing sessions longer than 5 minutes, including infinite mode. • A full range of breathing techniques (box breathing, 4-7-8, etc.). • Continue sessions even with the screen locked. • A “Smooth Ending”—perfect for falling asleep. • A timer to manage your practice time. • New nature sounds, mixable with melodies. • A more advanced control center. Whether free or premium, “Respire” makes mindfulness easy and accessible. This app has been carefully designed so that everyone—including children—can find a moment of well-being in their daily lives. And because we deeply respect your privacy, “Respire” does not require an account or even an email. We wish you a relaxing experience! Privacy policy: https://thequietlife.fr/en/respire/privacy-policy.html Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Controlled Breathing Assistant4 screens
Respire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Respire at 5.0 against Controlled Breathing Assistant's 4.6. Controlled Breathing Assistant's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Controlled Breathing Assistant sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Respire sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Respire holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 51 and 102 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Controlled Breathing Assistant's written reviews are positive against 98% of Respire's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Controlled Breathing Assistant ships an update every 6 weeks, Respire every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Controlled Breathing Assistant versus Respire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterControlled Breathing AssistantRespire
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (51 ratings)5.0 (102 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.5% of reviews98.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings51102 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeremmanuel orvainStephane Garzino

Customer experience

Controlled Breathing Assistant

All ratings51 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral7.8%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.4%

Respire

All ratings99 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews271 reviews
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative0.4%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Controlled Breathing Assistant

One-time1
  • Premium Account - Lifetime$1.99
1 purchases

Respire

One-time1
  • Respire Plus - Lifetime$17.99

Questions

Is Controlled Breathing Assistant free?
Controlled Breathing Assistant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Respire free?
Respire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Controlled Breathing Assistant or Respire?
Respire is rated higher. Controlled Breathing Assistant averages 4.6 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while Respire averages 5.0 from 102 ratings.
Do Controlled Breathing Assistant or Respire have ads?
Neither Controlled Breathing Assistant nor Respire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Controlled Breathing Assistant or Respire?
Controlled Breathing Assistant ships an update every 6 weeks, and Respire every 5 weeks. Most recently, Controlled Breathing Assistant was updated on November 6, 2026 and Respire on November 6, 2026.

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