Mindfulness Coach Explorer vs Sesshin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mindfulness Coach Explorer
This is a research version of a mindfulness application exclusively for participants in approved program evaluations. Access requires an invitation code from an approved investigator.
- Research version
- Invitation code required
- Program evaluation access
- Mindfulness tools
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This is a research version of Mindfulness Coach that is only for participants in approved program evaluation projects for NCPTSD. To unlock this app, you will need an invitation code from an approved investigator. Please contact your investigator if you need help.
Sesshin
A minimalist meditation timer designed for Zen practitioners. It offers traditional sounds for zazen and kinhin, visual progress tracking, and integration with Apple Health. Set daily goals and track your practice streak.
- Zazen & kinhin timer
- Traditional bell and clapper sounds
- Enso progress arc
- Live Activity integration
- Apple Watch support
- HealthKit integration
- Daily sitting goals
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Sesshin is a minimal, distraction-free meditation timer for iPhone and Apple Watch, built for practitioners of Zen. Set your sitting duration, start your session, and let Sesshin guide the way. Traditional bells mark the beginning and end of each period. Wooden clappers signal kinhin (walking meditation) transitions. Quiet interval bells help you mark the middle of your sit without checking the clock. Features - Zazen & kinhin — Time a single seated period or a full sequence: zazen, kinhin walking, zazen - Traditional sounds — Bells and wooden clappers at each phase transition, with fully configurable counts - Enso arc — A circular arc traces session progress; a figure shifts between sitting and walking postures - Live Activity — Remaining time stays visible on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen - Apple Watch — Full timer and complications on your wrist - HealthKit — Completed sessions saved as mindful minutes in Apple Health - Daily goal — Set a daily sitting goal and track your streak in History - Configurable — Adjust duration, bell counts, start delay, auto-progression, and interval bells to match your tradition No accounts. No ads. No subscriptions. Just your practice.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Sesshin at every 4 months against Mindfulness Coach Explorer's every 42 months. Sesshin also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Mindfulness Coach Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (54 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sesshin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mindfulness Coach Explorer has 54 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Mindfulness Coach Explorer ships an update every 42 months, Sesshin every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mindfulness Coach Explorer | Sesshin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (54 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 54 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 42 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research | DERRICK ORION CALLOWAY |
Customer experience
Mindfulness Coach Explorer
Sesshin
In-app purchases
Mindfulness Coach Explorer
No in-app purchases
Sesshin
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mindfulness Coach Explorer free?
Is Sesshin free?
Which has better reviews, Mindfulness Coach Explorer or Sesshin?
Do Mindfulness Coach Explorer or Sesshin have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mindfulness Coach Explorer or Sesshin?
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