Comparison

James Smith Academy vs State

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

Head to head
About

James Smith Academy

Access a comprehensive fitness education platform with personalized workout plans, instructional videos, and nutritional guidance. Track your progress, connect with trainers, and join challenges to achieve and maintain your health goals.

Highlights
  • Educational and instructional videos
  • Personalized exercise programs
  • Daily workouts
  • Recipe library and meal planner
  • Trainer support
  • Progress tracking
  • Three-month challenges
Features
Read full description

The James Smith Academy (JSA) is where quality online coaching meets affordability. The JSA aims to educate its members in fitness and provide them with all the tools necessary to reach and sustain their fitness goals. Features (depending on your membership type) include hundreds of educational and instructional videos, personalised exercise programs, daily workouts, a Daily Step Count (which integrates with the Health app to access your daily steps, if you choose), hundreds of recipes, a meal planner, trainer support, progress tracking, and three-month challenges. The James Smith Academy is free to download. Our free trial, which begins when you create an account with us, does not expire and does not require a purchase to activate. If you would like to access content and features which are not available on the free trial, you must upgrade to a paid subscription. You may pay for a subscription using In-App Purchase found on the pricing page of the app. The James Smith Academy subscription automatically renews monthly (at the price depending on your location) unless it is canceled at least 24h before the current period ends. Your Apple ID will be charged for renewal within 24h prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or turn off auto-renew by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Read our terms of service here: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com/terms/ Read our privacy policy here: https://www.jamessmithacademy.com/privacy/

About

State

This app offers guided breathing exercises designed to help you manage stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being. It personalizes exercises based on your needs and adapts over time, utilizing neuroscientific principles for effective self-regulation.

Highlights
  • Customizable breathing exercises
  • Visual and auditory guidance
  • Adaptive algorithm
  • Progress tracking
  • Neuroscience-based methods
  • State-shifting exercises
Read full description

Accomplish More. Stress Less. Intuitive breathing exercises to shift your state in record time. State creates custom exercises based on your stress response and continues to evolve dynamically with use. When you change your breath, you can alter not just your state of mind, but your physical and emotional health as well. FEATURES Six exercises designed to create specific, desired physiological states: Feel calm, Feel alert, Be present, Wake up, Recover quickly, Fall asleep. - Breathing exercises supported by visuals and sound to let you focus/defocus efficiently - “Fingerprinting” that primes the exercises to your physical and emotional needs from the first time you use the app - The State algorithm keeps adapting and evolving the exercises the more you use the app - Track progress with key metrics - Helpful reminders to keep you in the state you want - Method based on the latest neuroscientific findings - Created by world-renowned strength and conditioning coach Brian Mackenzie SUBSCRIPTION AND PRICING State offers a subscription with a two weeks free trial. After the two weeks free trial this subscription automatically renews for $3.99 monthly or $34.99 yearly unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the trial period. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Payment will be charged at subscription automatic renewal. Your subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Read more about our terms and conditions and privacy policy here: https://shiftstate.io/terms

Screenshots

James Smith Academy4 screens
State4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: James Smith Academy at 4.8 against State's 3.9. James Smith Academy also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 8 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. James Smith Academy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and State sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

James Smith Academy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 93 and 130 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of James Smith Academy's written reviews are positive against 50% of State's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

James Smith Academy ships an update every 5 days, State every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
James Smith Academy versus State: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJames Smith AcademyState
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (93 ratings) — better3.9 (130 ratings)
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings93130 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB37 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAffordable Online Coaching Pty LtdMy State

Customer experience

James Smith Academy

All ratings93 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral1.1%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews112 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative17.0%

State

All ratings129 ratings
Positive67.4%
Neutral7.0%
Negative25.6%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral11.5%
Negative38.5%

User reviews

James Smith Academy

From 93 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and effective
  • 🚀 Easy to navigate app
  • 💪 Helpful and responsive coaches
  • 🔍 Detailed video guides
  • 🧠 Informative educational content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Connectivity problems when switching apps
  • 🤖 Impersonal automated coaching
  • 💸 Expensive premium subscription
  • 🌱 Lack of vegan/vegetarian meal options

State

From 130 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple, intuitive, and clean interface design
  • 🎯 Effective breathing exercises for anxiety and stress management
  • 🔄 Adaptive algorithm that adjusts difficulty based on user improvement
  • ⚡ Quick, short exercises easy to incorporate into daily routine
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and immersive audio cues

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription pricing ($30-35/year) compared to competitors
  • 🐛 Audio/sound glitches and synchronization issues
  • 🐛 Subscription recognition failures after payment
  • 🐛 App crashes and requires frequent restarts
  • ⚠️ Limited content (only 6 core breathing exercises)

Bugs and requests

James Smith Academy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Workout progress not saving properly
  • Inability to update weights and reps
  • Onboarding process issues

Requested features

3 requests
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Ability to filter workouts by equipment
  • More personalized nutrition and meal planning

State

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Audio/metronome randomly stops or becomes out of sync with visuals
  • Sound doesn't work without app restart
  • Subscription payment processed but app doesn't recognize access
  • Difficulty adjustment buttons (easier/harder) don't change exercise timing
  • Algorithm doesn't properly adjust exercises based on max exhale test
Show 9 more
  • Free trial not accessible after skipping initial onboarding
  • Date of birth picker won't accept current date or future dates
  • Tips screen text doesn't fit on smaller devices (iPhone SE)
  • Day counter stops tracking at 397 days
  • Password reset emails not received
  • Subscription features not unlocking despite payment confirmation
  • App freezes on payment confirmation screen
  • Sound countdown rhythm changed and now confusing to users
  • Transition sounds between breathing phases unclear

Requested features

10 requests
  • Customizable exercise duration (10-20 minute sessions)
  • Apple Watch compatibility
  • HealthKit/Health app integration for mindful minutes tracking
  • Landscape mode support for iPad
  • Custom breathing pattern creation
Show 5 more
  • Haptic feedback option for silent use
  • Sound effect options/preferences
  • In-app feature request submission tool
  • Apple Health data export
  • Longer meditation sessions for advanced users

In-app purchases

3 purchases

James Smith Academy

Subscriptions3
  • Base Plan$9.991 Month
  • Standard Plan$10.991 Month
  • Premium Plan - Subscription$89.991 Month
2 purchases

State

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Protocols (Monthly)14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium Protocols (Annual)14 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is James Smith Academy free?
James Smith Academy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is State free?
State is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, James Smith Academy or State?
James Smith Academy is rated higher. James Smith Academy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 93 ratings, while State averages 3.9 from 130 ratings.
Do James Smith Academy or State have ads?
Neither James Smith Academy nor State shows ads.
Which is updated more often, James Smith Academy or State?
James Smith Academy ships an update every 5 days, and State every 8 months. Most recently, James Smith Academy was updated on October 24, 2026 and State on October 29, 2026.

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