# Mesmerize vs Box Breathing

Mesmerize and Box Breathing both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Box Breathing's written reviews are positive against 34% of Mesmerize's. Box Breathing also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Mesmerize's advantage is ratings volume (56K vs 318). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mesmerize sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Box Breathing sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Mesmerize against 4.8 for Box Breathing. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mesmerize has 56K ratings behind it against 318, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Mesmerize's written reviews are positive against 79% of Box Breathing's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mesmerize | Box Breathing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (56K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mesmerize-visual-meditation/id1461517107/reviews) | **[4.8 (318 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/box-breathing-float/id1605558336/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **56K** | 318 |
| Positive reviews | 34.4% of reviews | **78.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 259 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rockwell Ventures](https://appshunter.io/developer/1447164748) | [STRV s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/330549300) |

## What reviewers say

### Mesmerize

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mesmerize-visual-meditation/id1461517107)

Experience a unique audio-visual meditation to calm your mind, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep. Engage with hypnotic visuals, soothing music, and guided sessions for deeper relaxation and enhanced self-awareness.

**Highlights:** Engaging hypnotic visuals, Psycho-acoustic music, Guided meditations and hypnosis, Nature sounds and white noise, Sleepy stories, Visual breathing patterns, Offline compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💤 Helps with sleep and relaxation
- 🧘‍♀️ Calms anxiety and stress
- 🎨 Beautiful, mesmerizing visuals
- 🎧 High-quality audio and narrations
- ⏱️ Customizable experiences

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Limited free access
- 🤒 Can cause motion sickness
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and account restoration problems
- Visuals getting stuck or not playing continuously

**Requested features**

- Add more nature-based visuals
- Allow filtering by narrator
- Implement a queue feature
- Expand to VR support


### Box Breathing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/box-breathing-float/id1605558336)

Enhance your well-being with guided breathwork exercises. This app offers personalized sessions based on a breathing test, with categories for calm, sleep, focus, and energy. Experience immersive audio, haptic feedback, and sound cues for stress reduction and improved performance.

**Highlights:** Personalized breathing test, Exercise categories (Calm, Sleep, Focus, Energize), Audio guide and sound cues, Haptic feedback, CO2 tolerance test, Stress and anxiety relief

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Float PRO - Monthly Membership | $9.99 | per month |
| Float PRO Breathing Exercises | $39.99 | per year |
| Float PRO Breathing Exercises | $49.99 | per year |
| Float PRO Breathing Exercises | $69.99 | per year |
| Float PRO Breathing Exercises | $199.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mesmerize free?

Mesmerize is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Box Breathing free?

Box Breathing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mesmerize or Box Breathing?

Box Breathing is rated higher. Mesmerize averages 4.7 out of 5 from 56K ratings, while Box Breathing averages 4.8 from 318 ratings.

### Do Mesmerize or Box Breathing have ads?

Neither Mesmerize nor Box Breathing shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mesmerize or Box Breathing?

Mesmerize ships an update every 3 weeks, and Box Breathing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mesmerize was updated on September 25, 2026 and Box Breathing on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*