Comparison

BrainWaves Binaural Beats vs Paced Breathing

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

Head to head
About

BrainWaves Binaural Beats

Generate and save custom binaural beat frequencies in real-time using advanced audio synthesis. Explore various wave types and utilize ready-made presets for meditation and focus. Headphones are recommended for optimal sound experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time audio synthesis
  • Customizable frequencies
  • Multiple wave types (Infralow, Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma)
  • Ready-to-use presets
  • Save custom frequencies
  • Headphone optimized
Features
Read full description

Brainwaves — Binaural beats, crafted in real time Discover precise binaural beats and tones built live on your device—not from loops or pre‑recorded files. Using advanced audio synthesis and two independent oscillators, you can design, tune, and save your own frequency pairs for meditation, deep focus, relaxation, sleep routines, or any goal that fits brainwave entrainment. Why real‑time matters Because sound is generated in real time, playback stays continuous and uninterrupted—session after session, for as long as you like. Dial in every wave band Take full control of left and right carrier frequencies and explore classic ranges used in binaural listening: Infra‑low, Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma—so you can shape the experience to match calm, concentration, or alert states. Start fast with presets New to tuning Hz values? Jump in with ready‑made presets for meditation, focus, and more—then tweak when you’re ready. Simple by design Clean controls make it easy to adjust levels and frequencies without friction. Built for listeners who want power without complexity. Listen the right way For the strongest stereo separation and the clearest binaural effect, use headphones. Download Brainwaves and explore custom binaural beats—personalized, uninterrupted, and yours to shape.Infralow, Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. It's very easy to use and you can choose a variety of ready to use presets to quickly start your meditations, focus or any other Binaural Beats use. You should use headphones for a better use of the sound generated by this application

About

Paced Breathing

This app guides users through breathing exercises using visual, audio, and haptic cues. It helps with stress relief, meditation, lung strengthening, and falling asleep. Join thousands of users who find daily calm and improved well-being.

Highlights
  • Adjustable inhale, hold, exhale timing
  • Visual, audio, and haptic cues
  • Heart monitoring (heart rate, HRV, coherence)
  • Ramp mode for gradual timing changes
  • Session tracking and streaks
  • Background playback
Features
Read full description

Featured in James Nestor’s best-selling book, Breath, Paced Breathing uses visual, audio and haptic cues to guide you through your practice. Whether meditating, strengthening your lungs or simply relaxing - join the thousands who love using Paced Breathing everyday! USES * Relieve Stress * Meditate — (especially good for Kundalini, Hatha, Pranayama) * Strengthen Lungs — (improve lung capacity & aid recovery) * Falling Asleep FEATURES * Adjustable timing for inhale, hold, exhale, & hold * Heart monitoring: heart rate, HRV, & coherence (PB+) * Ramp mode: gradually change breath times * Visual, audio, & vibrate cues * Reminders / notifications (PB+) * Background playback * Playlists for multiple breath presets * Streaks, goals, & session tracking (PB+) HEALTH BENEFITS Regular breathing practices have been shown to help improve your: * Cardiovascular health [1][2][3] * Relaxation [2] * Stress responses [1][4][5] * Mood [1] * Attention [4] * Alzheimer's risk [6] FROM THE DEVELOPER I’m Mihai, an engineer born in Romania & raised in Michigan. My ideal day is working on apps to help others, like Paced Breathing. Someday I hope I can work on apps like these full time! Hearing from users makes my day, so shoot me an email with requests, bugs, things you like, or just your story: mihai@pacedbreathing.com! USER FEEDBACK * "The best breathing app out there (I've tried 12 apps, this is the only one that works for me). I have recommended it to over 100 people over the 7 years I've been using it. I use it at least 5 x a week. Gives me instant calm" — R. Hall * "LOVE this app. Very simple and easy to use. You can set time for inhale, exhale, and pause after each if you wish. You can watch it or listen…Thank you! Ads Not intrusive. Ads turn off when the app is active” — Denise * "This is a wonderfully simple app. The default sound tone is just right for me and I like that I get to set the volume and it stays there whether or not the volume of the phone ring or other apps are different" — Eleanor * "I've never written something like this in a review but... I love whoever wrote this app :-) Gets to the point in 0.2 s. No long annoying splash screens. No attempts to extort money... Super reliable, simple and 100% effective. I was looking for something that would let me take some breaks during normal meditation to do some controlled breathing, for example our most natural pattern - continuous 5.5 s inhale, 5.5 exhale. works perfect! BRAVO. A lesson to all developers how to make useful apps!" — Adam CITATIONS * [1] Study published in Front Public Health (2017) shows slow rhythmic breathing decreased blood pressure response to stress & improved mood: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5575449 * [2] Study in PLOS ONE (2019) shows slow paced breathing can improve relaxation & cardiovascular function: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0218550 * [3] Study in American Journal of Cardiology (2002) shows slow, paced breathing can significantly reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16129818/ * [4] Study in Frontiers in Psychology (2017) shows diaphragmatic breathing improves attention, reduces negative affect, & lowers stress in healthy adults: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874/full * [5] Study in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2005) shows benefits of Sudarshan Kriya, a specific yogic breathing practice, in treating stress, anxiety, & depression: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2005.11.189 * [6] Study in Nature Scientific Reports (2023) shows slow paced breathing counters pathways that lead to Alzheimer’s disease: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-30167-0 DISCLAIMER App not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent medical conditions. Consult a healthcare professional before starting a breathing practice, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

Screenshots

BrainWaves Binaural Beats3 screens
Paced Breathing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: BrainWaves Binaural Beats at none against Paced Breathing's shown. BrainWaves Binaural Beats also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 84%). Paced Breathing's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (244 vs 1). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BrainWaves Binaural Beats sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Paced Breathing sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BrainWaves Binaural Beats against 4.9 for Paced Breathing. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paced Breathing has 244 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of BrainWaves Binaural Beats's written reviews are positive against 84% of Paced Breathing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BrainWaves Binaural Beats ships an update every 18 months, Paced Breathing every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BrainWaves Binaural Beats versus Paced Breathing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainWaves Binaural BeatsPaced Breathing
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.9 (244 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better84.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1244 — better
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB82 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLuiz MelloPaced Breathing LLC

Customer experience

BrainWaves Binaural Beats

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Paced Breathing

All ratings235 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.9%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BrainWaves Binaural Beats

One-time1
  • Unlock All Features Forever$1.99
4 purchases

Paced Breathing

Subscriptions4
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 month)$1.991 Month
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 month)$3.991 Month
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 year)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is BrainWaves Binaural Beats free?
BrainWaves Binaural Beats is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paced Breathing free?
Paced Breathing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BrainWaves Binaural Beats or Paced Breathing?
BrainWaves Binaural Beats is rated higher. BrainWaves Binaural Beats averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Paced Breathing averages 4.9 from 244 ratings.
Do BrainWaves Binaural Beats or Paced Breathing have ads?
Paced Breathing shows ads; BrainWaves Binaural Beats does not.
Which is updated more often, BrainWaves Binaural Beats or Paced Breathing?
BrainWaves Binaural Beats ships an update every 18 months, and Paced Breathing every 2 weeks. Most recently, BrainWaves Binaural Beats was updated on November 3, 2026 and Paced Breathing on November 7, 2026.

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