Balm vs Rise
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Balm
This app offers Christian-based guided meditations and bedtime stories to reduce stress and improve sleep. Daily meditations are available in various lengths, covering topics from anxiety to finances. A subscription unlocks extensive content, including longer stories and in-depth programs.
- Guided meditations
- Bedtime stories based on the Bible
- Daily meditations
- Anxiety and stress management topics
- Sleep and insomnia support
- Addiction recovery and forgiveness content
- Premium music and nature sounds
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The Balm App is a Christian meditation app to stress less and sleep better. Find deep rest with our bedtime stories, as you listen to stories based off the Bible. Wake up with our daily meditations that will fuel your mind for the day ahead. Daily guided meditations are available in lengths of 2, 5, 10 and 15 minutes so you can choose the perfect length to fit with your schedule. Topics Include: - Overcoming anxiety and worry - Conquering depression - Sleep - Daily devotion - Managing stress - Dealing with insomnia and sleep challenges - Discovering purpose - Finding happiness - Addiction recovery - Forgiveness - Praying for children - Relationship challenges - Finances - Health concerns - Books of the Bible - And much more... Subscribe to a yearly plan to access the following content: - 100+ bedtime sleep stories that are up to 90 minutes in length - 50+ in-depth program guides on specific topics - Longer daily meditations in 5, 10, and 15 minutes - Selectable background music and nature sounds - Stream meditations by topic - Enjoy hand-picked premium music Subscriptions: Subscriptions are auto-renewable which means that once purchased, it will be automatically charged to you monthly or annually until you cancel it at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage your subscription and auto-renewal by going to your iTunes Account Settings. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Free–unlimited full use for 7 days then a limited version will be available. Monthly-$12.99 Annually-$69.99 See terms of use- https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ privacy policy- https://balmzone.com/privacy-policy For technical support message us at abalmapp@gmail.com
Rise
This app provides a simple meditation timer and tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch. It uses heart rate data to offer insights into your mind and body's calm during sessions. Track your progress with detailed statistics and access guided courses.
- Simple meditation timer
- Apple Watch heart rate tracking
- Mind and body insights
- Meditation progress tracker
- Guided video courses
- Widgets and Siri integration
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Rise is a simple meditation timer for iPhone and Apple Watch, and a meditation tracker that shows what each session did for your mind and body. Sit in silence with a singing bowl or a gentle vibration. With Apple Watch, Rise records your heart rate while you sit and turns it into clear insights: how still your mind was, how calm your body became, and how your practice grows over time. No guided voices, no music, no distractions. Just you, the timer and your progress. HOW IT WORKS • Set your time, add a Delay to settle in, and let the singing bowl mark the start and the end. • Want to keep sitting? Extra Time keeps counting after the final bell. • Turn the volume down and the bell becomes a vibration you can feel through your clothes. • Start from iPhone or Apple Watch. Sessions are saved to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes. SEE WHAT EACH SESSION DID With Apple Watch, Rise records your heart rate while you meditate and shows how the session affected you: • Mind: Stillness, from how steady your heart rate stays. Drifting, Gathering, Present, Immersed, Absorbed. • Body: Calm, compared with your own resting heart rate from Apple Health. Settled, Softened, Relaxed, Restored, Released. • Calm Time, a heart rate chart, session and lowest heart rate, and heart rate variance. No Apple Watch? Rate how your mind and body feel after each session. Rise builds the same progress from your reflections. TRACK YOUR PRACTICE • Weekly calendar, streaks, total sessions and average session length • Best Session of the week, month and year • Practice Depth: Mind, Body and Rhythm, how regularly you sit • Smart hints that find your patterns: the time of day and session length that take you deepest, and how fast your body calms • Practice Trend: every session as a dot, with a smooth line that shows how your practice changes • A full meditation log: add, edit or delete sessions by hand LEARN WITH A TEACHER Video courses with meditation teacher Haejung Ocean, including Bongwoo: Tao Breathing Meditation, plus articles and wisdom quotes. APPLE WATCH A full Rise app on your wrist: meditation timer with the Digital Crown, singing bowl, your live heart rate as you sit, and, with Rise Premium, Mind and Body results right after you sit. Sessions reach your iPhone on their own. WIDGETS AND SIRI • Watch face and Lock Screen widgets: today's minutes, your streak, and one-tap Quick Start • A Rise button for Control Center and the Action button • Siri and Shortcuts: "Start Rise", "Set Rise timer", "Show Rise stats", "Stop Rise" ALSO Practice reminders on the days you choose and Sunrise and Sunset themes. Sign in with Apple or Google to keep your practice safe and synced across your devices; you can delete your account anytime. FREE AND PREMIUM Free: the meditation timer, vibration, the Apple Watch app with heart rate recording, reminders, courses and articles, weekly stats, Apple Health and sync across your devices with a Rise account. Rise Premium: Mind and Body insights from Apple Watch (Stillness, Calm, Calm Time, heart rate variance), monthly, yearly and all-time stats, Practice Depth and Trend, session summaries, and offline courses. The annual plan starts with a 7-day free trial and supports Family Sharing: $49.99 per year. Monthly: $8.99 per month. Prices are in US dollars and may vary by country. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.risemeditation.app/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.risemeditation.app/privacy-policy Support: info@risemeditation.life
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Rise at monthly against Balm's every 16 months. Rise also leads on ratings volume (30 vs 2). Balm's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 16.0). 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. Balm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Rise sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Balm holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rise has 30 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Balm ships an update every 16 months, Rise monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Balm | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.8 (30 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 30 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 14.0.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 123 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Patrick Graham | Yauheni Barkouski |
Customer experience
Balm
Rise
In-app purchases
Balm
- Balm Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
- Balm Yearly Subscription$69.991 Year
Rise
- Rise Monthly Premium7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Rise Monthly Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Rise Monthly Premium2 variants$8.991 Month
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- Rise Annual Premium14 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Rise Annual Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Rise Annual Premium$49.991 Year
- Rise Annual Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Rise Annual Premium1 Year trial$49.991 Year









