Expand vs FulwaveTimer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Expand
Access profound states of expanded awareness with guided meditations and proprietary sound science. Explore topics like relaxation, joy, insight, and sleep to foster meaning, relieve stress, and release unwanted patterns. Discover inner wisdom and joy through active imagination and perception.
- 100+ guided meditations
- Monroe Sound Science audio technology
- Multi-day mini-courses
- Guided reflection and journaling
- Custom-generated soundscapes
- Focus on active imagination and perception
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From the world-renowned Monroe Institute, Expand helps you access deeper states of awareness to reduce stress, improve sleep, and cultivate greater meaning, clarity, and purpose. Powered by Monroe Sound Science, our proprietary audio technology, Expand uses targeted soundwave patterns to support unique states of consciousness and focused inner exploration. Through guided sessions, courses, and immersive sound experiences, you can uncover insight, release unwanted patterns, and reconnect with your inner wisdom. Inside Expand, you’ll find: • 100+ guided meditations and consciousness-expanding exercises • Multi-day mini-courses and structured practice paths • Guided reflection and journaling tools • Custom-generated soundscapes designed for specific brainwave states • Programs for both beginners and experienced practitioners Explore sessions across topics including: • Relaxation & Healing • Joy & Meaning • Insight & Intuition • Sleep & Dreaming • Healthy Relationships • Creativity & Manifestation • Beyond the Physical Unlike typical meditation apps focused only on clearing the mind, Expand encourages active imagination, perception, and intentional practice to help you achieve specific outcomes. About The Monroe Institute The Monroe Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a global leader in the study and practice of expanded consciousness. Founded in the early 1970s as a research and educational organization, Monroe offers transformative learning through the Expand app, virtual programs, and in-person retreats on its 300-acre Virginia campus and in countries worldwide. Subscription Pricing and Terms Expand offers auto-renewing subscription options: • $69.99/year • $11.99/month Payment is charged to your App Store account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged within 24 hours prior to renewal. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Service: https://info.monroeinstitute.org/expand-app-terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://info.monroeinstitute.org/expand-app-privacy-policy
FulwaveTimer
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Most timers count to zero. FulwaveTimer runs your whole routine — built from stages, each with its own length, color, and most important sound. Intervals, Pomodoro focus blocks, breathing exercises, a speech you're rehearsing, a sleep wind-down: set the structure once, press play, and follow along by sound, on your Lock Screen, or from your wrist. BUILD IT YOUR WAY • Multistage timers — add as many stages as you like, each with its own duration and color. • Per-stage sound — play an audio track you own, or have the app read text aloud with a voice and speed you choose. • Independent transitions — set how each stage's audio starts and ends on its own: Cut, Fade, or Crossfade into the next stage. • Per-stage haptics and alert tones, plus a spoken 10-second warning or 3-2-1 countdown. • Repeat a single stage, or loop the whole playlist — perfect for HIIT rounds, Pomodoro cycles, and breathing sets. • Start fast from built-in templates: Pomodoro, HIIT, Box Breathing, Meditation, and more. ON-SCREEN TEXT FOR SPEECHES • Show a stage's text on the Player and scroll it in time with the reading — a simple teleprompter for practicing a talk. VOICE-OVERS, IN YOUR VOICE • A session can carry its spoken words as text rather than baked-in audio, so your device reads them over the stage's music in any voice you have installed — including another language. • Set the voice and the speed, or turn speaking off and read along on screen. Yours to adjust even in a locked session. STAY IN CONTROL, EVERYWHERE • Live Activity and Dynamic Island show your session on the Lock Screen with a glanceable countdown. • A Quick Start Home Screen widget launches a playlist with one tap. • On-time stage notifications announce each new stage by name. • Lock Screen and headphone controls to play, pause, and skip. APPLE WATCH + APPLE HEALTH • A live timer on your wrist with stage, countdown, and controls. • Record your session as a workout in Apple Health — with heart rate, active energy, and the workout type you set on the playlist. • Wrist haptics fire at every stage change, even with the screen off. YOUR LIBRARY, SAFE AND IN SYNC • iCloud keeps your playlists in sync across your devices, privately. • Color-tag playlists to organize your library. • Export and import playlists. • Automatic backups with one-tap restore — the newest also kept in your own iCloud account, so it survives a reinstall. • A shared session puts its own audio back on your other devices, or after a reinstall. MADE TO FIT YOU • Custom accent, background, and text colors; Dynamic Type and VoiceOver throughout. • Design your Player: movable widgets, eight clock styles. • A simplified Playback-Only view when you just want to press play. • Works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac. FULWAVE PRO FulwaveTimer is free to use, and keeps a small library at no cost. Fulwave Pro unlocks an unlimited playlist library and session export. Pro is available as a monthly subscription with a 7-day free trial, or a one-time lifetime purchase. SHARE COMPLETE SESSIONS Bundle a playlist together with its audio into a single .fws session file and share it. Anyone can open and play a session they receive; Fulwave Pro keeps imported sessions in your library permanently. FULWAVE DESIGNER FOR MAC Fulwave Designer is a free companion app on the Mac App Store. Build a session on a big screen: layer several audio tracks and spoken-text cues on a single stage, set each layer's start delay, gain, and pan, choose haptics and stage colors, add session artwork, and audition it all on a transport. Export a .fws session — optionally locked, so it plays exactly as you built it — to play or share here. Sessions you receive open and play for free; Fulwave Pro keeps them in your library. No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your devices. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://fulwave.com/FulwaveTimer/PrivacyPolicy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: FulwaveTimer at none against Expand's shown. FulwaveTimer also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Expand sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and FulwaveTimer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Expand ships an update monthly, FulwaveTimer every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Expand | FulwaveTimer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (302 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 49.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 302 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | THE MONROE INSTITUTE | Phillip Fuller |
Bugs and requests
Expand
Reported bugs
4 issues- Paid but no play
- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Sound shuts off when the iphone goes to sleep
Requested features
4 requests- Longer guided meditations
- What's new section for meditations
- Ability to turn off background music
- Monthly charge option
FulwaveTimer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Expand
- Expand Plus Monthly$11.991 Month
- Expand Plus Yearly$69.991 Year
FulwaveTimer
- Fulwave Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Fulwave Pro (Lifetime)$29.99









