Zeno vs Pause
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Zeno
This app offers personalized programs for strength training, meditation, breathwork, and flexibility. It guides users from beginner to advanced levels with expert-designed content, helping them build and track new healthy habits.
- Strength training programs
- Guided meditation sessions
- Breathwork exercises
- Flexibility routines
- Personalized habit programs
- Beginner to advanced levels
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Zeno is the simple app for people who want to train, eat and move well — without drowning in research, apps and $100 subscriptions. Plan and log your workouts. Track your calories and macros. Build a daily stretching habit. All in one app. Free forever plan. WHAT YOU GET STRENGTH TRAINING Custom workout programs, built around you. - Tell Zeno your equipment, schedule, goals and even your injuries. It builds the plan. - Know exactly what to lift — every set, every rep. - Weights go up automatically as you get stronger. Progressive overload, handled. - Log every set, rep and workout. Watch the numbers climb. - Learn proper form with 3D demonstrations you can rotate and zoom. CALORIE TRACKING Track your calories and macros without the obsession. - Search foods or scan a barcode. - See your calories, protein, carbs and fat at a glance. - Built to support your training, not take over your life. FLEXIBILITY Loosen up and move better. - Follow guided stretching routines. - Target the areas that need it. - A few minutes a day is enough. WHY ZENO Every level, from your first session on. Most apps assume you already know what you're doing. Zeno meets you where you are — beginner to advanced. Nothing to decide. Open the app. It tells you what to do today. One app, not five. Training, nutrition and mobility in one place. Free forever plan. No ads. No credit card. Premium is there if you want more, never a trap. Most workout apps cost over $100 a year. Zeno has a free forever plan. This app won't change your life. You will. Start today. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Is Zeno really free? Yes. The free forever plan gives you real, usable training, tracking and flexibility — no credit card, no trial countdown. Upgrade only if you want more. Do I need any experience? No. Choose beginner, intermediate or advanced. Zeno meets you where you are and progresses as you improve. Is this just a habit tracker? It's more than a tracker. Zeno builds your plan, tells you what to do, and adjusts as you go — from your first session to your hundredth. Terms of service: https://zenoapp.io/#terms-conditions Privacy policy: https://zenoapp.io/#privacy-policy Contact: developer@zenoapp.io
Pause
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The apps you choose ask you one question before they open: why now? Type a short answer, read it back as one calm sentence, and two seconds later Continue appears. Then you go in, or you put the phone down. No timer to wait out and nothing gets blocked. Everything runs on your iPhone. What you type is never stored or uploaded; it is gone the moment you continue. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps. Choose from a list of common social, video, chat, music and browser apps, or add any app by its link scheme. 2. Route each one through Pause. This uses a Shortcuts automation you set up once per app; the app walks you through the five steps and shows the exact link to paste. 3. Open a routed app. Instead of the feed you get one screen: the question, a text field, then your own reason mirrored back in a calm sentence, then Continue. The friction is the typing and the reading, nothing more. Take an app off the list and its friction is gone the same minute. TWO TONES Neutral mirrors your sentence back plainly. Dry is shorter and a little more blunt. Switch in Settings whenever you like. WHAT IT NEVER DOES - No account and no sign-in - No server, no analytics, no ads, no notifications - No streaks, badges, points or "minutes saved" screens - No history of what you typed; each reason lives in memory only for the moment it belongs to - No reading of the content inside the apps you route - No network calls of its own WHAT YOU NEED An iPhone on iOS 26. On iPhone 15 Pro and newer, with the system's on-device intelligence turned on, the reflection is written by the on-device language model in iOS 26. On other iPhones, or with it turned off, Pause uses a built-in set of static reflections instead, and the routing and the typing work exactly the same way. Either way it works offline. WHO IT IS FOR People who reach for the same few apps many times a day and want a beat before the next one, without handing a blocker the keys. Pause is an agreement with yourself. You can walk around it, and it will not tell on you. FREE AND PAID Your first routed session is free with the whole mechanic, so you feel it work before you decide anything. From the second session Pause asks you to subscribe or buy once; you can answer Maybe later and it asks again a day later. Both subscriptions start with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. The one-time purchase never expires and is family-shareable. Pause is made by Hadger, a one-person iOS studio that ships calm, private apps for iPhone. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS - Pause Weekly: weekly subscription with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, auto-renews until cancelled. - Pause Annual: yearly subscription with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, auto-renews until cancelled. - Pause Lifetime: one-time purchase, family-shareable, never expires. - The reflection mechanic is free for the first routed-app session. The paywall surfaces on the second routed-app session. Prices are shown in the app before you confirm. - Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://hadgerapps.github.io/pause/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://hadgerapps.github.io/pause/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Zeno at 16.0 against Pause's 26.0. On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Zeno sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Pause sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Zeno ships an update every 3 weeks, Pause every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zeno | Pause |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (281 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 94.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 281 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zeno App Pty Ltd | Vassiliy Shmigirilov |
Bugs and requests
Zeno
Reported bugs
7 issues- App crashes frequently
- Unit settings reset to feet/pounds without saving changes
- Weight input gets doubled when entered
- Difficulty changing reps and weight values
- App lag when switching to foreground
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- Nutrition module not user-friendly for macro tracking on-the-go
- Workout history loss on weekly reset
Requested features
13 requests- Hydration tracking feature
- Cardio workout module
- Progressive overload auto-adjustment for weights
- Apple Watch compatibility
- Apple Health integration
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- Nutrition tracking full release
- Water intake tracking
- Muscle-specific split options (Back/Bis, Chest/Tris)
- Ability to write workout notes
- More detailed exercise library
- Customizable weight options
- Bench press and targeted muscle group exercises
- Coming soon features visibility
Pause
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Zeno
- Zeno Plus Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Zeno Plus Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$15.001 Month
- Zeno Plus Annual Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
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- Zeno Plus Annual Subscription7 Days trial$90.001 Year
Pause
- Pause Weekly7 Days trial$5.997 Days
- Pause Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Pause Lifetime$99.99









