# Insight Timer vs Pause Breathwork Exercises

The clearest difference is ads: Insight Timer at none against Pause Breathwork Exercises's shown. Insight Timer also leads on ratings volume (447K vs 325) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Pause Breathwork Exercises's advantage is review sentiment (96% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Insight Timer sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Pause Breathwork Exercises sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 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 — 4.9 for Insight Timer against 4.9 for Pause Breathwork Exercises. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 447K ratings behind it against 325, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Insight Timer's written reviews are positive against 96% of Pause Breathwork Exercises's.

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, Pause Breathwork Exercises every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Insight Timer | Pause Breathwork Exercises |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (447K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insight-timer-meditate-sleep/id337472899/reviews) | [4.9 (325 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pause-breathwork-exercises/id1535212066/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **447K** | 325 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **96.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#17** | — |
| Size | 232 MB | 125 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Insight Network Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/983080487) | [Pause Breathwork](https://appshunter.io/developer/1535212068) |

## What reviewers say

### Insight Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insight-timer-meditate-sleep/id337472899)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #101 Top Free · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

Access thousands of guided meditations, music tracks, and talks from world-renowned experts to calm your mind, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep. Daily new content is added, catering to both beginners and experienced practitioners.

**Highlights:** Thousands of guided meditations, Music tracks and ambient sounds, Meditation timer, Community discussion groups, Progress tracking, Offline listening (premium)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Insight Premium Meditation | $9.99 | per month |
| Insight Premium Meditation | $59.99 | per year |
| Insight Premium Meditation | $59.99 | per year |
| MemberPlus Family | $89.99 | per year |
| Teacher Donation (XS) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Meditation Course: Single Use | $4.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (S) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Meditation Course: Multi Use | $19.99 | one-time |
| Truth Anxiety course – Own | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (M) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (L) | $49.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (XL) | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💤 Great for sleep and relaxation
- 🌍 Diverse range of teachers and content
- 🕰️ Customizable timer with bells/chimes
- 🆓 Generous free content
- 🧠 Helps with anxiety, stress, and mental health

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Overly commercialized with constant upselling
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with mandatory account creation
- 🔀 Confusing and cluttered user interface
- 🐛 Bugs, crashes, and technical issues
- 🔒 Paywall blocking access to core features

**Reported bugs**

- Timer frequently pausing or shutting down during use
- Inconsistent tracking of meditation streaks and progress
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inability to leave reviews for meditations

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort/filter bookmarked meditations
- Option to disable opening quotes and mood check-ins
- Improved offline functionality and caching
- More customization options for the timer
- Better community features and social integration


### Pause Breathwork Exercises

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pause-breathwork-exercises/id1535212066)

This app offers guided breathwork sessions to reduce stress, anxiety, and emotional blockages. It provides various exercises for different needs, from quick relaxation to deeper healing, helping users find inner peace and improve sleep.

**Highlights:** Guided breathwork sessions, Stress and anxiety reduction, Emotional healing, Improved sleep quality, Beginner to advanced levels, Short and long sessions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Annual | $68.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Powerful breathwork practices
- 👍 Convenient and easy to use
- 🙌 Transformative impact on users
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive app design
- 🗣️ Soothing and calming guidance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Concerns about business practices and pricing
- 🎵 Distracting background music in some sessions
- ⏱️ Mismatch between displayed and actual session lengths

**Reported bugs**

- Reported issues with losing access to paid content
- Complaints about inconsistent information from sales team

**Requested features**

- More variety in background music options
- Ability to filter sessions by breath technique
- Improved user experience when navigating back to session list


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Insight Timer free?

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

### Is Pause Breathwork Exercises free?

Pause Breathwork Exercises is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Insight Timer or Pause Breathwork Exercises?

Insight Timer and Pause Breathwork Exercises are both rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 447K and 325 ratings respectively.

### Do Insight Timer or Pause Breathwork Exercises have ads?

Pause Breathwork Exercises shows ads; Insight Timer does not.

### Which is updated more often, Insight Timer or Pause Breathwork Exercises?

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, and Pause Breathwork Exercises every 5 weeks. Most recently, Insight Timer was updated on September 26, 2026 and Pause Breathwork Exercises on September 15, 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.*