# Breathing Zone vs Calm

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Breathing Zone at none against Calm's 13. Breathing Zone also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (81% vs 64%). Calm's advantage is ratings volume (2M vs 3.8K) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calm sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Breathing Zone asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Breathing Zone against 4.8 for Calm. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calm has 2M ratings behind it against 3.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Breathing Zone's written reviews are positive against 64% of Calm's.

Breathing Zone ships an update every 2 weeks, Calm every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Breathing Zone | Calm |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathing-zone-breathwork/id369838631/reviews)** | [4.8 (2M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.8K | **2M** |
| Positive reviews | **81.1% of reviews** | 63.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#5** |
| Size | 67 MB | 173 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tane Langton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1792259855) | [Calm.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/571800813) |

## What reviewers say

### Breathing Zone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathing-zone-breathwork/id369838631)

Reduce stress, improve mood, and feel more relaxed and energized with guided breathing exercises. This app uses scientifically based therapeutic techniques to help lower heart rate and potentially blood pressure. Discover mindfulness one breath at a time.

**Highlights:** Guided breathing exercises, Stress reduction, Mood improvement, Relaxation and energy boost, Therapeutic breathing techniques, Breathing analyzer

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Amazing app
- 👍 Simple and effective
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals
- 🔊 Customizable sounds
- 🕰️ Flexible session settings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- ⚠️ Timing issues with breathing rate
- 🔒 Lack of syncing across devices
- 🔇 Notification sounds can be disruptive
- 📊 Lack of progress tracking or statistics

**Reported bugs**

- Breathing rate not matching set value
- Visual elements not centered on older devices
- Sudden audio cutoff at end of session
- Syncing issues between mobile and Apple Watch

**Requested features**

- Longer session duration options
- More breathing pattern variations
- Ability to adjust inhale/exhale ratio
- Breath hold functionality
- Integration with health/fitness apps


### Calm

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #43 Top Free · Health & Fitness, #130 Top Grossing (US App Store)

This app offers guided meditations, sleep stories, music, and breathing exercises to help users reduce stress, anxiety, and improve sleep. It caters to all experience levels, integrating mindfulness into daily routines for enhanced mental well-being.

**Highlights:** Guided meditations, Sleep Stories, Breathwork exercises, Relaxing music, Stretching exercises, Mindfulness programs

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calm Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $16.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $29.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Calm Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Calm Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Calm Premium | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💤 Helpful for sleep
- 🧘‍♀️ Effective for meditation and relaxation
- 🎨 Variety of content (sleep stories, meditations, music)
- 🙏 Positive impact on mental health
- 🤗 Soothing narrators

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Limited free content
- 🕰️ Difficulty finding specific content
- 🔁 Repetitive sleep stories
- 🙃 Accessibility issues for disabled users

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes
- Playback issues with audio and video
- Difficulty cancelling subscription

**Requested features**

- Add repeat button for sleep stories
- Separate kids and adult content
- Allow creating custom playlists
- Improve search and navigation
- Add more diverse narrator voices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Breathing Zone free?

Breathing Zone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Calm free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Breathing Zone or Calm?

Breathing Zone is rated higher. Breathing Zone averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Calm averages 4.8 from 2M ratings.

### Do Breathing Zone or Calm have ads?

Calm shows ads; Breathing Zone does not.

### Which is updated more often, Breathing Zone or Calm?

Breathing Zone ships an update every 2 weeks, and Calm every 5 days. Most recently, Breathing Zone was updated on October 29, 2026 and Calm on October 30, 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.*