# Calm vs Breathing Exercises

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Calm at 2M against Breathing Exercises's 3.5K. Calm also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). Breathing Exercises's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 64%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calm sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Breathing Exercises sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 — 4.8 for Calm against 4.7 for Breathing Exercises. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calm has 2M ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Calm's written reviews are positive against 84% of Breathing Exercises's.

Calm ships an update every 5 days, Breathing Exercises monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calm | Breathing Exercises |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810/reviews)** | [4.7 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathing-exercises-breathe-plus/id1106998959/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2M** | 3.5K |
| Positive reviews | 64.1% of reviews | **84.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 180 MB | 148 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Calm.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/571800813) | [Dynamic App Design LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/434136236) |

## What reviewers say

### Calm

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

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #55 Top Free · Health & Fitness, #132 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Discover sleep stories, guided meditations, and relaxation exercises to reduce anxiety and stress. Improve your sleep cycle and focus with a variety of mindfulness programs and soothing sounds. Recommended by mental health experts.

**Highlights:** Sleep Stories narrated by celebrities, Guided meditations for all levels, Breathing exercises for anxiety relief, Calming music and soundscapes, Mindfulness programs for stress management, Daily Calm sessions

**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


### Breathing Exercises

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathing-exercises-breathe-plus/id1106998959)

This app offers guided breathing patterns for relaxation, meditation, and breath training. Visualize your breath with customizable inhale, exhale, and hold times. Track your progress and integrate with HealthKit for mindful minutes.

**Highlights:** Full screen breath visualization, Guided and free-form sessions, Customizable inhale/exhale/hold times, Usage history tracking, HealthKit integration, Custom themes and reminders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Themes | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Usage History | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Everything | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and functional
- 👍 Customizable breathing settings
- 👍 Helpful for medical procedures
- 👍 Effective for relaxation and focus
- 👍 Visually pleasing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sudden change to paid-only version with no notice
- 🐛 Everything locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Ads disrupt the breathing experience
- 🐛 Inability to adjust breath timings without paying
- 🐛 App stops abruptly in the middle of a breath

**Reported bugs**

- Sound not working on some devices
- Upgrade functionality not working
- Ads freezing the app
- Breath timings not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to save custom breathing patterns
- Integration with heart rate variability apps
- Apple Watch app
- Darker color schemes for nighttime use
- Metronome feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calm free?

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

### Is Breathing Exercises free?

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

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

Calm is rated higher. Calm averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2M ratings, while Breathing Exercises averages 4.7 from 3.5K ratings.

### Do Calm or Breathing Exercises have ads?

Both Calm and Breathing Exercises show ads.

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

Calm ships an update every 5 days, and Breathing Exercises monthly. Most recently, Calm was updated on November 12, 2026 and Breathing Exercises on November 11, 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.*