Comparison

Calm vs Breathonics

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Calm

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
Read full description

Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. Find anxiety relief, stress relief, and better sleep through breathing exercises, sleep sounds, deep sleep music, and mindfulness programs for insomnia, beginner meditation, and beyond. Downloaded by 180 million people worldwide. Fall asleep faster with Sleep Stories, bedtime stories for adults narrated by Matthew McConaughey, Stephen Fry, P\!nk, Bob Ross, and more. Only on Calm. Manage stress, relieve anxiety, improve your sleep cycle, and refocus your attention. Apple App of the Year. Apple Editors' Choice. Happiest App in the World (Center for Humane Technology). 3M+ five-star reviews. Recommended by top psychologists, therapists, and mental health experts. SLEEP STORIES — ONLY ON CALM * Drift off to Matthew McConaughey's Wonder — a dreamy journey through the mysteries of the universe * Travel through the village of Provence with master storyteller Stephen Fry in Blue Gold * Fall asleep to the soothing brush strokes of beloved painter Bob Ross in Happy Little Zzzs * Tackle insomnia with 100+ exclusive Sleep Stories, new content added every month MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS * Beginner meditation to advanced practice — guided sessions for every experience level * Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt, Daily Jay with Jay Shetty, Daily Trip with Jeff Warren * Mindfulness topics: deep sleep, anxiety relief, stress relief, focus, breaking habits, self-care, personal growth, and more * 7- and 21-day mindfulness programs to build a lasting practice ANXIETY RELIEF & RELAXATION * Breathing exercises and breathwork to ease anxiety, stress, and insomnia * Bilateral stimulation music and neuroacoustic sounds for nervous system regulation and somatic relaxation * Guided breathwork for stress relief, anxiety relief, and deep calm * Stress management and self-healing through Dailies: programs for social anxiety, personal growth, and mood balance * Mindful movement and stretching with Daily Move SLEEP SOUNDS, MUSIC & SOUNDSCAPES * Calming music, nature sounds, and sleep sounds: ocean waves, heavy rain, campfire, and more * Exclusive focus and sleep music from top artists * Full soundscapes and sleep sounds to help you relax, meditate, and sleep soundly ALSO FEATURING * Daily Streaks & Mindful Minutes — emotion and mental health tracker * Calm saves your meditation and sleep sessions to your Apple Health app. Mental health is health. Calm is for anyone looking to improve their sleep, manage stress, and address everyday anxiety. Meditation novice or seasoned expert. Take a deep breath and find your Calm. Calm is free to download and use. There are never any ads and some of the programs and features are free forever. Some content is only available through an optional paid subscription. Be sure to check out our Apple Watch app to quick-start breathing exercises and track your meditations. Calm offers an auto-renewing subscription to provide you with unlimited access to the Calm Collection while you maintain an active subscription. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes Account when you confirm the initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of the renewal will be identified. You may manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. Read more about our terms and conditions here: Terms of service: https://www.calm.com/terms Privacy policy: https://www.calm.com/privacy

About

Breathonics

This app offers gamified breathwork exercises to improve mental fitness and well-being in short sessions. It uses multi-sensory experiences and biometric data to provide personalized recommendations for rest, focus, or sleep.

Highlights
  • 40+ music & science-backed exercises
  • Real-time health metrics (heart rate, sleep)
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Expert-led training programs
  • Community features
  • Gamified story mode with Web3 integration
Features
Read full description

BRX is a multi-sensory breathwork app gamified to train your mental fitness and help you feel great in 5 minutes. Rest, Recharge, Reward. The BRX app packs 40+ exercises delivered in 5-10 minute tracks. Whether you need to focus before an important event, take a moment to decrease your anxiety, or get some deep, restorative sleep, BRX has you covered. We’ve partnered with specialists in the fields of music, science and tech, from psycho-musicologists to acclaimed audio producers to proficient app developers to create an experience like no other. Designed to Power Up, Power Down and Lounge/Chill, it uses biometric triggers to recommend the right exercise at the right time. One way to quantify your wellbeing using biometrics is your heart rate: increased when excited or nervous, and decreased when relaxed or in deep focus. BRX fully integrates with Apple Watch and Apple Health, so you can monitor your heart rate activity while doing a session and examine your progress. “Story mode” allows tech-savvy users to connect their Web3 platforms to activate Project:BRX, the interactive lore that follows protagonist Binary on their allegorical mission to improve the world’s mental fitness. Pick up a Digital Expression Device, or DEX (our digital collectible) and start your Story Mode adventure. Features • Over 40+ contemporary music and science-backed exercises for breathing and sleeping • Real-time health metrics including heart rate and sleep analysis • One-stop dashboard and custom recommendations based on health metrics • Exceptional training programs delivered by leading experts • Friend function: connect and build your mental fitness community • Missions: complete a series of curated exercises to improve your performance over time • Story mode: unlock the Project:BRX Web3 experience Benefits • Feel great in just 5 minutes • Practical and simple - designed with beginners in mind • Immediate relief from stressful triggers of modern life • Habit building - cultivate a better life with these effective techniques • Prescriptive - we advise best practice based the biometrics of your body’s needs

Screenshots

Calm4 screens
Breathonics4 screens

Verdict

The call

Calm and Breathonics both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of Breathonics's written reviews are positive against 64% of Calm's. Breathonics also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Calm's advantage is ratings volume (2M vs 334) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Calm sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Breathonics sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Calm against 4.9 for Breathonics. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calm has 2M ratings behind it against 334, 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 96% of Breathonics's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calm ships an update every 5 days, Breathonics monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Calm versus Breathonics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalmBreathonics
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2M ratings)4.9 (334 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews96.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2M — better334
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB131 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalm.comSilentmode Ltd.

Customer experience

Calm

All ratings1,990,470 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews4,169 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral7.5%
Negative28.6%

Breathonics

All ratings332 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.8%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.9%

User reviews

Calm

From 2M App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Breathonics

From 334 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent app for sleep, rest, and relaxation
  • 🚀 Smooth and easy to use
  • 🧠 Helpful for mental fitness and well-being
  • 💤 Great for powering up, powering down, and napping
  • 🧘‍♀️ Effective breathing exercises and meditations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional freezing or crashing issues
  • 🔌 Compatibility concerns with older devices
  • 🔍 Limited customization options
  • 🕰️ Repetitive introductions in exercises
  • 🤖 Lack of Android app availability

Bugs and requests

Calm

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add repeat button for sleep stories
  • Separate kids and adult content
  • Allow creating custom playlists
  • Improve search and navigation
  • Add more diverse narrator voices
Show 1 more
  • Provide text-based instructions for techniques

Breathonics

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Inability to end sessions and track progress
  • Syncing issues with Apple Watch heart rate data

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More advanced breathing exercises and levels
  • Ability to skip introductions in exercises
  • Integration with more wearable devices
  • Expanded content library and exercise variety

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Calm

Subscriptions8
  • Calm Subscription$14.991 Month
  • Calm Premium$14.991 Month
  • Calm Premium2 variants$16.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Calm Premium$29.991 Month
  • Calm Premium$69.991 Year
  • Calm Premium7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
  • Calm Premium7 Days trial3 variants$79.991 Year
  • Calm Premium$79.991 Year
11 purchases

Breathonics

Subscriptions11
  • Power Tier Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Power Tier Monthly (1 Month)6 Months trial$9.991 Month
  • Power Tier Monthly (1 Month)1 Year trial$9.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Power Tier Monthly (1 Month)3 Months trial$9.991 Month
  • Power Tier Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Power Tier Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Power Tier Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Power Tier Annual (1 Year)6 Months trial$79.991 Year
  • Power Tier Annual (1 Year)1 Year trial$79.991 Year
  • Power Tier Annual (1 Year)3 Months trial$79.991 Year
  • Power Tier Annual1 Month trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Calm free?
Calm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Breathonics free?
Breathonics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Calm or Breathonics?
Breathonics is rated higher. Calm averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2M ratings, while Breathonics averages 4.9 from 334 ratings.
Do Calm or Breathonics have ads?
Both Calm and Breathonics show ads.
Which is updated more often, Calm or Breathonics?
Calm ships an update every 5 days, and Breathonics monthly. Most recently, Calm was updated on October 27, 2026 and Breathonics on October 20, 2026.

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