# Calm vs Breathonics

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Calm | Breathonics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810/reviews) | **[4.9 (334 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathonics/id1482262589/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2M** | 334 |
| Positive reviews | 63.9% of reviews | **96.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 173 MB | 131 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Calm.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/571800813) | [Silentmode Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1482262588) |

## What reviewers say

### Calm

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

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #48 Top Free · Health & Fitness, #126 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


### Breathonics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathonics/id1482262589)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Power Tier Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Power Tier Monthly (1 Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Power Tier Monthly (1 Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Power Tier Monthly (1 Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Power Tier Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Power Tier Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Power Tier Annual | $79.99 | per year |
| Power Tier Annual (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Power Tier Annual (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Power Tier Annual (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Power Tier Annual | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*