# Calm vs Breathing Exercises *

The clearest difference is ads: Breathing Exercises * at none against Calm's shown. Breathing Exercises * also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (16.2 vs 18.0). Calm's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (2M vs 57). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Calm holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calm has 2M ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Calm's written reviews are positive against 75% of Breathing Exercises *'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Calm ships an update every 4 days, Breathing Exercises * every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calm | Breathing Exercises * |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810/reviews)** | [4.5 (57 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathing-exercises/id1672791407/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2M** | 57 |
| Positive reviews | 64.1% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#6** | — |
| Size | 167 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.2** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Calm.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/571800813) | [Steve Veloudos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1000253559) |

## What reviewers say

### Calm

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

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #55 Top Free · Health & Fitness, #132 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


### Breathing Exercises *

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breathing-exercises/id1672791407)

This app guides you through timed breathing exercises to help manage stress and promote relaxation. It offers pre-set intervals like Box Breathing and 478 Breathing, along with customizable options for personalized practice.

**Highlights:** Timed inhales, holds, and exhales, Box Breathing Interval, 478 Breathing Interval, Ujjayi Interval, Three custom intervals, Easy-to-follow exercises

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| More Breathing Exercises | $9.99 | one-time |
| More Breathing Exercises | $12.99 | one-time |
| More Breathing Exercises | $25.99 | one-time |


## 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 4.5 from 57 ratings.

### Do Calm or Breathing Exercises * have ads?

Calm shows ads; Breathing Exercises * does not.

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

Calm ships an update every 4 days, and Breathing Exercises * every 6 weeks. Most recently, Calm was updated on September 26, 2026 and Breathing Exercises * on August 16, 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.*