Comparison

Zenways vs Bon Calendar

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

Head to head
About

Zenways

This app combines nature sounds, guided Zen meditations from a Buddhist monk, and binaural beats to promote relaxation and inner peace. Users can customize meditation duration and sound mix, or use it as a free sound source.

Highlights
  • Guided Zen meditation
  • Relaxing nature sounds
  • Binaural beats
  • Customizable meditation timer
  • Adjustable sound mix
  • Free sound source option
Features
Read full description

Zenways is a Zen app. It uses a combination of relaxing sounds of nature, guided Zen meditation from Buddhist monk Julian Daizan Skinner and powerful binaural beats to help you relax and find your Zen. Set the meditation time from 21 to 90 minutes, and adjust the balance of the sounds, guide voice and binaural beats to suit you. You can even turn them off entirely, so this app can be used as a free sound source for meditation or relaxation. However, we strongly suggest you look at our Chillax app for the complete relaxation experience using soothing music, sound and binaural beats. This Zen app is made in partnership with Zenways, who provide yoga, meditation and teacher training. The Buddhist monk Julian Daizan Skinner (Juran Daizan 寿鸞 大山), is a British Rinzai Zen Buddhist Rōshi. He has also received Dharma Transmission in the Sōtō tradition of Zen. Daizan Roshi is the founder of the Zenways Sangha and head abbot of Yugagyo Dojo (Zen Yoga Camberwell) in London, United Kingdom. The Mindfulness of the breath meditation was found to be one of the most powerful and effective meditation techniques in extensive testing, and is presented to you here, totally free. Enjoy!. Binaural Beats Binaural beats or binaural tones are auditory processing artifacts, or apparent sounds, the perception of which arises in the brain for specific physical stimuli. This effect was discovered in 1839 by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, and earned greater public awareness in the late 20th century based on claims that binaural beats could help induce relaxation, meditation, creativity and other desirable mental states. The effect on the brainwaves depends on the difference in frequencies of each tone: for example, if 300 Hz was played in one ear and 310 in the other, then the binaural beat would have a frequency of 10 Hz

About

Bon Calendar

Access the Tibetan Bön calendar with daily lunar dates, observances, and element combinations. View Tibetan dates for any year between 1901 and 2100, and access Bön prayer books in multiple languages. This app works fully offline.

Highlights
  • Tibetan lunar date and Bönpo year
  • Daily practice and observance
  • Month view with special days marked
  • Tibetan dates for 1901-2100
  • Bön prayer books in multiple languages
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Bon Calendar brings the Yungdrung Bön calendar to your iPhone and iPad, in Tibetan and English, from the Gyalshen Institute. • Each day’s Tibetan lunar date, month and Bönpo year beside the Western date • The day’s practice, special observance and element combination • A month view with full moon, new moon, double days and skipped days marked • Tibetan dates for any year from 1901 to 2100 • Bön prayer books in Tibetan, English, Chinese and Polish Works fully offline. No account, no ads, no data collected.

Screenshots

Zenways4 screens
Bon Calendar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Zenways at 70% against Bon Calendar's 33%. Zenways also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Bon Calendar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, monetization model and device support 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. Zenways sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bon Calendar asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zenways ships an update every 12 months, Bon Calendar every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Zenways versus Bon Calendar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenwaysBon Calendar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB73 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperWimbledon SoundGYALSHEN INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF ZHANG ZHUNG AND TIBETAN CULTURE INC

Customer experience

Zenways

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%

Bon Calendar

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Zenways

One-time1
  • remove ads$1.99
None

Bon Calendar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zenways free?
Zenways is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bon Calendar free?
Bon Calendar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Zenways or Bon Calendar have ads?
Zenways shows ads; Bon Calendar does not.
Which is updated more often, Zenways or Bon Calendar?
Zenways ships an update every 12 months, and Bon Calendar every 6 months. Most recently, Zenways was updated on October 29, 2026 and Bon Calendar on October 29, 2026.

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