Comparison

Ice Barrel vs Chill

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

Head to head
About

Ice Barrel

This app enhances cold water therapy by allowing remote control of a connected chiller, tracking session progress, and offering guided coaching. It also facilitates connections with other cold therapy practitioners.

Highlights
  • Remote chiller control
  • Session tracking
  • Guided coaching
  • Community connection
  • Temperature control
  • Notifications
Features
Read full description

Whether you’re an ice bath enthusiast or just starting your journey, the Ice Barrel App will help you make your cold therapy practice even better. CONTROL YOUR ICE BARREL CHILLER FROM ANYWHERE Wi-Fi connectivity enhances your control over the Ice Barrel Chiller with features like advanced scheduling (coming soon), precise temperature control, important notifications, multi-user support, and more. SESSION TRACKING TO MEASURE PROGRESS Log the temperature, duration and type of cold therapy session to build consistency and measure your progress over time. GUIDED COACHING TO LEAD YOUR JOURNEY From beginner to advanced, explore our coaching sessions to guide you through your cold journey every step of the way. CONNECT WITH ICE BATH ENTHUSIASTS Discover a like-minded group of others practicing cold therapy near you that you can connect and share with. Disclaimer: Always consult with a doctor before doing the cold therapy exercises mentioned in this app.

About

Chill

This app is a dedicated companion for cold plunge sessions, offering precision timing, guided breathing exercises, and rhythmic chimes to enhance your cold immersion experience. It helps optimize your practice for physical recovery, mental clarity, and energy boosts.

Highlights
  • Customizable session durations
  • Guided box breathing exercise
  • 30-second interval chimes
  • 10-second final countdown
  • Enhances cold immersion benefits
Features
Read full description

Cold plunging asks you to be present. Our Chill - Cold Plunge Timer App takes care of the timing so you can focus on the moment. Choose your duration, set the temperature, settle into guided box breathing, and keep a private record of the sessions you complete. TIME YOUR PLUNGE Choose a session length from 1 to 59 minutes and select the water temperature for accurate record keeping. Watch the large countdown, hear a gentle chime every 30 seconds while Chill is on screen, and turn on Audio Countdown for spoken time updates and the final 10-second countdown. With notifications enabled, Chill can alert you when your timer completes. BREATHE WITH GUIDANCE Follow the on-screen box breathing animation during your session. You can turn the animation or spoken countdown on or off in Settings. LOOK BACK See completed sessions in your iPhone history, including time in the water and the temperature you selected. Time a plunge on Apple Watch and have it appear in your iPhone history when the devices connect. Watch-face complications can show your plunge count. MAKE IT YOURS WITH CHILL+ The timer, guided breathing, basic history, and Apple Watch timer are free. Chill+ is a one-time purchase that adds: • Month and year activity grids • Streaks and consecutive-day goals • Plunge reminders on the days you choose • Private notes about each session • Activity-grid Home Screen widgets • Streak and goal views on Apple Watch PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your sessions and notes are stored locally on your devices. Chill has no account, sign-up, ads, or tracking, and it does not upload your records to a developer server. Device backups are controlled by your Apple settings. Chill is a timing and journaling tool, not a medical or safety device. Cold water immersion has risks; seek medical advice if you have concerns, and never rely on a timer or alert as your only safety measure.

Screenshots

Ice Barrel4 screens
Chill4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chill at 5.0 against Ice Barrel's 3.7. Ice Barrel's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (31 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chill holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ice Barrel has 31 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ice Barrel ships an update every 3 weeks, Chill every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ice Barrel versus Chill: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIce BarrelChill
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (31 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings31 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size167 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIce BarrelAnda Blandu

Customer experience

Ice Barrel

All ratings29 ratings
Positive69.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative31.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative50.0%

Chill

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ice Barrel

No in-app purchases

None

Chill

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ice Barrel free?
Ice Barrel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chill free?
Chill is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ice Barrel or Chill?
Chill is rated higher. Ice Barrel averages 3.7 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Chill averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Ice Barrel or Chill have ads?
Neither Ice Barrel nor Chill shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ice Barrel or Chill?
Ice Barrel ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chill every 4 months. Most recently, Ice Barrel was updated on October 23, 2026 and Chill on October 17, 2026.

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