Comparison

Breathwork Timer vs Sym Breathing

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

Head to head
About

Breathwork Timer

This app offers a straightforward tool for breathwork practice with advanced customization. Users can create their own routines or use pre-set options, guided by audio and visual cues. It's designed for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

Highlights
  • Customizable routines
  • Pre-set popular routines
  • Audio and visual cues
  • Share routines
  • No account needed
  • Offline use
  • Dark Mode support
Features
Read full description

The simple no-nonsense Breathwork Timer you’ve been looking for. Built specifically for breathwork with advanced routine customization capabilities. Quickly and easily create your own custom routines from scratch. Or just hit play on one of the several included presets and start practicing right away. Whether you’re just a beginner, or a seasoned breathwork practitioner, Breathwork Timer is the fastest and most powerful tool for your practice. Features: · 14-Day Free Trial · Start with ready-to-use popular routines · Quickly create and edit routines · Guided with audio and visual cues · Share routines with friends · No account or personal info needed · No ads · No Internet needed · Dark Mode support · Supports complex multi-stage routines · Precise timing with fractional seconds · Multi-lingual support (English, German)

About

Sym Breathing

This app offers guided breathwork to help you achieve a calm and balanced state. It uses a steady 5.5-second inhale/exhale rhythm to reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance well-being. Features include customizable cues, daily affirmations, and a night mode for sleep.

Highlights
  • Guided 5.5-second inhale/exhale rhythm
  • Customizable audio, visual, and haptic cues
  • Daily affirmations for positive mindset
  • Night mode for reduced blue light
  • Seamless audio integration with other apps
  • Effortless session initiation
Features
Read full description

SYM BREATHING A simple way to slow down, breathe evenly, and find a calmer rhythm. Sym Breathing guides you through a balanced 5.5-second inhale and 5.5-second exhale using smooth visual, audio, and haptic cues. This slow, even rhythm is commonly known as coherent breathing or resonant breathing. Choose a session length, tap the breathing sphere, and follow along. No complicated routines. No overwhelming controls. Just a simple breathing practice you can return to whenever you need a few quiet minutes. GUIDED BREATHING, YOUR WAY Follow the expanding and contracting breathing sphere, listen for gentle audio cues, feel subtle haptic feedback, or combine all three. Choose the guidance that works best for you and your surroundings. A SIMPLE, BALANCED RHYTHM Sym Breathing uses a 5.5-second inhale and 5.5-second exhale, approximately 5.5 breaths per minute. The app keeps the rhythm for you, so you can focus on breathing instead of counting seconds or watching a clock. CHOOSE YOUR SESSION Select a breath count for a defined practice or choose an open-ended session and breathe for as long as you like. DAILY AFFIRMATIONS Begin with a daily affirmation that offers a brief moment of positive reflection before your breathing practice. NIGHT MODE Switch to a warm red interface for a softer visual experience in low-light environments or before bed. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN AUDIO Keep listening to music, ambient sounds, podcasts, or other audio while you breathe. Adjust the breathing cue volume independently to create the experience you prefer. COHERENT BREATHING Slow, balanced breathing practices are commonly used for relaxation, mindfulness, stress management, and supporting autonomic regulation. Research has also explored resonant breathing in relation to heart rate variability, or HRV. Sym Breathing makes this practice easy to follow by guiding each inhale and exhale for you. PREMIUM Unlock all premium features with a monthly or annual subscription. The annual subscription includes a 7-day free trial. Unless canceled before the trial ends, the subscription automatically renews at the displayed annual price. Subscriptions can be managed or canceled through your App Store account settings. HEALTH DISCLAIMER Sym Breathing is intended for general wellness, relaxation, and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you experience discomfort or dizziness while practicing breathwork, stop the session. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning a new wellness practice if you have questions or concerns about your health. TERMS OF USE (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Breathe slowly. Find your rhythm.

Screenshots

Breathwork Timer4 screens
Sym Breathing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sym Breathing at 4.9 against Breathwork Timer's 4.3. Sym Breathing also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (35 vs 8). Breathwork Timer's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Breathwork Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sym Breathing sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sym Breathing holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 35 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Breathwork Timer's written reviews are positive against 94% of Sym Breathing's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Breathwork Timer ships an update every 6 weeks, Sym Breathing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Breathwork Timer versus Sym Breathing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBreathwork TimerSym Breathing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (8 ratings)4.9 (35 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better94.1% of reviews
Number of ratings835 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB35 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperEdward RoothDaniel Lubbers

Customer experience

Breathwork Timer

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Sym Breathing

All ratings35 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Breathwork Timer

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99
3 purchases

Sym Breathing

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Annually7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Breathwork Timer free?
Breathwork Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sym Breathing free?
Sym Breathing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Breathwork Timer or Sym Breathing?
Sym Breathing is rated higher. Breathwork Timer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Sym Breathing averages 4.9 from 35 ratings.
Do Breathwork Timer or Sym Breathing have ads?
Neither Breathwork Timer nor Sym Breathing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Breathwork Timer or Sym Breathing?
Breathwork Timer ships an update every 6 weeks, and Sym Breathing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Breathwork Timer was updated on October 8, 2026 and Sym Breathing on October 6, 2026.

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