Comparison

Breath Meditation Timer vs Koan Meditation Timer

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

Head to head
About

Breath Meditation Timer

Features
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How to Use (Both Watch and iOS) 1. *Settings Configuration*: - Tap the settings gear icon. - Choose the desired meditation duration (default is 20 minutes). - Set the number of intervals to divide the session into (default is 4). 2. *Starting the Timer*: - Exit the settings page. - Press the play button to start the timer. The play button will transform into a pause button, allowing you to pause and resume the timer as needed. You can also tap the center of the screen to start or pause the timer. - Note: The watch and phone apps maintain separate settings. 3. *Viewing Progress*: - The session progress will be displayed inside the progress bar ring. 4. *Resetting the timer*: - Press the "restart" button (counter clockwise arrow) in the upper left to reset the timer. Mindful Minutes and Apple Health Integration - The app can upload the number of mindful minutes to your Apple Health data if you permit it. - After finishing your first session, iOS will prompt you to allow mindful minutes to be recorded. - Minutes are uploaded upon session completion or early exit, ensuring every mindful minute is recorded. Feedback and Feature Requests - For feedback and feature requests, email petewil at live dot com. - The app is free with no ads or in-app purchases. While there are no guarantees for fixes or updates, I do plan to fix major bugs and keep up to date with iOS. Using the Meditation Timer Silently (Vibration Only) on the Watch - Until CoreHaptics is available, only pre-selected vibrations with sound can be used. - To silence sounds, put the watch in silent mode: (see screenshot on this page) - Press the side button. - Tap the bell icon. - This setup is ideal for silent meditation in crowded places (e.g., planes, trains, buses). - Remember to turn off silent mode when done. Using the Meditation Timer silently on the phone Just use the mute switch on the side of your phone, and then the timer will only vibrate and not play sounds. Turning on Focus Mode on the Watch - To avoid interruptions, enable focus mode: - Tap the watch side button. - Scroll to the moon icon to enter the built-in focus mode. - Select the desired focus mode (sleep focus or personal focus). - Disable focus mode after your session. Re-enabling mindful minutes upload If you change your mind about Breath Meditation Timer having permission to write mindful minutes to Apple Health, you can change it as follows: - Open the apple health app on the phone - Tap the sharing icon at the bottom (the one that looks like two people next to each other) - Down near the bottom tap on "Apps and Services" - Choose "Breathe Meditation Timer" - Under "Allow Breath Meditation Timer top write", turn on or off "Mindful Minutes" Distraction free: To avoid distractions, I've turned off the time and cell phone signal in the top bar for the iPhone and iPad version of the app. In the future I plan to add a setting so you can turn it back on if you want it. App Background - How this came about: While leading silent meditation sessions, we would often ring a bell every 5 minutes out of our 20 minute meditation. This gave those practicing meditation a chance to switch between different practices during our session. While we could use a phone app that has a bell ring sound, it seemed more fun to ring a physical bell. This watch app is designed to vibrate on your wrist at the interval boundaries so you can then ring a physical bell if you desire. - The app uses wrist vibrations at interval boundaries, allowing users to ring a physical bell if desired. - It's also beneficial for quiet meditation in public spaces, such as on public transit. Enjoy your meditation sessions with our meditation timer app. If you have any questions or need support, feel free to reach out!

About

Koan Meditation Timer

This app offers a distraction-free meditation experience with customizable bell sounds and flexible session scheduling. It allows users to create simple or complex meditation routines without requiring an account or saving data.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free meditation
  • Customizable bell and bowl sounds
  • Flexible session scheduler
  • Simple and complex session creation
  • No account required
  • No data saving
  • No push notifications
Features
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The Koan Simple Meditation Timer is built so you can sit down and meditate without distraction. It features three real sounds of bells and bowls and a flexible scheduler. You can create a simple session with a bell to start and a bell to finish after 10 minutes. You can just as easily make a complicated bell setup like 30 minutes of sitting meditation followed by 10 minutes of walking mediation. The simplicity is purposeful here. There is no account to create, no data saved, no push notifications of premium subscriptions to shill. We both know you don't need that. Just meditate more and the world will be a better place for it.

Screenshots

Breath Meditation Timer3 screens
Koan Meditation Timer2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Koan Meditation Timer at every 3 days against Breath Meditation Timer's every 14 months. Koan Meditation Timer also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Breath Meditation Timer ships an update every 14 months, Koan Meditation Timer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Breath Meditation Timer versus Koan Meditation Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBreath Meditation TimerKoan Meditation Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeter WilliamsonLucas Moore

In-app purchases

None

Breath Meditation Timer

No in-app purchases

None

Koan Meditation Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Breath Meditation Timer free?
Breath Meditation Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Koan Meditation Timer free?
Koan Meditation Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Breath Meditation Timer or Koan Meditation Timer have ads?
Neither Breath Meditation Timer nor Koan Meditation Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Breath Meditation Timer or Koan Meditation Timer?
Breath Meditation Timer ships an update every 14 months, and Koan Meditation Timer every 3 days. Most recently, Breath Meditation Timer was updated on November 4, 2026 and Koan Meditation Timer on October 31, 2026.

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