# Bowl Timer vs SelfMeditate

The clearest difference is rating: Bowl Timer at 5.0 against SelfMeditate's 4.3. Bowl Timer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). SelfMeditate's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SelfMeditate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Bowl Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bowl Timer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Bowl Timer ships an update every 2 months, SelfMeditate every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bowl Timer | SelfMeditate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bowl-timer/id6740139131/reviews)** | [4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/selfmeditate-meditation-timer/id6757534578/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 51 MB | 121 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Johannes Roth](https://appshunter.io/developer/1788486127) | [UNATHI STUDIOS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867487254) |

## What reviewers say

### Bowl Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bowl-timer/id6740139131)

This app helps you meditate without distractions using calming bowl gongs. You can customize session lengths and intervals, with all settings saved locally. It's completely free, offline, and ad-free.

**Highlights:** Guided meditation with bowl gongs, Customizable session lengths up to 60 minutes, Split sessions into 1-5 intervals, Local settings saving, Total meditation time tracking, 100% free and offline

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SelfMeditate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/selfmeditate-meditation-timer/id6757534578)

This app provides an unguided meditation timer with ambient sounds and customizable intervals. It also includes a multi-modal journal for reflection, pattern analysis tools, and privacy-focused local data storage.

**Highlights:** Unguided meditation timer, 19 ambient spiritual sounds, Customizable interval bells, Multi-modal reflection journal, Insightful practice pattern analysis, Local data storage for privacy, iOS widgets and Live Activities

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bowl Timer free?

Bowl Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SelfMeditate free?

SelfMeditate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bowl Timer or SelfMeditate?

Bowl Timer is rated higher. Bowl Timer averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while SelfMeditate averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do Bowl Timer or SelfMeditate have ads?

Neither Bowl Timer nor SelfMeditate shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bowl Timer or SelfMeditate?

Bowl Timer ships an update every 2 months, and SelfMeditate every 9 days. Most recently, Bowl Timer was updated on October 28, 2026 and SelfMeditate on October 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.*