Comparison

Dōan vs Zen

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

Head to head
About

Dōan

This app provides an unguided meditation timer that uses gentle gong sounds to help you maintain focus. Customize session length, nudge frequency, and choose from various gong sounds. It runs in the background, even with the screen off.

Highlights
  • Customizable session length
  • Configurable focus nudges
  • Choice of gong sounds
  • Background operation
  • Screen-off functionality
Read full description

"Dōan - person who leads a meditation session using bells to keep time and nurture an atmosphere of focus and clarity" Dōan is an unguided meditation timer that periodically reminds you to return focus to your meditation practice using gentle gong sounds. You can: - Configure the length of each session and how often you want to be nudged to return your focus - Choose your favourite gong sounds from multiple recordings - Turn off your screen: The app will keep running in the background even when the screen is locked or turned off

About

Zen

Features
Read full description

Just Sit. Your Way. Nothing Else. A silent meditation timer with traditional bells. The sit is free. Optional short guided sits when just sitting is hard. Then silence. No ads, no streaks, no account. JUST SIT Sit on a cushion or chair. Eyes barely open, soft gaze. Feel your body, breath, and posture. No mantra, no goal. When thoughts come and go, just return to sitting. The benefits are real — a calm mind, more focus, more clarity, better sleep, less stress, more presence. They show up when you stop chasing them. YOUR WAY Just sit. Easier said than done. Just sitting can be brutal. Most people need a little guidance, and that detour is fine. Optional short guided sits — the Just Sit course, one idea at a time — then sit in silence. Or leave every optional feature off. Not a library of courses. Discover your way to just sit. NOTHING ELSE Everything you need to just sit is included, and stays free. A timer, bells, Watch, widgets. No ads, no streaks, no account to sit. The sit stays free. Always. Native on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Focus on what matters: just sit. HOW IT WORKS Open the app · pick a duration · sit. Beautiful bells, soundscapes, intervals, warmup and cooldown. If you want to look around: Welcome on first launch, then short guided sits for ordinary life. Nothing required. Explore at your own pace. WHY THIS EXISTS Hi, I'm Francis, a longtime Apple developer. I discovered regular meditation about 15 years ago. I suffer from PTSD, and meditation has helped me survive — more than once — when things fall apart. Meditation only clicked for me with a Zen just-sit practice. To get there I had to put in the time: other practices, sampling, trial and error, year after year of showing up to sit. I needed those 10,000 minutes on apps before I could stop searching and, in the end, just sit. Zen : Your Way is my way of giving back. A quiet timer. Optional guidance to nudge you toward just sitting. Nothing in the way of the sit itself. ON IPHONE AND IPAD • Apple Watch companion — start sits and complications on your wrist • Home Screen widgets and Live Activities

Screenshots

Dōan4 screens
Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Zen at 6 against Dōan's 1. On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Dōan versus Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDōanZen
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaximilian ZenderFrancis Dierick

In-app purchases

None

Dōan

No in-app purchases

None

Zen

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dōan free?
Dōan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zen free?
Zen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dōan or Zen have ads?
Neither Dōan nor Zen shows ads.

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