Comparison

Box breathing vs Calma

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

Head to head
About

Box breathing

This app guides you through structured breathing exercises to promote relaxation and reduce stress. It utilizes the box breathing technique with timed phases and haptic feedback to help you achieve a calmer state in minutes. Ideal for unwinding, resetting, or improving sleep.

Highlights
  • Box breathing technique
  • Guided breathing exercises
  • 3 distinct modes (Calm, Balance, Sleep)
  • Haptic feedback
  • Built-in metronome
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Need to calm down fast? breathcode is a simple and powerful app that guides you through deep breathing exercises and breathwork using box breathing (also known as square breathing) - a structured technique designed to help you slow your breathing and feel calmer in about 5 minutes. Breathing and the body work as one system. When you intentionally change your breathing rhythm, your body responds. With breathcode, you enter a steady tempo first, then gradually slow the pace - and as intensity drops, it becomes easier to relax. ** How box breathing works: Each cycle has 4 phases: 1. Inhale 2. Hold 3. Exhale 4. Hold You repeat the cycle for a short session and follow a smooth rhythm that feels grounded and controlled. ** Features: * 3 guided modes: * Calm Down - for moments of overwhelm * Find Balance - to reset and center * Go Deep (Sleep) - for winding down before bed * Guided exercises with haptics * A built-in metronome keeps every phase precise, so you can stop counting and simply follow the beat * Apple Health integration to support your routine and log sessions ** Use breathcode when you want to: * Reduce stress and mental overload * Unwind before sleep or after a long day * Reset between meetings, study blocks, or difficult conversations * Build a consistent daily calming habit in minutes * Reset after workouts and return to a steady rhythm ** Designed for daily practice: No complicated settings. No distractions. Just a clean, focused breathing guide you can rely on anytime. Important: breathcode is a wellness app and is not a medical device. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XRYtPR8NOlMMSDEs9AVCNEg6M7LbydRMk_0whPMEVg4/

About

Calma

This app helps organize racing thoughts into actionable tasks and journal entries using voice input. It features AI-powered prioritization, mood tracking, habit building with visual streaks, and a clean interface designed for ADHD brains.

Highlights
  • Voice brain dump with AI organization
  • AI-powered task prioritization and due dates
  • Mood tracking with automatic emotion detection
  • Habit tracking with visual pixel grids
  • Clean daily planner for task management
  • Home screen widgets for quick access
Features
Read full description

Your ADHD brain has a hundred thoughts racing at once. Calma catches them all. Just hit record and talk. Ramble about your day, your to-do list, that thing you keep forgetting. Calma's AI listens, then organizes your brain dump into clear, prioritized tasks you can actually act on. No typing. No organizing. Just talk, and your plan appears. VOICE BRAIN DUMP Speak freely — your messy thoughts become structured tasks. AI extracts what matters, assigns priorities, and sets due dates. Turn a 30-second voice note into a complete action plan. MOOD JOURNAL Talk about your day and Calma captures it as a journal entry. Emotions are detected automatically — track your anxiety, joy, stress, and calm over time without writing a single word. HABIT TRACKING Beautiful pixel grids show your streaks and progress at a glance. Track meditation, exercise, reading, or any habit you're building. See your entire year, pixel by pixel. TASK MANAGEMENT Your tasks live in a clean daily planner with priorities. See today's focus, check things off, and feel the satisfaction of progress. No clutter, no overwhelm. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Track habits and check tasks without even opening the app. Widgets keep your goals visible and your momentum going. DESIGNED FOR ADHD BRAINS — Voice input removes the barrier of typing and organizing — AI does the executive function work for you — Pixel habits give dopamine-friendly visual feedback — Clean, low-stimulation dark interface — Quick brain dumps take under 2 minutes WHO CALMA IS FOR — People with ADHD who struggle with traditional planners — Anyone who thinks faster than they can type — Journalers who want to talk instead of write — Habit builders who love visual streak tracking — Busy people who need one app instead of five Privacy first. Your voice recordings are processed on-device or via secure API and never stored. Your journal and tasks stay on your device. Download Calma and turn your brain's chaos into calm. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/  Terms of Use: https://getcalma.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://getcalma.app/privacy/

Screenshots

Box breathing4 screens
Calma4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Box breathing at 5.0 against Calma's 4.8. Box breathing also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Box breathing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Calma sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Box breathing holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Box breathing's written reviews are positive against 87% of Calma's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Box breathing ships an update every 8 days, Calma fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Box breathing versus Calma: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBox breathingCalma
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better87.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB49 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAleh KasarynValerii Alekseev

Customer experience

Box breathing

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Calma

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral13.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Box breathing

Subscriptions2
  • Premium weekly$1.997 Days
  • Premium monthly with trial3 Days trial$4.991 Month
2 purchases

Calma

Subscriptions2
  • Week$1.997 Days
  • Year$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Box breathing free?
Box breathing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Calma free?
Calma is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Box breathing or Calma?
Box breathing is rated higher. Box breathing averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Calma averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Box breathing or Calma have ads?
Neither Box breathing nor Calma shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Box breathing or Calma?
Box breathing ships an update every 8 days, and Calma fortnightly. Most recently, Box breathing was updated on September 20, 2026 and Calma on September 18, 2026.

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