Comparison

Box breathing vs Recovery Pulse

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

Recovery Pulse

Features
Read full description

Know exactly when to train hard and when to rest — without a wearable. Recovery Pulse turns four daily inputs (sleep hours, sleep quality, fatigue, and muscle soreness) into a single, precise Recovery Score from 0–100. Check in each morning in under 60 seconds and let the data drive your training decisions. YOUR DAILY RECOVERY SCORE: • Recovery Score (0–100) — Calculated from sleep, fatigue, and soreness each morning • Live Score Preview — Watch your score update as you log each metric • Status Levels — Optimal, Good, Moderate, or Low recovery at a glance • 7-Day Trend Chart — Bezier-curve visualization of your recovery trajectory • 30-Day History — Full score log with per-day breakdown NO WEARABLE. NO GUESSWORK: While other apps require a WHOOP, Oura, or Apple Watch, Recovery Pulse works with what you already know: how you actually feel. Manual logging takes 45 seconds. The insights last all day. BUILT FOR ATHLETES, FOUNDERS & BIOHACKERS: Recovery Pulse is for people who treat performance as a discipline. Competitive athletes managing training load. Founders who cannot afford low-output days. Biohackers who track every variable. Private by design. Your recovery data never leaves your device. 7-DAY FREE TRIAL: Experience full access for 7 days — no credit card required. Then unlock Sovereign access permanently at $79.99/year. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: • Sovereign Annual: $79.99/year (includes 7-day free trial) • Elite Monthly: $12.99/month (includes 7-day free trial) • Payment charged to Apple ID account at confirmation • Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled 24+ hours before period end • Manage subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase Privacy Policy: https://github.com/akaminski23/recovery-pulse/blob/main/docs/PRIVACY_POLICY.md Terms of Use: https://github.com/akaminski23/recovery-pulse/blob/main/docs/TERMS_OF_USE.md

Screenshots

Box breathing4 screens
Recovery Pulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Recovery Pulse at 15.1 against Box breathing's 17.6. 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. Box breathing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Recovery Pulse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Box breathing versus Recovery Pulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBox breathingRecovery Pulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAleh KasarynAdam Kaminski

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Box breathing

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

Recovery Pulse

Subscriptions2
  • Recovery Pulse Pro Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Recovery Pulse Pro Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Box breathing free?
Box breathing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Recovery Pulse free?
Recovery Pulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Box breathing or Recovery Pulse have ads?
Neither Box breathing nor Recovery Pulse shows ads.

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