Comparison

Heart Rate Variability + vs Simple Stress Watch

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

Head to head
About

Heart Rate Variability +

Read full description

Your personal assistant for monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) and managing stress levels provides deep health analytics to help you understand your current state with insights such as Balance and Stress Score. It offers personalized recommendations and highlights how external factors like caffeine may influence your rhythm. With clear trend visualizations, you can track HRV changes, resting heart rate, and view progress over weeks, months, or even years. Guided breathing exercises are available to reduce stress and improve HRV, with flexible session lengths of 2, 5, or 8 minutes. A built-in health journal stores all measurements with color-coded indicators of your state, from Calm to Overload. The free version includes weekly statistics and limited measurements, while the premium plan unlocks unlimited history, reminders, full breathing sessions, and complete data analysis from your smartwatch. This app contains auto-renewable subscriptions. You can cancel your subscription at any time - 1 week $4.99, - 1 month $12.99, - 1 year $39.99, - Lifetime $59.99. Terms of Use Link: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11KMMY_NyKRM2REvj_FtrgnjyqdYbuY-JBDHjpvFXzqk/edit?usp=sharing Disclaimer: This application is not a medical instrument. It is provided solely for informational purposes and must not be relied upon as a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns about a health condition, consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider. In the event of a medical emergency, contact your doctor or call emergency services without delay.

About

Simple Stress Watch

This app displays your heart rate variability as a simple recovery meter on your Apple Watch face. It uses data from Apple Health to show your recovery status with a colored zone, offering a quick, at-a-glance understanding of your well-being. Your personal data remains on your device for privacy.

Highlights
  • Heart rate variability recovery meter
  • Apple Watch face complications
  • Reads data from Apple Health
  • Personalized rolling baseline comparison
  • Colored recovery zones
  • Minimalist and simple design
  • On-device data storage
Features
Read full description

Simple Stress Watch shows your heart rate variability as a one-glance recovery meter on Apple Watch faces. It reads HRV from Apple Health, compares it to your personal rolling baseline, and renders a single number with a colored recovery zone: green above baseline, white around it, yellow below, red well below. Complications support every accessory family so you can put the meter on any watch face. On iPhone, a Lock Screen widget shows the same reading and meter at a glance, and you can view today’s HRV readings in the app or on your Home Screen with a chart widget. It’s designed to be extremely simple and minimal. Your data stays on your device: no accounts, no uploads, no analytics. Simple Stress Watch is a general wellness app and not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. For medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Screenshots

Heart Rate Variability +4 screens
Simple Stress Watch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Stress Watch at none against Heart Rate Variability +'s 5. Simple Stress Watch also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). Heart Rate Variability +'s advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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. Heart Rate Variability + sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Simple Stress Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heart Rate Variability + ships an update every 4 months, Simple Stress Watch weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Heart Rate Variability + versus Simple Stress Watch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeart Rate Variability +Simple Stress Watch
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.6 (8 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMD SOFTWARE SERVICES LTDGanotis Holdings, Inc.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Heart Rate Variability +

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Weekly-Trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Monthly$12.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$59.99
None

Simple Stress Watch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Heart Rate Variability + free?
Heart Rate Variability + is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Stress Watch free?
Simple Stress Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Heart Rate Variability + or Simple Stress Watch have ads?
Neither Heart Rate Variability + nor Simple Stress Watch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Heart Rate Variability + or Simple Stress Watch?
Heart Rate Variability + ships an update every 4 months, and Simple Stress Watch weekly. Most recently, Heart Rate Variability + was updated on October 25, 2026 and Simple Stress Watch on November 5, 2026.

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