Comparison

(held) vs Zenimal Connect

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

Head to head
About

(held)

This app offers a private, supportive space to help you feel calmer and more grounded using evidence-based practices like breathwork and guided reflection. It uses personalized AI to adapt to your emotional patterns, providing timely and relevant support for in-the-moment emotional regulation and self-reflection.

Highlights
  • In-the-moment emotional support
  • Nervous system regulation
  • Reflective exploration
  • Personalized AI insights
  • Guided breathwork and reflection
  • Private and confidential space
Features
Read full description

(held) — Intelligent Nervous System Support, When You Need It Most (held) is a private, supportive space designed to help you feel calmer, clearer, and more grounded - right when life feels overwhelming. Using evidence-based practices such as breath work, guided reflection, and somatic awareness, (held) helps you gently regulate your nervous system and shift your emotional state in minutes. Whether you’re feeling anxious before a meeting, stuck in racing thoughts at night, or emotionally drained from a long day, (held) meets you where you are and guides you back toward balance. Powered by intelligent, personalized AI, (held) adapts to your emotional patterns over time - learning what works best for you and offering support that feels relevant, timely, and human. What (held) Helps With: In-the-moment emotional support Grounding conversations designed to help you feel supported, understood, and less alone. Nervous system regulation Guided practices that help you slow down, reset, and reconnect with your body. Reflective exploration A safe space to process thoughts, emotions, and experiences without pressure or judgment. Personalized insights Track emotional patterns and discover what helps you feel more balanced over time. Private & confidential Your experience is designed to be secure, private, and respectful of your boundaries. Who (held) Is For • People feeling stressed, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed • Anyone who wants immediate support in difficult moments • Those seeking a private space to reflect, regulate, and reset • Individuals navigating life transitions, tough days, or emotional fatigue What (held) Is Not (held) is not a replacement for therapy, medical care, or crisis services. It is a supportive wellness tool designed for everyday emotional regulation and self-reflection. What’s included with Premium Subscription • Unlimited access to AI support and guided sessions • Unique breathwork and grounding practices • Personalized insights and pattern tracking Why (held)? Sometimes you don’t need advice. You don’t need fixing. You just need to feel held. Terms of Use: https://held.app/terms_of_use Privacy Policy: https://held.app/privacy-policy

About

Zenimal Connect

This parent-focused app allows you to create and manage personalized, screen-free meditation experiences for children. Generate custom AI meditations, record your own voice, and control device settings for a tailored wellness journey.

Highlights
  • AI-powered personalized meditation generation
  • 200+ pre-loaded meditation tracks
  • Record custom meditations in your own voice
  • Nightlight color and brightness control
  • Age-appropriate content customization
  • Device management and organization
  • Wireless syncing via WiFi
Features
Read full description

Zenimal Connect is a screen free sleep companion for children ages 3 and up. It plays guided meditations, sleep stories, and calming sounds at the press of a button. No phone, no tablet, no screens at bedtime. This app is the parent side of Zenimal Connect. Children never use the app. You load the content here. Your child presses the button on the Zenimal. What you can do in the app • Load up to 8 meditations onto the Zenimal at a time, from a library of 200+ guided meditations, sleep stories, and soundscapes • Assign each track to a button so your child always finds their favorites in the same place • Record your own voice, so they can fall asleep to you on the nights you’re away • Set the nightlight color • New tracks and features added every month Built by a mom in Southern California Zenimal has supported calm and sleep in homes, hospitals, and classrooms since 2020. Zenimals also reach children’s hospitals and schools through our Give Back Program, and our founder Anna narrates most of the meditations herself. The Zenimal belongs to your child. The app belongs to you. The app is for parents. Once tracks are loaded, the Zenimal runs on its own. It doesn’t connect to anything at bedtime. It doesn’t listen. It doesn’t talk back. No ads, no notifications, nothing to scroll. A calm voice out. Nothing in. Subscription The full experience includes voice recording, nightlight control, and all 200+ tracks. You don’t need the app or a subscription to use it. The Zenimal Connect ships with 8 guided meditations, 3 sleep sounds, and a gentle nightlight, and works beautifully on its own. Who it’s for The Zenimal is made for children ages 3+ who need help winding down, and kids who do better with a tool they control themselves. Any home, any bedtime, any kind of kid. The app is for the parents who set it up. Privacy COPPA compliant. The Zenimal has no microphone and collects no data on your child. Account management is for parents only. A note from Anna I learned to meditate at eight, and it changed everything. I built Zenimal so other kids’ quiet struggles could be seen, softened, and held. Take a breath. We’ve got this. Anna, founder

Screenshots

(held)4 screens
Zenimal Connect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: (held) at every 3 weeks against Zenimal Connect's every 3 months. Zenimal Connect's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and ratings volume (12 vs 4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. (held) sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $22.00 per month and Zenimal Connect sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for (held) against 5.0 for Zenimal Connect. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 12 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

(held) ships an update every 3 weeks, Zenimal Connect every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
(held) versus Zenimal Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter(held)Zenimal Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings412 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.014.0.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB80 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperWellSet, IncZenimal LLC

Customer experience

(held)

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Zenimal Connect

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

(held)

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$22.001 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$200.001 Year
1 purchases

Zenimal Connect

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$7.991 Month

Questions

Is (held) free?
(held) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zenimal Connect free?
Zenimal Connect is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, (held) or Zenimal Connect?
(held) and Zenimal Connect are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 12 ratings respectively.
Do (held) or Zenimal Connect have ads?
Neither (held) nor Zenimal Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, (held) or Zenimal Connect?
(held) ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zenimal Connect every 3 months. Most recently, (held) was updated on September 11, 2026 and Zenimal Connect on September 16, 2026.

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