Comparison

Zen Squares Meditation Timer vs ExerciseToUse

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

Head to head
About

Zen Squares Meditation Timer

Features
Read full description

Zen Squares is a meditation tracker for people who want accountability, not another guided-meditation app telling them how to breathe. Challenge friends, track your streak, and watch your practice grow. CHALLENGE YOUR FRIENDS Meditation is easier with accountability. Challenge friends to a 7, 14, 21, or 30-day meditation challenge: - Create a challenge in seconds - no accounts needed - Share a link with friends via text or social media - Real-time leaderboard shows who is keeping up - Get notified when friends complete their daily meditation - Celebrate together when the challenge ends Whether it is a 1v1 with your partner or a group challenge with your team, the friendly competition keeps everyone showing up. START WITH A 14-DAY FREE TRIAL - Full Premium access from day one - No credit card required - Cancel anytime VISUALIZE YOUR PRACTICE Inspired by GitHub contribution graphs, watch your meditation streak grow: - Beautiful color-coded squares show your daily meditation - Darker squares mean more meditation time - See patterns emerge over weeks and months - Tap any day to see session details There is something satisfying about filling in those squares. Each one represents you showing up for yourself. CAPTURE INSIGHTS WITHOUT BREAKING FLOW The best insights come when your mind is quiet. Voice notes let you capture them without losing focus: - Record voice notes during or after meditation - AI transcription converts audio to searchable text - Build an archive of your meditation insights - Review what resonated in past sessions No typing, no friction. Just speak and keep meditating. A BEAUTIFUL, SIMPLE TIMER - Start meditating in one tap - No minimum or maximum session length - Set a target or go open-ended - Optional chimes mark goal completion - Ambient sounds or complete silence PREMIUM FEATURES Unlock powerful tools to deepen your practice: Unlimited History - View your complete meditation journey - Free tier shows last 7 days only Voice Notes with AI Transcription - Auto-convert voice notes to searchable text - Fast, accurate, and private Premium Themes - Dark theme for evening meditation - Zen theme with warm gold accents Advanced Insights - Weekday heatmap shows which days you meditate most - Cumulative progress chart tracks total minutes - Time range filters for Week, Month, Year, All Time Data Export - Export all meditation data to CSV - Keep your data forever SMART REMINDERS - Daily reminder notifications - Streak protection alerts - Challenge update notifications PRIVACY FIRST - All meditation data stored locally on your device - Challenge participation is anonymous (device-based) - No ads, no tracking, no data selling - You own your practice, you own your data SUBSCRIPTION PRICING - Monthly: $4.99/month (7-day free trial) - Annual: $49.99/year (7-day free trial, save 17%) - 14-day in-app trial included for new users - Cancel anytime FREE TIER INCLUDES: - Core meditation timer with all sounds - 7-day history and contribution graph - Daily goals and streak tracking - Join challenges created by others - Quotes and session notes --- Built for people who want to build a meditation habit without the fluff. Download Zen Squares and start your streak today. Privacy Policy: https://silentsquares.space/privacy Terms of Service: https://silentsquares.space/terms Support: https://silentsquares.space/support

About

ExerciseToUse

Features
Read full description

Exercise Lock is a focus assistance app that helps you build healthier phone habits through exercise-based unlocking. After you activate a subscription with a 7-day free trial, you can use the full experience: on each day you accumulate at least 10 minutes of walking, running, or cycling recorded in the Health app, the apps you selected will be unlocked automatically. Core Features: - Require selected apps to unlock only after you’ve exercised for at least 10 minutes - Use workout data from the Health app and unlock only after you reach at least 10 minutes of walking, running, or cycling - Automatically lift restrictions once your daily exercise goal is reached - Real-time lock status so you can always see whether you’ve met today’s exercise requirement - Reliable background operation, especially when used with Apple Watch or workout apps that write to Health Subscription Plans: - 7-day free trial (provided via App Store subscription) - Monthly: NT$60 / month - Yearly: NT$600 / year (best value) Your subscription gives you: - Full access to Exercise Lock, including the exercise-before-unlock mechanism - Additional theme colors (such as Light Blue and Light Green) - All future premium theme variations and visual customization features After the free trial ends, your subscription will automatically renew at the selected plan’s price unless canceled beforehand. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in iOS Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions. Exercise Lock is not just about limiting usage β€” it gently nudges you to exercise for at least 10 minutes a day and use your phone in a healthier, more mindful way. Subscription & Privacy - Exercise Lock uses an auto-renewable subscription with a 7-day free trial. After the trial, the subscription renews monthly or yearly according to your chosen plan. You can manage or cancel your subscription in Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions. - The app checks your workouts on-device only and never uploads your health data to any server. - Privacy Policy: https://github.com/bryantlin/exercise-to-use/wiki/EngPrivacy - Terms of Use (EULA): Apple Standard End User License Agreement (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/).

Screenshots

Zen Squares Meditation Timer4 screens
ExerciseToUse1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ExerciseToUse at every 4 days against Zen Squares Meditation Timer's every 11 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Zen Squares Meditation Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and ExerciseToUse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zen Squares Meditation Timer ships an update every 11 days, ExerciseToUse every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Zen Squares Meditation Timer versus ExerciseToUse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZen Squares Meditation TimerExerciseToUse
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS17 β€” better17.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size23 MB40 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRishabh AroraTsung Hung Lin

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Zen Squares Meditation Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Zen Squares Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Zen Squares Premium Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

ExerciseToUse

Subscriptions2
  • Exercise Lock7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Exercise Lock7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Zen Squares Meditation Timer free?
Zen Squares Meditation Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ExerciseToUse free?
ExerciseToUse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Zen Squares Meditation Timer or ExerciseToUse have ads?
Neither Zen Squares Meditation Timer nor ExerciseToUse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zen Squares Meditation Timer or ExerciseToUse?
Zen Squares Meditation Timer ships an update every 11 days, and ExerciseToUse every 4 days. Most recently, Zen Squares Meditation Timer was updated on October 25, 2026 and ExerciseToUse on October 30, 2026.

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