Comparison

Sorta Zen vs Stillness

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

Head to head
About

Sorta Zen

This app provides a minimalist meditation timer with optional background sounds and interval bells. It focuses on a simple, distraction-free experience without gamification or tracking features. Designed for quiet contemplation, it offers a straightforward way to practice mindfulness.

Highlights
  • Meditation timer
  • Background sounds
  • Interval bells
  • Ad-free experience
  • No user accounts
  • Distraction-free interface
Features
Read full description

It’s a meditation app. Eventually, you meditate. If you need a little help getting there, you can start with Touchscreen Meditation or a short daily talk. Then the app shuts up. The timer, Touchscreen Meditation, background sounds, and interval bells are free. The first 10 daily talks are free too. After that, the talks are an optional $20/year subscription that renews until canceled. There are no courses to complete. No libraries to browse. No streaks, badges, leaderboards, notifications, user accounts, mood tracking, sleep stories, ads, or little graphs implying you’re becoming a better person. Just a simple place to sit quietly for a while. Enlightenment not guaranteed. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.sortazen.com/privacy

About

Stillness

This app provides a simple, distraction-free timer for meditation practice. Customize session length and interval bell frequency to maintain focus and presence. Control playback easily from your lock screen without unlocking your device.

Highlights
  • Customizable session length
  • Optional interval bells
  • Start and end bells
  • Lock screen controls
  • Distraction-free interface
Features
Read full description

A beautiful meditation timer. Pay once – no account, no subscription, no ads. Every new sound and feature is free. Set your time, choose your bells, close your eyes. Stillness takes care of the rest. INTERVAL BELLS - A gentle bell to begin and end each session - Optional interval bells at whatever spacing you like, so you never need to open your eyes to check the time - Session length set to the minute or second SAVE YOUR FAVOURITES - Save the sessions you use most – length, bells and sound - Start your usual practice with a single tap - Synced through iCloud across your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch AMBIENT SOUNDS - Forest Rainfall, Gentle Waves and Warm Fireplace - Or switch them off for pure silence APPLE WATCH - Start a session from your wrist and leave your iPhone behind - Full mode: bells and ambient sound through headphones or a speaker - Simple mode: a soft tap on your wrist and a quiet chime, nothing to connect - Save sessions and start your favourites right from the watch - Adjust volume with the Digital Crown - Your timer keeps running with your wrist down and the screen off DESIGNED TO REDUCE DISTRACTION - Pause and resume from your Lock Screen or Control Centre - Works beautifully on iPhone and iPad Breathe. Focus. Meditate.

Screenshots

Sorta Zen4 screens
Stillness4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sorta Zen at Free against Stillness's $0.99. Sorta Zen also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Stillness's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Sorta Zen is free to download; Stillness costs $0.99 up front. Sorta Zen sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $20.00 per year. Stillness asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sorta Zen ships an update weekly, Stillness monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sorta Zen versus Stillness: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSorta ZenStillness
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB110 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPatrick GriffithTyler Ferrington

Customer experience

Sorta Zen

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Stillness

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sorta Zen

Subscriptions1
  • Food For Non-Thought1 Month trial$20.001 Year
None

Stillness

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sorta Zen free?
Sorta Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stillness free?
Stillness costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sorta Zen or Stillness have ads?
Neither Sorta Zen nor Stillness shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sorta Zen or Stillness?
Sorta Zen ships an update weekly, and Stillness monthly. Most recently, Sorta Zen was updated on October 24, 2026 and Stillness on October 25, 2026.

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