Comparison

Plena Biofeedback vs Coherence

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

Head to head
About

Plena Biofeedback

Features
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Plena: The Only Mindfulness App with Stress Zones, Intentions, and Readiness Scores Start mindfulness sessions from your Apple Watch with live sensor streaming to iPhone. Set an intention before each session, see real-time stress zone classification as you practice, then reflect afterward. Track daily readiness with a score showing exactly which metrics help or hinder recovery. What Makes Plena Different - WATCH-FIRST: Start from Apple Watch with live data streaming to iPhone - STRESS ZONES: See Calm/Optimal/Elevated zones update in real-time - INTENTIONS + REFLECTIONS: Set goals before, record insights after - READINESS BREAKDOWN: Daily score with metric contributions explained - MIND-BREATH-BODY: Built on the triangle of HR, HRV, and respiration - PRIVACY-FIRST: Health data stays on your device, never shared The Triangle: Mind, Breath, Body The triangle represents the three core rhythms of human calm: - Heart Rate reflects moment-to-moment activity - HRV shows adaptability and stress balance - Breath regulates the entire system When in harmony, they create balance. That's what Plena measures in real time. Real-Time Stress Zone Classification Color-coded zones during sessions: - Calm Zone - Relaxed, low-stress state - Optimal Zone - Balanced, functioning well - Elevated Zone - Higher stress response Key Features Biometric Tracking - Heart Rate, HRV/SDNN, Respiratory Rate - Body Temperature, VO2 Max Apple Watch Integration - Start sessions directly from Watch - Live sensor sync to iPhone - Zone indicators on wrist - Works independently from iPhone Dashboard and Analytics - Session statistics, streaks, trends - Interactive graphs (Day/Week/Month/Year) - HRV insights and pattern recognition Session Flow - Pre-session intention setting - Post-session reflections - Automatic saving and summaries Readiness Score Daily score (0-100) combining Resting HR, HRV Balance, Temperature, Recovery, and Sleep. View contributor breakdowns and compare to yesterday. Privacy All data stored locally using Apple's HealthKit. No third-party sharing. Requirements - iOS 17.0+, Apple Watch Series 4+ (optional) - HealthKit permissions required Medical Disclaimer Plena is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Readings are for wellness purposes only. Consult healthcare professionals for medical advice. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Coherence

Features
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Become the CEO of your life. Coherence trains the skill that lets you make the right decision every time, no matter how much pressure you are under. It is the quiet edge of top business executives, professional athletes and elite military operators: training the nervous system so that when life happens, you self-regulate quickly and effectively instead of reacting. This is not just stress relief. It is an upgrade to your quality of life, so you thrive everywhere and all the time: in the boardroom, on the field, and in your everyday relationships. The method is coherence breathing. A few minutes a day at your resonant frequency, usually around 5 to 6 breaths a minute, while you watch your heart rate variability (HRV) respond. Practiced daily, calm under pressure stops being luck and becomes a reflex. Coherence is a first of its kind tool that meets anyone where they are. Breathe along with no sensor at all, or connect state of the art hardware and see your heart and brain respond to every breath. It is beginner and clinician friendly alike. You can go as deep as you want. WHAT IT DOES FOR YOU - Stay clear and decisive under pressure, in the boardroom and on the field. - Show up better in your relationships: more patient, present and grounded. - Bounce back in minutes when life throws something at you. - Wake up knowing whether to push hard or go easy, from your own HRV readiness. - Shift gears on demand before a big meeting, a hard conversation, or sleep. - Build a streak and watch your scores climb as your nervous system grows more resilient. - Know your number: Coherence finds your own resonant breathing rate instead of guessing. LIVE HRV BIOFEEDBACK A glowing orb paces every inhale and exhale. As your heart rhythm locks into coherence, it lights up. Your live heart rate, HRV and coherence score sit right under it, with haptic and sound cues so you can close your eyes. HRV READINESS Know how recovered you are before the day starts. A quick morning reading from your strap, Muse, phone camera or Apple Watch compares your HRV with your own rolling baseline and tells you plainly: well recovered, right on baseline, or go easy today. Each reading adds RMSSD, lnRMSSD, SDNN, pNN50, stress index and LF/HF, and your trend builds over months. No separate readiness app needed. FIVE WAYS TO TRAIN - Strap and Muse: heart strap plus Muse headband for the cleanest heart and brain picture. - Heart strap: Polar H10 and other Bluetooth heart rate straps, with true ECG on the Polar H10. - Muse: brain and heart from one headband. - Camera: fingertip on the lens, no extra gear. - Just breathe: no sensor at all. Follow the pacer anywhere. BREATHWORK, YOUR WAY Follow a proven routine like box breathing, 4-7-8, CO2 tolerance or power breathing rounds, or build your own. Set every inhale, hold, exhale, repeat and round, save it, and run it with live feedback on every phase. BREATHE WITH SOMEONE Share a code and breathe in sync with a partner, a client, or a friend, in the same room or across the world. One shared rhythm, and you both see each other's coherence settle. EVERY METRIC THAT MATTERS Each session ends with a full breakdown you can read at a glance or study in depth: - Coherence score and time in the coherence zone - Heart rate and HRV (RMSSD) - SDNN and pNN50 - LF power, HF power and the LF/HF ratio - Stress index - Estimated breathing rate and your resonance pace - Muse alpha and theta bands, compared with your own baseline - Session to session comparison so you can see what changed PROGRESS THAT KEEPS YOU GOING Day streaks, best scores, total minutes and 30 day, 90 day and yearly trends. Difficulty levels from Easy to Legendary keep raising the bar as you improve. APPLE HEALTH With your permission, Coherence saves mindful minutes and measured heart rate and HRV to Apple Health. Coherence is for personal wellness and breathing practice. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Screenshots

Plena Biofeedback4 screens
Coherence4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Coherence at none against Plena Biofeedback's 2. Coherence also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Plena Biofeedback sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Coherence asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plena Biofeedback ships an update every 6 weeks, Coherence daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Plena Biofeedback versus Coherence: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlena BiofeedbackCoherence
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksDaily โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS17.615.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size19 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth NygrenOutliyr

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Plena Biofeedback

Subscriptions2
  • Plena Premium (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Premium Annual$59.991 Year
None

Coherence

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plena Biofeedback free?
Plena Biofeedback is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Coherence free?
Coherence is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Plena Biofeedback or Coherence have ads?
Neither Plena Biofeedback nor Coherence shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plena Biofeedback or Coherence?
Plena Biofeedback ships an update every 6 weeks, and Coherence daily. Most recently, Plena Biofeedback was updated on November 5, 2026 and Coherence on November 10, 2026.

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