Comparison

Refresher vs Tide

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

Head to head
About

Refresher

Features
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Two minutes, one tap, and a number at the end. No account, no intro course, nothing to sit through first β€” pick a technique and the next breath is already counted. EVERY TECHNIQUE, TIMED TO THE SECOND β€’ Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) β€” steady focus under pressure β€’ 4-7-8 β€” a long exhale, for winding down β€’ Coherent Breathing β€” 5.5 breaths per minute, adjustable β€’ Power Breath by Wim Hof β€” controlled rounds with breath retention β€’ Physiological Sigh β€” double inhale, long exhale β€’ Alternate Nostril β€” classic pranayama, side to side β€’ Extended Exhale β€” the out-breath carries the work β€’ Breath of Joy β€” a three-part inhale, one sharp exhale β€’ Humming Bee β€” inhale for 4, hum the exhale out over 8 β€’ Belly Breathing β€” inhale 4, exhale 6, for as long as you like β€’ Ocean Breath β€” inhale 5, exhale 5, for as long as you like β€’ Breath of Fire β€” short, fast breaths through the nose, in rounds β€’ Timer β€” set a duration and breathe your own way β€’ Builder β€” set every phase to the second and save it as your own preset Some techniques unlock as you practice, or straight away with Premium. MAKE IT YOURS β€’ Visualizations that move with your breath β€’ A voice that counts each phase, in your language β€” English, Russian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, Dutch β€’ Guide each technique by voice, by music, by both, or in silence β€’ Ambient soundscapes, interval bells, and haptics on every phase β€’ Cycles, duration and phase lengths adjust per technique β€’ Zen Mode β€” distraction-free, no gamification β€’ Growth Mode β€” XP, levels, badges, challenges, leaderboard THE NUMBER AT THE END β€’ Heart rate before and after every session (Apple Watch) β€’ HRV trend β€” your HRV alongside the days you practice β€’ Daily, weekly and monthly statistics β€’ Activity heatmap and streak tracking β€’ Pre- and post-session mood β€’ Weekly breathing insights report β€’ Session history with detailed breakdowns β€’ Export and share your results ONE TAP FROM ANYWHERE β€’ Home Screen widgets and a Control Center button β€’ Siri Shortcuts β€’ Apple Watch β€” standalone sessions on your wrist, or mirror an iPhone session β€’ iCloud sync across your devices β€’ Contextual reminders that fit your schedule β€’ 24 badges, daily and weekly challenges, and a global leaderboard β€’ Invite friends and earn rewards together Two minutes is enough to begin. β€”β€”β€” Refresher Premium is offered as auto-renewable subscriptions: β€’ Monthly β€” billed monthly, with a 7-day free trial β€’ Yearly β€” billed annually, with a 7-day free trial Pricing is shown in your local currency on the in-app paywall. Subscriptions auto-renew at the same price as the previous period unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Unused trial time is forfeited when a subscription starts. Privacy Policy: https://tryrefresher.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://tryrefresher.app/terms

About

Tide

Features
Read full description

Tide is a breathing timer, built around your own rhythm. Build a pattern from scratch: set your own hold times, chain together repeatable step sets, and choose whether a session ends after a set number of rounds or after a fixed length of time. Once it's saved, it works exactly like any other pattern in the app. Not sure where to start? Three patterns are ready to go: Box breathing (4-4-4-4): used to reset under pressure. Equal parts inhale, hold, exhale, hold. 4-7-8: a technique for unwinding. A long exhale that signals to your nervous system that it's safe to slow down. Calm (3-2-5-2): a gentle everyday pattern. Slightly longer exhale than inhale, designed for quiet moments and transitions. Tide also runs on Apple Watch. Start a session from your wrist with quick-start presets and rounds mode. Chime and haptic settings sync automatically between your phone and watch. No narration. No scores. Just the rhythm you choose. Tide is made by Quiet Leaf LLC. See what else we're building at quietleaf.dev.

Screenshots

Refresher4 screens
Tide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tide at none against Refresher's 2. Refresher's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Refresher sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Tide asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Refresher ships an update every 11 days, Tide every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Refresher versus Tide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRefresherTide
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 days β€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size160 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYauheni MalashchytskiQuiet Leaf LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Refresher

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$35.991 Year
None

Tide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Refresher free?
Refresher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tide free?
Tide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Refresher or Tide have ads?
Neither Refresher nor Tide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Refresher or Tide?
Refresher ships an update every 11 days, and Tide every 2 months. Most recently, Refresher was updated on October 13, 2026 and Tide on October 7, 2026.

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