Box Breathing Minimal Timer vs BreathZen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Box Breathing Minimal Timer
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Experience calm, focus, and balance with Box Breathing Minimal Timer, a beautifully designed breathing companion inspired by the proven box breathing technique used by athletes, therapists, and high performance professionals. Whether you want to reduce stress, improve sleep, or sharpen concentration, this app helps you build a consistent and mindful breathing habit through gentle visual guidance and a soothing minimalist interface. What Is Box Breathing? Box breathing is a simple yet powerful technique where you inhale, hold, exhale, and hold again for equal counts. This steady rhythm helps activate your body's natural relaxation response and supports a calm, grounded state. Key Features - Guided Breathing Animation A clean expanding and contracting box visually guides your inhale, hold, exhale, and hold phases. - Fully Customizable Breathing Cycles Adjust inhale, hold, and exhale durations to match your experience level. - Minimal and Calming Design A soft, carefully crafted color palette designed to help you relax the moment you open the app. - Optional Sound and Haptic Feedback Follow the breathing rhythm with gentle audio or vibration cues. - Light and Dark Mode A modern interface that adapts seamlessly to your environment. - Simple, Ad Free Experience No distractions. No clutter. Just you and your breath. Why Practice Box Breathing? - Reduce stress and everyday tension - Improve focus and mental clarity - Support emotional balance - Enhance sleep and relaxation - Prepare for workouts or important moments - Build a sustainable daily mindfulness habit Whether you are taking a one minute reset during a busy day or winding down before bed, Box Breathing Minimal Timer helps you reconnect with calm, one breath at a time. Start breathing with intention today.
BreathZen
This app guides your breathing rhythm with gentle audio cues, allowing for practice with closed eyes or a locked screen. It offers several built-in patterns and customizable options for a personalized mindfulness experience.
- Audio-guided breathing rhythms
- Closed-eye and locked-screen practice
- Five built-in breathing patterns
- Customizable inhale, exhale, and hold times
- Practice by rounds or set duration
- Offline functionality
- Optional Apple Health integration
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Close your eyes. You can still follow every breath. BreathZen is a breathing rhythm app designed for quiet practice. Gentle human breath guidance makes inhale and exhale distinct by ear, while holds remain silent. There are no spoken commands and no need to keep watching the screen. FIVE BUILT-IN PATTERNS — FREE • 4-7-8 Breath: a longer exhale for winding down • Box Breathing: four equal phases for a steady rhythm • Coherent Breathing: smooth 5.5-second inhales and exhales • 4-6 Calm Breath: gentle pacing without holds • Morning Wake Breath: an inhale-led rhythm for starting the day MADE FOR CLOSED EYES AND LOCKED SCREENS With sound enabled, your practice continues when the screen locks or you switch apps. The Lock Screen and Control Center show the current phase, pattern, overall progress, and playback state, with pause and resume controls close at hand. A RHYTHM THAT FITS YOU Set inhale, hold, exhale, and rest in half-second steps, up to 60 seconds per phase. Preview the animation and sound while you edit, with live cycle length, breaths per minute, and session duration. Editing and auditioning are free. Saving custom patterns is a one-time purchase, never a subscription. COUNT BREATHS OR SET A TIME Practice by rounds or choose 1–120 minutes. When time is up, BreathZen finishes the last complete breath instead of cutting you off halfway through a phase. Paused time does not count against the session. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, ads, tracking, or analytics SDK. Everyday practice works offline. Optionally save completed sessions to Apple Health as mindful minutes. All five built-in patterns and the complete core practice experience remain free. Custom pattern saving is a one-time unlock. Practice only within a comfortable range. Stop and return to natural breathing if you feel dizzy, strained, or unwell. BreathZen supports general wellness and mindfulness; it does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: BreathZen at Free against Box Breathing Minimal Timer's $2.99. BreathZen also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Box Breathing Minimal Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On 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
BreathZen is free to download; Box Breathing Minimal Timer costs $2.99 up front. BreathZen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Box Breathing Minimal Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Box Breathing Minimal Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, BreathZen weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Box Breathing Minimal Timer | BreathZen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jelmer van Nuss | 松 李 |
In-app purchases
Box Breathing Minimal Timer
No in-app purchases
BreathZen
- Custom Breathing$0.99
Questions
Is Box Breathing Minimal Timer free?
Is BreathZen free?
Do Box Breathing Minimal Timer or BreathZen have ads?
Which is updated more often, Box Breathing Minimal Timer or BreathZen?
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