Comparison

Box Breathing Minimal Timer vs FastZen

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

Head to head
About

Box Breathing Minimal Timer

Features
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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.

About

FastZen

This app helps you manage your fasting schedule with customizable timers and reminders. It offers a recurring weekly routine, a timer that remembers your progress, and a clear view of your active fast. Review your history and track your streaks, all while keeping your data private on your device.

Highlights
  • Customizable fasting schedules
  • Recurring weekly routine setup
  • Live Activities for active fast tracking
  • Detailed fasting history and streaks
  • No account, ads, or server sync
  • Custom Week one-time purchase
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Fast on your schedule without setting it up again every day. Pick your fasting days and start time once β€” FastZen reminds you when it’s time, then keeps elapsed and remaining time on your Lock Screen while the fast runs. SEE THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS Preview your personal schedule before any purchase. With Custom Week, move a start or take a rest day for one date only, without changing the recurring week. Dates and start times follow your local time zone. With a dated exception, reminders cover the next eight weeks and refresh when you open FastZen. SET A RECURRING WEEKLY ROUTINE Choose the days you want to fast and one start time. FastZen schedules repeating local reminders for the selected days. You can change or disable the routine at any time. USE A TIMER THAT KEEPS ITS PLACE Start 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD, or a custom fast from 1 to 48 hours. FastZen calculates elapsed and remaining time from the saved start date and restores an active session when the app opens again. KEEP THE ACTIVE FAST IN VIEW Live Activities show the plan, progress, remaining time and chosen end time when supported by your iPhone. iOS limits each Live Activity to eight active hours; your session remains saved in the app. REVIEW YOUR OWN HISTORY See completed fasts, duration, completion percentage, total fasting time, and streaks. History stays on your device. EVERYTHING STAYS ON YOUR IPHONE No account, ads, server sync, or external analytics. FREE, WITHOUT LIMITS The timer, the weekly routine, local reminders, Live Activities, the whole history, and correcting a finished fast after the fact cost nothing and have no quota. CUSTOM WEEK β€” ONE-TIME PURCHASE Give each weekday its own protocol and its own start time, mark rest days, and start a fast at the hour you planned when you open the app late. One purchase, no subscription, no renewal, no account. Anyone who used FastZen before version 1.1.0 keeps Custom Week at no charge. FastZen is a timer and routine tool. It does not provide medical advice or promise health outcomes.

Screenshots

Box Breathing Minimal Timer4 screens
FastZen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FastZen at Free against Box Breathing Minimal Timer's $2.99. FastZen also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Box Breathing Minimal Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On ads 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

FastZen is free to download; Box Breathing Minimal Timer costs $2.99 up front. FastZen sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Box Breathing Minimal Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Box Breathing Minimal Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, FastZen every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 4 level
Box Breathing Minimal Timer versus FastZen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBox Breathing Minimal TimerFastZen
Price$2.99Free β€” better
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
Monetizationβ€”Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size33 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJelmer van NussBenjamin Dupin

In-app purchases

None

Box Breathing Minimal Timer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

FastZen

One-time3
  • Coffee$0.99
  • Thanks$2.99
  • Support development$4.99

Questions

Is Box Breathing Minimal Timer free?
Box Breathing Minimal Timer costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FastZen free?
FastZen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Box Breathing Minimal Timer or FastZen have ads?
Neither Box Breathing Minimal Timer nor FastZen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Box Breathing Minimal Timer or FastZen?
Box Breathing Minimal Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, and FastZen every 9 days. Most recently, Box Breathing Minimal Timer was updated on September 22, 2026 and FastZen on September 21, 2026.

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