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.
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.
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.
- 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 itβs 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Box Breathing Minimal Timer | FastZen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free β better |
| Positive reviews | β | 100.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No β better | Yes |
| Monetization | β | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 β better | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jelmer van Nuss | Benjamin Dupin |
In-app purchases
Box Breathing Minimal Timer
No in-app purchases
FastZen
- Coffee$0.99
- Thanks$2.99
- Support development$4.99
Questions
Is Box Breathing Minimal Timer free?
Is FastZen free?
Do Box Breathing Minimal Timer or FastZen have ads?
Which is updated more often, Box Breathing Minimal Timer or FastZen?
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