Comparison

Nervine vs PulseWave

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

Head to head
About

Nervine

This app offers guided somatic exercises to help regulate your nervous system when feeling anxious, stressed, or fatigued. It provides a variety of short, voice-led practices focusing on breath, grounding, and release, with customizable durations and ambient sounds.

Highlights
  • Voice-guided somatic exercises
  • Mood-based practice selection
  • 30 exercises across 7 categories
  • Five guided programs
  • Progress tracking
  • Customizable exercise length and guidance
  • Ambient soundscapes
Features
Read full description

Nervine is a quiet place to settle your nervous system. Thirty short, voice-guided somatic exercises help you come back into your body when you feel anxious, wired, frozen or simply worn out. Somatic exercises work from the body up: a slow exhale, a low hum, a gentle shake, feet on the floor. Nervine guides you through each one so you can close your eyes and follow along. HOW DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW? Pick what is true in this moment: anxious, wired, frozen, shut down, tired or overwhelmed. Nervine suggests a practice that fits, and you can begin with one tap. 30 SOMATIC EXERCISES IN 7 FAMILIES • Vagal toning: voo sound, humming, gargle, ocean breath, lion's breath • Orienting: room orienting, soft gaze, near and far, slow head turns, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding • Discharge: standing shake, TRE-style leg tremor, pandiculation, wet dog shake • Breath: physiological sigh, extended exhale (4:8), box breath, 4-7-8, diaphragmatic breathing • Grounding: feet on the ground, hand on heart, butterfly tap, body scan • Release: jaw release, face softening, shoulder drops, hip opener • Activation: ear rub, cold water on the face, temple press Every exercise comes with its own hand-drawn botanical illustration and calm, paced voice guidance. FIVE GUIDED PROGRAMS • First Week: a gentle 7-day introduction • Before Sleep Wind-Down: 5 evenings to let the day go • Morning Orientation: 7 mornings to arrive in your body • Vagus Activation: 10 days of vagal toning • Release Stored Tension: 14 days of shaking, stretching and letting go NOTICE THE CHANGE Before and after each session, rate your tension, energy and calm. Nervine shows you the difference, so you learn which practices actually help you. MAKE IT YOURS • Choose the length: 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes • Choose the guidance: full, minimal or off • Ambient soundscapes: rain, stream and birds, or binaural tones • Calming background scenes • A gentle daily reminder WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS We keep this honest. In a study published in Cell Reports Medicine (Balban et al., 2023), five minutes a day of cyclic sighing, a breath with a long exhale, improved mood and lowered breathing rate. A review in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (Zaccaro et al., 2018) linked slow breathing to higher heart-rate variability. Cool water on the face triggers the dive reflex, which slows the heart. Nervine builds its practices around simple mechanisms like these. Nervine is a wellness tool for everyday stress and tension. It is not a medical device and does not replace care from a qualified professional. SUBSCRIPTION Nervine is free to download. Full access to all exercises, programs and features requires a subscription, which begins with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account when the free trial ends, or at confirmation of purchase if you subscribe without a trial. Your subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Canceling during the free trial means you will not be charged. Privacy Policy: https://www.easytech-agency.net/privacy/nervine Terms of Use: https://www.easytech-agency.net/terms/nervine

About

PulseWave

Features
Read full description

Follow the orb at a steady 5–5 breathing rhythm (six breaths per minute). Choose a 30-, 60-, or 120-second Guided Reset, then explore longer breathing sessions when you want. Choose 30, 60, or 120 seconds. Follow the orb at a steady 5–5 rhythm, with optional sound and haptics. Finish the pause, then return to what you were doing. GO DEEPER WHEN YOU WANT TO - Guided practices: follow tapping points step by step, choose a longer meditation, or explore hypnosis journeys while staying in control. - Night routines: combine narrated sleep sessions, wind-down programs, journaling, and soft sounds. - Make it yours: mix a live soundscape, use private mood check-ins, and notice patterns over time. TWO WAYS TO BREATHE Guided Reset is the immediate option: start a default 5–5 rhythm for 30, 60, or 120 seconds. Breathing Sessions are the deeper option, with more protocols, longer durations, voice, haptic, and sound choices. FREE AND PREMIUM Breathwork is free to start. Premium unlocks the deeper library, custom sound creator, offline-friendly tools, and private coaching features. PRIVACY BY CHOICE No advertising or cross-app tracking. No named account is required. Journal and mood entries stay on the device by default and sync only after separate consent. PulseWave uses an anonymous Firebase identity and RevenueCat for requested account and subscription functionality. PulseWave is a wellness app, not a medical device or clinical service. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. If you have a medical, cardiovascular, sleep, or mental health concern, consult a qualified professional. PulseWave Premium is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewable subscription. New eligible users may start the annual plan with a 7-day free trial; the monthly plan has no free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.highroadsoftware.com/apps/pulsewave/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://www.highroadsoftware.com/apps/pulsewave/terms.html

Screenshots

Nervine4 screens
PulseWave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PulseWave at none against Nervine's shown. PulseWave also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Nervine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and PulseWave sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nervine ships an update every 5 weeks, PulseWave weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Nervine versus PulseWave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNervinePulseWave
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB218 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAlexis RaimbaultHighRoad Software

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nervine

Subscriptions2
  • Nervine Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Nervine Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
2 purchases

PulseWave

Subscriptions2
  • PulseWave Premium Monthly14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • PulseWave Premium Yearly14 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Nervine free?
Nervine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PulseWave free?
PulseWave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Nervine or PulseWave have ads?
Nervine shows ads; PulseWave does not.
Which is updated more often, Nervine or PulseWave?
Nervine ships an update every 5 weeks, and PulseWave weekly. Most recently, Nervine was updated on October 25, 2026 and PulseWave on October 31, 2026.

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