RLX vs BreathGate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RLX
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Digital detox, your way. Less scrolling. More time and breathing room for you. Block distracting apps, set daily limits and schedule quiet hours on your iPhone or iPad. Choose which apps, categories and websites to limit. Every feature in RLX is free, with no subscriptions, paywalls, ads or account required. When you want to unwind, breathing, meditation, journaling and sleep sounds are there for you. YOUR APPS, YOUR BOUNDARIES Choose apps, categories and websites with Apple Screen Time. Block them now, set a daily limit or plan quiet hours. See your agreements together in your day view. Take a brief pause before opening selected apps, or choose a stronger temporary lock. Use the heart to save your favorite breathing, meditation and movement practices. In Your exercises, you’ll find them alongside exercises you’ve recently completed. Your favorites also help shape suggestions in Today and Rest. More room for your thoughts. Type or dictate your notes. Add your own topics and a photo, then revisit everything in Overview. Your journal can be included in your automatic iCloud copy, without syncing. MY EVENING My evening remembers your exercise, favorite sound and sleep timer. Settle in with breathing, a body scan or one of two new visualizations narrated by your chosen iOS voice. Then let the sound continue with your screen locked. Brief guidance is there if you wake in the night, too. In the morning, record how you slept, alongside your sleep recording and available stages from Apple Health if connected. A MOMENT OF CALM, YOUR WAY Take a minute for yourself. Breathe along, follow a short meditation or write about what's on your mind. Choose from 17 breathing rhythms and 18 short text-guided meditations. Make time for a simple movement exercise or a short walk, too. Find what feels right for you today. AGREEMENTS FOR YOUR FAMILY Child Mode gives your child a calm home with breathing and quiet moments. A parent manages the agreements on the child's device with a local PIN. AT HOME ON IPHONE AND IPAD Use the spacious iPad layout or keep a small moment of calm close on iPhone. Light and dark appearances follow your preference. Widgets, Control Center and Shortcuts bring your choices within reach. Saved on your device. With iCloud backup enabled, your journal can also be stored in your own iCloud.
BreathGate
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BreathGate is a calm pause before you open distracting apps — a soft breath between impulse and scroll. BreathGate Premium is a paid subscription. All features described below require a BreathGate Premium subscription (weekly or annual) or the one-time Premium Lifetime purchase. A free trial is available for eligible new subscribers. Not a hard app blocker. Not a multi-minute meditation session. Just enough friction to notice why you reached for your phone. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps that pull you in (Instagram, TikTok, news — your list). 2. When you open one, BreathGate meets you with a quiet breath or cool-down. 3. Optionally tag your intent: Boredom, FOMO, Work, or Habit. 4. Open the app — or walk away. Both choices are yours. Both are logged. KEY FEATURES (included with BreathGate Premium — purchase required) • Soft pause before scrolling — a breath gate, not a lock • Intent chips in one tap (no journaling required) • Walk-away vs open logging so success feels clear • Weekly impulse report with your top triggers • Cool-down option if breath is not your style • Private by default — on-device, no account required • Calm UI: short sentences, no shame, no leaderboards WHY BREATHGATE Most screen time apps either hard-block your day or pile on streaks and scores. BreathGate does one job well: give you a moment to decide. Tagging Boredom, FOMO, Work, or Habit turns each impulse into insight. Your weekly impulse report shows pauses, walk-aways, and which triggers show up most — so you learn patterns, not punishments. PERFECT FOR • Anyone who opens social media on autopilot • People who want digital wellbeing without a digital prison • Users who tried hard blockers and felt trapped • Anyone who wants mindful phone habits with less guilt WHAT BREATHGATE IS NOT • Not a parental-control suite • Not medical treatment for addiction • Not a hard all-day app lock with no way through • Not a long guided meditation app PRIVACY Your pauses, intents, and impulse report stay on your device. No account required to start. You stay in control of Screen Time permissions. Start with a few apps. Take one breath. See how often you walk away. Download BreathGate — a breath between impulse and scroll. SUBSCRIPTION BreathGate requires a paid subscription to use. BreathGate Premium is offered as a weekly or annual auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time Premium Lifetime purchase. Eligible new subscribers can start with a free trial; after the trial the subscription renews automatically at the listed price unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Prices are shown in the app before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions are billed and managed by Apple. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions on your device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://breathgate.avunia.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://breathgate.avunia.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RLX at none against BreathGate's 3. On price, 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
Both are free to download. BreathGate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. RLX asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | RLX | BreathGate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 165 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jan Litjens | Serhan Cetin |
In-app purchases
RLX
No in-app purchases
BreathGate
- BreathGate Premium Weekly3 Days trial$8.997 Days
- BreathGate Premium Annual3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- BreathGate Premium Lifetime$39.99









