Comparison

Simple Zazen Timer vs Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

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

Head to head
About

Simple Zazen Timer

This app provides a minimalist timer for meditation and mindfulness practice. Its elegant design and simple interface promote calm and focus during timed sessions. It's ideal for daily meditation or any activity requiring a gentle, timed reminder.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Simple user interface
  • Gong sound
  • Timed sessions
  • Daily practice support
Features
Read full description

"Thank you for sharing with us, meditators, this timer. It is our company along the silent way." "In a world of increasing complexity, simple is beautiful. With an elegant design and minimal user interface, this app captures just what meditation is about: calm, peace, mindfulness and self-awareness. Recommended for daily practice, or as a gentle reminder for any timed period of activity or rest, Simple Zazen Timer was a pleasure to find." Gong sound https://www.freesound.org/s/2166/

About

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

This app provides a minimalist and focused timer for various meditation practices, including Zen and Zazen. It offers multiple profiles, detailed statistics, customizable chimes, and reminders to support your mindfulness journey. Integration with Apple's Health app is also available.

Highlights
  • Multiple user profiles
  • Detailed session statistics
  • Collection of chimes
  • Open and silent session options
  • Multiple themes
  • Practice reminders
  • Apple Health integration
Features
Read full description

Namaste for Meditation is the perfect timer for zen and zazen, any kind of meditation, really. It gives you only what is absolutely necessary during your meditation sessions. It's simple, focused, and minimalist. You can take advantage of features, such as: - multiple profiles - detailed statistics - a collection of chimes - open and silent sessions - several themes to fit your practice - reminders to remind you of your practice - integration with Apple's Health application You can choose from a variety of configuration settings to guide you through your meditation sessions. Even though it comes with plenty of options, it's simple to use. I'm sure you're going to love it. Namaste Premium is an optional, yearly subscription that you can purchase to unlock additional features. The payment for Namaste Premium is charged to your iTunes account. Your iTunes account is charged for renewal 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can disable the automatic renewal of your subscription at any time by visiting the settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. The current price for Namaste Premium is $9.99 USD per year. This may vary from country to country. Namaste's Privacy Policy: https://zenfoundry.co/privacy-policy/ Namaste's Terms and Conditions: https://zenfoundry.co/terms-and-conditions/

Screenshots

Simple Zazen Timer3 screens
Simple Zazen Meditation Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Simple Zazen Meditation Timer at Free against Simple Zazen Timer's $3.99. Simple Zazen Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 22). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support 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

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer is free to download; Simple Zazen Timer costs $3.99 up front. Simple Zazen Meditation Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Simple Zazen Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Zazen Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Zazen Timer has 1.2K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Simple Zazen Timer's written reviews are positive against 92% of Simple Zazen Meditation Timer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Zazen Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, Simple Zazen Meditation Timer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Simple Zazen Timer versus Simple Zazen Meditation Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Zazen TimerSimple Zazen Meditation Timer
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better4.5 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better22
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPawel UrbanekBart Jacobs

Customer experience

Simple Zazen Timer

All ratings1,157 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive86.1%
Neutral6.1%
Negative7.8%

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

All ratings22 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Simple Zazen Timer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Timer not working on screen lock
  • No sound when timer ends

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable chime sounds
  • More interval options
  • Integration with Health/Fitness apps
  • Dark mode theme
  • Longer chime duration

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Simple Zazen Timer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Simple Zazen Meditation Timer

Subscriptions3
  • Namaste Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Namaste Premium$14.991 Year
  • Namaste Premium Yearly$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Simple Zazen Timer free?
Simple Zazen Timer costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Zazen Meditation Timer free?
Simple Zazen Meditation Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Zazen Timer or Simple Zazen Meditation Timer?
Simple Zazen Timer is rated higher. Simple Zazen Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Simple Zazen Meditation Timer averages 4.5 from 22 ratings.
Do Simple Zazen Timer or Simple Zazen Meditation Timer have ads?
Neither Simple Zazen Timer nor Simple Zazen Meditation Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Zazen Timer or Simple Zazen Meditation Timer?
Simple Zazen Timer ships an update every 3 weeks, and Simple Zazen Meditation Timer fortnightly. Most recently, Simple Zazen Timer was updated on November 11, 2026 and Simple Zazen Meditation Timer on November 3, 2026.

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