Comparison

Wim Hof Method vs Paced Breathing

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

Head to head
About

Wim Hof Method

This comprehensive wellness tool guides you through daily breathing exercises, cold exposure, and mind-powering practices. Experience increased energy, reduced stress, better sleep, and faster recovery through scientifically validated techniques. It's your personal guide to a stress-free life and enhanced resilience.

Highlights
  • Guided breathing exercises
  • Cold exposure practices
  • Mind power exercises
  • Guided meditations
  • Progress tracking calendar
  • Community connection
  • Audio content
Features
Read full description

This new comprehensive wellness tool is your guide to daily sessions of breathing exercises, cold exposure, and mind-powering practices. Witness a transformative impact on your life, leading to increased energy, reduced stress, better sleep, and expedited recovery. It is more than just a breathing app, it is your guide to the Wim Hof Method practice and a stress-free life. Discover the transformative power of the Wim Hof Method, backed by extensive scientific research. This unique approach to wellness influences your immune and autonomic nervous systems, along with the critical mind-body connection, bolstering physical strength and mental resilience. Across decades of dancing with the cold, the Iceman set 26 world records and broke a Guinness World Record 18 times. Grounded in rigorous studies, the Wim Hof Method isn't just a wellness practice; it's a scientifically validated pathway to enhanced health, well-being, and resilience. Experience its impact today.. BREATHING EXERCISES • Increase energy, alkalize the body, stimulate the vagus nerve, activate brown fat, and achieve calm sleep through various guided breathing techniques • Immerse yourself in the breathwork practices with the help of Wim Hof's voice, and connect with your breath • Suit your needs with the fully customized Guided Breathing bubble - pre-set the rounds and connect to your Spotify or Apple Music playlist COLD EXPOSURE • Boost immunity and reduce inflammation with cold water therapy practices • Have cold become your warm friend through your daily Guided Cold Showers, Guided Ice Baths, Feet, or Hands-in-Ice practices! • Increase your cold tolerance with the 20-Day Cold Shower Challenge and watch your sleep deepen effortlessly POWER OF THE MIND • Improve focus, resilience, and discipline with the power of the mind exercises • Create routines that support your well-being with Wim's Challenges • Increase strength and flexibility with Body weight and Equipment exercises GUIDED MEDITATIONS • Find your equilibrium among the business of modern life with Guided Meditations directly from Wim AUDIO • Find out what is on Wim´s mind through Contemplations • Immerse yourself in real stories through the Iceman Speaks • Discover the method through the 30-Day Audio Challenge E-LEARNING & CONTENT • Access your purchased Video Courses all in one place • Explore the exciting world of Wim through our Comic RESULTS & CALENDAR • Track your swift improvement over time with a clear Calendar & Bar Chart overview for each exercise • Cold plunge, breathwork, and exercise counter • Every step of your journey is celebrated with achievement Badges, serving as motivational milestones COMMUNITY • Connect with our global community for encouragement by sharing your progress with fellow Hofers • Celebrate your commitment with your friends and family by keeping them up to date with your achievements “A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away.” Wim Hof Elevate your sense of calm, enhance mindfulness, and achieve mental clarity and focus like the Iceman with the Wim Hof Method app. Subscription Terms & Conditions We offer Supporter Monthly and Supporter Yearly subscription plans, both give you access to the same premium features. Both subscription plans renew automatically and are charged either on a monthly or a yearly basis, respectively. A 7-day free trial is available for the Supporter Yearly plan. Pricing per country may vary, and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/https://www.wimhofmethod.com/privacy-policyPrivacy Policy https://www.wimhofmethod.com/privacy-policy Feedback: support@wimhofmethod.com

About

Paced Breathing

This app guides users through breathing exercises using visual, audio, and haptic cues. It helps with stress relief, meditation, lung strengthening, and falling asleep. Join thousands of users who find daily calm and improved well-being.

Highlights
  • Adjustable inhale, hold, exhale timing
  • Visual, audio, and haptic cues
  • Heart monitoring (heart rate, HRV, coherence)
  • Ramp mode for gradual timing changes
  • Session tracking and streaks
  • Background playback
Features
Read full description

Featured in James Nestor’s best-selling book, Breath, Paced Breathing uses visual, audio and haptic cues to guide you through your practice. Whether meditating, strengthening your lungs or simply relaxing - join the thousands who love using Paced Breathing everyday! USES * Relieve Stress * Meditate — (especially good for Kundalini, Hatha, Pranayama) * Strengthen Lungs — (improve lung capacity & aid recovery) * Falling Asleep FEATURES * Adjustable timing for inhale, hold, exhale, & hold * Heart monitoring: heart rate, HRV, & coherence (PB+) * Ramp mode: gradually change breath times * Visual, audio, & vibrate cues * Reminders / notifications (PB+) * Background playback * Playlists for multiple breath presets * Streaks, goals, & session tracking (PB+) HEALTH BENEFITS Regular breathing practices have been shown to help improve your: * Cardiovascular health [1][2][3] * Relaxation [2] * Stress responses [1][4][5] * Mood [1] * Attention [4] * Alzheimer's risk [6] FROM THE DEVELOPER I’m Mihai, an engineer born in Romania & raised in Michigan. My ideal day is working on apps to help others, like Paced Breathing. Someday I hope I can work on apps like these full time! Hearing from users makes my day, so shoot me an email with requests, bugs, things you like, or just your story: mihai@pacedbreathing.com! USER FEEDBACK * "The best breathing app out there (I've tried 12 apps, this is the only one that works for me). I have recommended it to over 100 people over the 7 years I've been using it. I use it at least 5 x a week. Gives me instant calm" — R. Hall * "LOVE this app. Very simple and easy to use. You can set time for inhale, exhale, and pause after each if you wish. You can watch it or listen…Thank you! Ads Not intrusive. Ads turn off when the app is active” — Denise * "This is a wonderfully simple app. The default sound tone is just right for me and I like that I get to set the volume and it stays there whether or not the volume of the phone ring or other apps are different" — Eleanor * "I've never written something like this in a review but... I love whoever wrote this app :-) Gets to the point in 0.2 s. No long annoying splash screens. No attempts to extort money... Super reliable, simple and 100% effective. I was looking for something that would let me take some breaks during normal meditation to do some controlled breathing, for example our most natural pattern - continuous 5.5 s inhale, 5.5 exhale. works perfect! BRAVO. A lesson to all developers how to make useful apps!" — Adam CITATIONS * [1] Study published in Front Public Health (2017) shows slow rhythmic breathing decreased blood pressure response to stress & improved mood: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5575449 * [2] Study in PLOS ONE (2019) shows slow paced breathing can improve relaxation & cardiovascular function: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0218550 * [3] Study in American Journal of Cardiology (2002) shows slow, paced breathing can significantly reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16129818/ * [4] Study in Frontiers in Psychology (2017) shows diaphragmatic breathing improves attention, reduces negative affect, & lowers stress in healthy adults: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874/full * [5] Study in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2005) shows benefits of Sudarshan Kriya, a specific yogic breathing practice, in treating stress, anxiety, & depression: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2005.11.189 * [6] Study in Nature Scientific Reports (2023) shows slow paced breathing counters pathways that lead to Alzheimer’s disease: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-30167-0 DISCLAIMER App not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent medical conditions. Consult a healthcare professional before starting a breathing practice, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

Screenshots

Wim Hof Method4 screens
Paced Breathing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Wim Hof Method at none against Paced Breathing's shown. Wim Hof Method also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 244) and chart position (#188 vs unranked). Paced Breathing's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 76%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Wim Hof Method sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Paced Breathing sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Wim Hof Method against 4.9 for Paced Breathing. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wim Hof Method has 14K ratings behind it against 244, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Wim Hof Method's written reviews are positive against 84% of Paced Breathing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wim Hof Method ships an update fortnightly, Paced Breathing every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Wim Hof Method versus Paced Breathing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWim Hof MethodPaced Breathing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (14K ratings)4.9 (244 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews84.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14K — better244
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#188 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size208 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWHM ServicesPaced Breathing LLC

Customer experience

Wim Hof Method

All ratings13,689 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews848 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral5.4%
Negative18.6%

Paced Breathing

All ratings235 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.9%

Bugs and requests

Wim Hof Method

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login and registration issues
  • Guided breathing not working
  • Retention timer bugs
  • Syncing and data loss problems
  • Crashes and performance issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable breathing sessions
  • Offline access to content
  • Better Apple Watch integration
  • More detailed progress tracking
  • Community and social features

Paced Breathing

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Wim Hof Method

Subscriptions5
  • Weekly Supporter$2.997 Days
  • Supporter Monthly$5.991 Month
  • WHM Full Access - Quarterly$12.493 Months
Show 2 more
  • Supporter Yearly7 Days trial$42.991 Year
  • WHM Full Access - Yearly$98.991 Year
One-time2
  • StopwatchFree
  • 30 Days Audio Challenge$26.99
4 purchases

Paced Breathing

Subscriptions4
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 month)$1.991 Month
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 month)$3.991 Month
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 year)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • PacedBreathing+ (1 year)7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Wim Hof Method free?
Wim Hof Method is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paced Breathing free?
Paced Breathing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Wim Hof Method or Paced Breathing?
Paced Breathing is rated higher. Wim Hof Method averages 4.9 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Paced Breathing averages 4.9 from 244 ratings.
Do Wim Hof Method or Paced Breathing have ads?
Paced Breathing shows ads; Wim Hof Method does not.
Which is updated more often, Wim Hof Method or Paced Breathing?
Wim Hof Method ships an update fortnightly, and Paced Breathing every 2 weeks. Most recently, Wim Hof Method was updated on November 10, 2026 and Paced Breathing on November 7, 2026.

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