Comparison

Shaolin Meditation vs Empathize, by PETA

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

Head to head
About

Shaolin Meditation

Discover traditional Buddhist and Taoist meditation techniques and Qi Gong exercises from Shaolin monks. This app offers a detailed guide, natural soundscapes, and progress tracking to enhance mindfulness, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being.

Highlights
  • Traditional Buddhist and Taoist meditation techniques
  • Gentle moving Qi Gong exercises
  • Detailed 40-page instructional guide
  • Natural sound effects and ambient sounds
  • Progress tracking for silent meditation
  • Integration with Apple Health (Mindful Minutes)
Features
Read full description

Written and developed by a practitioner of internal arts, this application introduces highly effective traditional Buddhist and Taoist meditation techniques which are practiced by Shaolin monks in China, along with gentle moving Qi Gong exercises, in order to achieve peacefulness of mind, improve health and the quality of life, reduce stress, heal chronic sicknesses including tumors and cancers, learn to better understand yourself and people around, improve focus and concentration, expand awareness and sensitivity far beyond the common human range, learn to refine and purify internal energy (Qi), learn to understand deeper aspects of the mind, follow the intuition and inner knowledge, get in touch with the higher-self, the Tao and the secrets of the Universe. Most of these techniques have their roots in Taoist alchemical meditation and Qi Gong and have been practiced by Taoist and Buddhist masters for centuries. Whether you are a beginner interested in starting meditation and inner cultivation practices, or an advanced practitioner seeking to increase the depth of your knowledge and make your practices more consistent and regular, we've created a very detailed 40-page long meditation guide consisting of very condensed, highly valuable, refined by thousands of years of practice, information, accompanied by illustrations and energy flow charts. The details shared in some parts of this guide, can be very difficult to come by, even after studying numerous classic and modern books on the subject. Some of the techniques described in the app contain ancient secrets that haven't been revealed to public until the last 2-3 decades, many of which are still not openly shared even now. This app features a simple and intuitive interface with beautiful natural sound effects of recorded traditional Chinese instruments used by Buddhist monks during meditation, rhythmic sound of a Buddhist wooden block and a Taoist shamanic drum, bells and chimes, sea waves, water stream, a Tibetan singing bowl, as well as, a unique meditation method with a live burning candle. The configurability of the app makes it easy to be used for a variety of meditation methods, and our detailed in-depth instructions will allow you to bypass guided meditation altogether and save you much time that you would spend on researching genuine, reliable meditation techniques. An important and unique feature of this app is the ability to track your progress of silent meditation over the years of practice and inspire your continuous personal growth. As an optional feature, the app is integrated with Apple Health (HealthKit) and records your meditation statistics as Mindful Minutes. Instructional guide covers the following aspects in great detail: - posture - breathing - achieving inner silence - sitting and standing meditation techniques, from a beginning to a very advanced levels - Qi energy circulation and cultivation accompanied by energy flow charts - lifestyle and health advice and answers to many questions that may arise during your practices These techniques, when practiced regularly, will increase your overall energy level, improve your mood, mental and physical health, slow down your aging, improve your performance in sports and martial arts, reduce or eliminate your stress. improve your sense of intuition and will reconnect you with the nature, help you discover and come in touch with your deeper, mysterious self and align your being with the forces of the Universe and the Tao. If you want to start meditating and you have already heard of its benefits but don't know the proper techniques, or you've already tried different meditation methods, but feel that there is more to meditation than simply relaxing or listening to a soothing music or voice, or maybe you are already experienced in meditation and want to learn traditional Buddhist and advanced techniques and have a handy meditation timer which track your progress, this app is designed for people like you.

About

Empathize, by PETA

This guided meditation program helps users cultivate empathy and compassion. It focuses on extending kindness to all sentient beings, with a special emphasis on chickens, highlighting their mistreatment. The app is designed for educational purposes to enhance mental well-being.

Highlights
  • Guided loving-kindness meditation
  • Empathy building exercises
  • Compassion for sentient beings
  • Focus on animal welfare
  • Mental well-being enhancement
  • Educational content
Features
Read full description

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It’s the basis of all caring relationships, and it’s important for our mental well-being. “Empathize by PETA” is a guided loving-kindness meditation program developed to help you build empathy. This short meditation series will show you how to connect with your empathy and extend the feelings of kindness and compassion associated with it to all sentient beings, especially chickens, who are among the most abused animals on Earth. PETA’s Empathize app is designed for informational and educational purposes and not intended to provide, and should not be relied on by a user to secure, any medical opinion, advice, diagnosis, treatment, or other services.

Screenshots

Shaolin Meditation4 screens
Empathize, by PETA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Empathize, by PETA at Free against Shaolin Meditation's $6.99. Empathize, by PETA also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months). Shaolin Meditation's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (28 vs 4). On ads, 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

Empathize, by PETA is free to download; Shaolin Meditation costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shaolin Meditation holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shaolin Meditation has 28 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shaolin Meditation ships an update every 4 months, Empathize, by PETA every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shaolin Meditation versus Empathize, by PETA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShaolin MeditationEmpathize, by PETA
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (28 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB44 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAlex MaximPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Customer experience

Shaolin Meditation

All ratings28 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Empathize, by PETA

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shaolin Meditation

No in-app purchases

None

Empathize, by PETA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shaolin Meditation free?
Shaolin Meditation costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Empathize, by PETA free?
Empathize, by PETA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shaolin Meditation or Empathize, by PETA?
Shaolin Meditation is rated higher. Shaolin Meditation averages 5.0 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Empathize, by PETA averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Shaolin Meditation or Empathize, by PETA have ads?
Neither Shaolin Meditation nor Empathize, by PETA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shaolin Meditation or Empathize, by PETA?
Shaolin Meditation ships an update every 4 months, and Empathize, by PETA every 5 days. Most recently, Shaolin Meditation was updated on October 24, 2026 and Empathize, by PETA on October 24, 2026.

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