How to choose a breathing app

What should a breathing app do?

Use this list on any app, ours included. A good one:

1. Guides the breath, not just a timer. Clear counts for in, hold and out, and a visual you can follow.
2. Works with your eyes closed. Soft tones or a haptic tap at each change of breath, so you can use it on a train or in bed.
3. Has the well-studied breaths. Slow breathing near 6 breaths a minute has the most research behind it (Laborde et al. 2022). A longer out-breath and box breathing are useful extras.
4. Starts in two taps. When you’re tense, you won’t browse a library.
5. Works offline and without an account. A breath shouldn’t need a login or a signal.
6. Is honest about evidence. No cures, no “instant calm”. Watch for big promises.
7. Keeps it comfortable. Short sessions, no pressure, no guilt about streaks.
8. Has a clear price. What’s free, what’s a subscription, what’s a one-off, and how to cancel.
9. Respects your privacy. It should tell you plainly what it collects and why.

Which breathing apps are worth a look?

These are well-known, and each is good at something different. Details are from each app’s own store listing or website in November 2026; prices and features change, so check before you pay.

App	Good at	Cost and devices
Apple Mindfulness (Breathe)	Simple paced breathing on your wrist, 4 to 10 breaths a minute, with haptics	Free, built into Apple Watch
The Breathing App	Resonance breathing at about 5 to 7 breaths a minute, with adjustable ratios	Free core sessions and a subscription; iPhone, iPad and Android; no account needed
Breathwrk	Short guided exercises for stress, sleep, focus and energy, with haptics	Free tier and a subscription; iPhone and Android
Othership	Breathwork sessions set to music, calming or energising	Membership, with a free trial; iPhone and Android
Insight Timer	A very large free library of meditations, with breathwork among them	Free, with a paid tier; phone, web and Apple Watch
Calm, Headspace	Meditation and sleep apps with breathing exercises included	Subscriptions with a free trial, and some free content in Calm; phone and Apple Watch
Prana Breath	A breathing timer with many patterns and no narrator	Free, with a paid tier; Android

Want sessions set to music? Try Othership. Want a library of everything? Insight Timer, Calm or Headspace. Want one breath, fast? Apple’s Breathe, The Breathing App or a dedicated pacer.

How does Breathform measure up?

Breathform is ours, so here it is against the same list, including what it doesn’t do.

• The breaths: 17 practices, from box breathing and 4-7-8 to coherent breathing at 6 breaths a minute, each with plain steps and an honest note on what it’s for. The evidence for each is on our science page.
• Eyes closed: a soft tone and a haptic tap at every turn of the breath, on iPhone and Apple Watch.
• Fast start: choose how you’d like to feel and the right breath starts; there are widgets and a Control Center control too.
• Offline and private: it works with no connection and no account, and it collects no personal data.
• Price: free to download with 8 practices, for good. Breathform Full is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
• What it doesn’t do: there’s no voice guidance (it uses tones, haptics and a visual tide), no heart-rate or HRV tracking, no music-led classes and no intense breathwork. The watch app is for Apple Watch only.

Is there a free breathing app?

Yes, several. On Apple Watch, the built-in Breathe session in the Mindfulness app is free and simple: there’s a full guide in the Apple Watch Breathe app. Most of the apps above have a free version or a free trial, and Breathform’s free version has 8 practices with no time limit. You can also breathe in your browser for free, with guided players on every page of this library and on Breathe now.

Which breathing app is best for anxiety?

One with a longer out-breath, short or no holds and a quick start, because when anxiety climbs you need the breath in seconds. Haptic taps help in public: nobody knows you’re doing it. No app has been shown to beat another for anxiety, but breathing-based programmes in general have eased anxiety in trials, though many were at high risk of bias (Leyro et al. 2021). Try this one now: in for 4, out for 6.

Do breathing apps work?

The breathing does, modestly, and an app is a good way to keep it up. In one trial of 64 young adults, those who used an app to breathe at about 6 breaths a minute for 15 minutes each evening for 30 days rated their sleep better than a group who spent the time on social media (Laborde et al. 2019). Across 12 trials, breathwork lowered self-reported stress a little more than control conditions (Fincham et al. 2023).

The honest limit: in the largest trial, 400 adults practising remotely, slow breathing helped, but no more than a placebo breathing practice (Fincham et al. 2023). The habit of stopping to breathe may matter more than the exact pattern or the app.

Breathing app or meditation app?

A breathing app does one thing quickly; a meditation app does many things, with breathing among them. If you’ll use guided talks, sleep stories and courses, a meditation app is good value. If you want a breath in under a minute, before a call or at 3am, a breathing app is simpler. Breathform is that kind: no talks, sleep stories or courses, just the breath. New to all of it? Start with breathing exercises for beginners, or read what breathwork is first.

Every study on this page (6)

• Laborde et al., 2022: Across 223 studies, slow breathing raised heart-rhythm signs of calm, during practice and after, though that alone doesn't prove a health benefit.
• Leyro et al., 2021: Across 40 trials with 3,047 people, breathing-based therapies eased anxiety more than comparison groups, but most trials had design flaws.
• Laborde et al., 2019: In 64 healthy young adults, a month of 15-minute evening slow-breathing sessions improved self-rated sleep more than time on social media.
• Fincham et al., 2023: Pooled trials suggest breathwork modestly eases stress, anxiety and low mood compared with control groups, though most trials had weaknesses.
• Fincham et al., 2023: In 400 UK adults, four weeks of slow coherent breathing did no better than a faster placebo breathing practice; both groups improved.
• Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014: Heart rate swings most at around six breaths a minute; this review says a blood-pressure reflex is the likeliest reason.

Questions people ask

What is the best breathing app?

The one you’ll actually open on a hard day. For most people that means a few well-studied breaths, guidance you can follow with your eyes closed, a fast start and a price you’re comfortable with. If you only want simple paced breathing and wear an Apple Watch, the built-in Breathe session is free and good. If you want named patterns, look for an app that teaches them clearly.

Is there a box breathing app?

Many breathing apps include box breathing: in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, rest for 4. Look for one that marks each side with a tone or a tap, so you don’t lose count with your eyes closed. Apple’s built-in Breathe session can’t do it, because it has no holds. You can also follow it free on our box breathing page.

Is there a good breathing app for Android?

Yes, several. Breathwrk, Othership, The Breathing App, Insight Timer, Calm, Headspace and Breathform are all on Google Play, and Prana Breath is a long-standing Android breathing timer. Check whether the features you care about, such as haptics or a watch app, are on Android too: some apps keep their watch app for Apple Watch only. Breathform’s is.

Do breathing apps need an internet connection?

Some do, especially apps built around streamed audio and video classes, which sometimes keep offline listening for paying members. Simple timers and pacers usually work offline. If you want to breathe on a plane, in a basement or on a train with no signal, check the listing for offline use before you pay.