Which breathing exercise app should you get?
It depends on what you want paced. For coached classes and variety, a subscription app like Breathwrk earns its price. For a quiet timer that paces box breathing or 4-7-8 with a tone and a tap, a one-time app like Tinybreath does it without rent. We make Tinybreath, so this page says that up front and lets the table admit where the others win.
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Try the exercises before installing anything
You may not need an app today. The four patterns most people search for run free in the browser on this site, each with the same shape and tones the app uses: box breathing, 4-7-8, coherent and calm breathing. Try one for a minute; if you keep coming back, an app adds the part a web page cannot do, which is pacing you with your eyes closed and the phone face down.
Five honest options
| App | Price model | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|
| Tinybreath | Free; Tinybreath Plus €9.99 once | You want eyes-closed pacing, no account and no subscription |
| Breathwrk | Free tier; Pro $9.00 a month or $49 a year | You want coached classes and a big library. It wins on content, with 4.8 stars from about 18,000 ratings |
| Oak | Free | You want free guided meditation with breathing included. It wins on price for voice guidance |
| YourBreath | Free tier; one-time Premium unlock | You want one-time pricing with structured programs |
| Apple Watch Mindfulness | Included with an Apple Watch | You own a Watch and one simple breath pattern on the wrist is enough. It wins on already being there |
Pick by how you will actually use it
If you want to be coached: Breathwrk. Voice guidance, classes and programs are its product, and that is exactly the part a one-time timer does not have.
If you want free and guided: Oak. It has been free for years and covers meditation as well as breathing.
If you want a timer you can use with your eyes closed, no account and no recurring charge: Tinybreath. A higher tone to breathe in, a lower one to breathe out, a tap at every turn, and a one-time unlock if you ever want more than the free presets.
What Tinybreath deliberately leaves out
No voice, no music, no classes, no streak to defend, no Android version: it is an iPhone timer, nothing else. If any of those absences is a dealbreaker, one of the apps above fits better, and this page will have done its job either way.
Questions
Do I need an app at all for breathing exercises?
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Not necessarily. The timers on this site run free in any browser. An app earns its place when you want to practice with your eyes closed, offline, or with haptic cues instead of a screen.
Which app is best for bedtime?
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Any app that paces 4-7-8 breathing works in the dark if it has sound. In Tinybreath, 4-7-8 is the bedtime pattern: the tone and the tap keep count, so you never open your eyes.
Are the subscription apps worth it?
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For coached content, yes: a class library is real work that keeps growing, and Breathwrk at $49 a year is honest about what the money buys. For a pacing timer alone, a subscription buys nothing a one-time app does not do.
Sources
- Breathwrk on the App Store (pricing, ratings, privacy label), read 2026-10-23
- Oak on the App Store (free, one free in-app course), read 2026-10-23
- YourBreath on the App Store (one-time Premium unlock), read 2026-10-23
Tinybreath is a relaxation timer, not a medical device. It makes no diagnosis and treats no condition. If a pattern makes you dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and breathe normally.
The quietest one on the list.
Tinybreath is the eyes-closed option: a soft tone and a gentle tap pace each breath, free, with no account and one optional €9.99 unlock.
Coming to the App StoreFree · No account · Works offline