25+ Breathwork Apps for Guided Sessions + 8 Free Breathing Apps

What is breathwork and what are its benefits?

Breathwork is a term used to describe a wide range of breathing techniques and exercises that all aim to improve one’s physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual health. There are a variety of ancient and modern methods that involve consciously changing our breathing patterns for mindfulness, self-care, and healing.

Practicing breathwork regularly has been scientifically proven to aid in many areas of our lives. Here are some of the most common benefits:

• Reduced stress and anxiety: Promotes relaxation and combats fight-or-flight mode.
• Enhanced physical health: Helps to increase oxygen intake, boost immunity, and release toxins.
• Positive mood: Brings awareness to the present, promoting mindfulness and gratitude.
• Improved sleep: Quiets the mind and relaxes the nervous system.
• Pain management: Helps to release endorphins.
• Improved body functions: Increases blood flow, assists in digestion, reduces blood glucose, and more.

Best breathwork apps for general health & well-being

Breathwork has proven to have a variety of health benefits, so it's reasonable to expect there to be breathwork apps that target overall wellness. Here are some of the best breathing apps for improving your health and well-being.

1. Othership

Best for: Easily accessible breathwork sessions.

Features: 500+ breathwork classes, inspiring soundscapes, streak and progress tracking, and a global community.

Download it now: Android | iOS

Cost: 7-day and 14-day free trials; subscriptions available for $17.99/month or $129.99/year.

Othership is a new breathwork platform designed to help you develop a fun and effective breathwork practice. It contains over 500 breathwork classes taught by top breathwork facilitators, helping you master a variety of techniques through guided visuals and audio. All exercises are science-backed and can assist you with things such as stress reduction, mood enhancement, sleep improvement, and performance enhancement. It also serves as a Buteyko breathing app for those specifically looking to practice the Buteyko Method.

2. INSCAPE: Meditation & Sleep

Best for: Incorporating mindfulness into your health, fitness, and wellness routines.

Features: Mindfulness meditations, breathing exercises, music and sounds, and personalized recommendations.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $9.99/month or $58.99/year.

For help expanding your wellness routine, try INSCAPE. This meditation app includes meditations, breathing exercises, music, and sounds to help you address a variety of problem areas as you experience them. Guided sessions are available in various lengths for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners.

3. Breathwrk

Best for: Easy-to-learn practices.

Features: Breathing exercises; guiding music, vibrations, and visuals; vast library; and custom reminders.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features, subscription available for $66.99/year.

Breathwrk is an app for breathing exercises with a variety of features. Its library includes many different exercises based on modern techniques, all for different purposes. It has features for tracking and testing your progress, recommending new material, and competing against other users on a leaderboard

4. BreatheIn: Calm Breathing

Best for: Learning basic exercises for relaxation and body regeneration.

Features: 5 types of breathing exercises, breathing data tracking, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: $0.99

BreatheIn is a simple app that's great for beginners. Its guided breathing exercises include 5 exercises based on modern and Pranayama techniques. Your breathing data can be tracked and synced with the Health app.

5. Health Through Breath - Pranayama

Best for: Addressing a variety of mood and health conditions.

Features: Guided exercises, music cues, structured courses, and customizable sessions.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: $4.99 (Lite version available)

Health Through Breath uses Pranayama breathing exercises to help tackle everyday stressors. The sessions are all guided and customizable, and they use music cues to help you along. It has been shown to help with migraines, high blood pressure, depression, COPD, asthma, and overall stamina and fitness.

6. Heal My Life

Best for: Improve your overall well-being.

Features: Breathing exercises, guided meditations, subliminal recording feature, and a variety of music and sounds.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $29 for months or $39 for 1 year.

If you're dealing with depressed moods, Heal My Life can be a great option for you. It offers a variety of guided meditations and breathing exercises to help with self-healing. There's also a feature that allows you to record your own positive affirmations, so you can receive encouraging reminders from yourself.

7. Paced Breathing

‍Best for: Incorporation with physical wellness.

Features: Adjustable session times; visual, audio, and haptic cues; custom breathing profiles; and a BPM tracker.

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free to access basic features; ad-free and advanced upgrades available.

Paced Breathing will help guide you through your breathwork when you want to incorporate it as part of your yoga, meditation, or fitness routine. It uses a combination of visual, audio, and haptic cues to give you your desired aids. You can also customize your inhale and exhale times, as well as keep track of your progress, using your custom breathing profile.

8. Universal Breathing - Pranayama

Best for: Correcting your breathing to improve physical health.

Features: Guiding animations, 5 different sound settings, extensive breathing course, and custom courses.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $4.99 (Lite version available)

Another great Pranayama-focused app is Universal Breathing. It uses different visuals and sounds to help guide users through the breathing exercises. There are also breathing courses ranging from beginner to advanced.

Best apps for breathwork meditation & mindfulness

Breathwork and meditation are often viewed as similar mindfulness practices, which is why many meditation apps include breathing sessions. These are some of the best mindfulness and meditation apps that can also help you with your breathwork.

9. Headspace

Best for: Building a daily mindfulness routine.

Features: Guided meditations, daily meditations, breathwork courses, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $12.99/month or $69.99/year.

While Headspace is one of the most popular meditation apps, it also offers a variety of breathwork sessions to help incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. Its library is full of hundreds of meditations and audio content, and it offers new meditations every day through the Everyday Headspace feature. It also includes features for tracking your progress and lets you add friends for added accountability.

10. Insight Timer

Best for: Carefully timing your mindfulness exercises.

Features: Live sessions, guided meditations, select sessions by length, follow your favorite teachers, and discussion groups and community features.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $9.99/month or $59.99/year.

Insight Timer is a meditation app for those who want to work on their breath timing. The most popular feature is its Timer, which allows users to customize meditation or breathing sessions to the sound of polyphonic bells. It also offers live sessions, courses, community features, and timed or guided sounds and sessions.

11. Liberate: Black Meditation App

Best for: Community bonding around Black experiences.

Features: Curated library, 5 to 25-minute sessions, offline listening, and community features.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $9.99/month or $71.99/year.

While Liberate is a meditation app specifically catering to the Black community, all are welcome to use this app. It's full of meditations and breathing exercises to help build a daily habit, with a lot of them themed after a variety of life experiences. It also includes community features, allowing users to come together and bond over their meditative journeys.

12. MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness

Best for: Building a daily wellness practice.

Features: Breathing exercises, personalized meditation recommendations, mood tracker, and sleeping exercises.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $9.99/month, $58.99/year, or a $249.99 one-time payment.

MyLife Meditation (formerly Stop, Breathe & Think) is a meditation and mindfulness app that is personalized to you. The app is full of guided meditations and breathing exercises for users of all experience levels. It also includes a mood tracker and a guided journaling function, allowing you to keep track of your progress on your wellness journey.

13. Just Breathe

Best for: Learning and practicing real-world mindfulness.

Features: Guided meditations, breathing practices, inspirational quotes and tips, and the “Just Breathe - personalized moment of quiet” feature.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free for Just Breathe meditation; subscriptions available for $9.99/month or $50.99/year.

Those looking to improve their mental health with meditation and mindfulness will enjoy Just Breathe. This app offers daily guided or music meditations, as well as breathing exercises and other prompts to increase positivity in your life. Its "Just Breathe" offering also allows users to find a moment of quiet that has been personalized just for them.

14. Prana Breath: Calm & Meditate

Best for: Increasing your mindfulness.

Features: Guided audio, 8 breathing patterns available, customizable patterns, and reminders.

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free to access basic features; 3-month, 1-year, or lifetime subscriptions available for the Guru version.

Also offering a Pranayama focus is Prana Breath. This yoga breathing app allows you to quickly access sessions focusing on one of 8 different breathing patterns. This makes it great if you’re looking for a box breathing app. It lets you customize your own patterns and reminders, and also offers statistics on your sessions.

15. Breathing Zone

Best for: Guided mindfulness practices.

Features: Guided sessions, custom routine based on breathing practice, customizable cues, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $2.99

Breathing Zone is a breathwork app designed to cater to you. It offers a variety of guided sessions, and can create custom routines based on your breathing patterns. Like many other apps, it allows for visual, sound, and haptic cues. It can also be integrated with Apple Health.

16. 3 Minute Mindfulness

Best for: Practicing mindfulness on a tight schedule.

Features: 7 Days of Mindfulness course, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and customizable reminders.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $6.99/month, $24.99/6 months, or $39.99/year.

As its name suggests, 3 Minute Mindfulness offers 3-minute meditations and breathing exercises. It includes the 7 Day Mindfulness course, helping you learn to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. It has a range of breathwork techniques to choose from, and allows you to create your own reminders.

Best breathing apps for sleep and relaxation

One of the biggest benefits of practicing breathwork regularly is its ability to help with sleep and general relaxation. These are the best breathwork apps for helping to improve your sleep and create a daily relaxation routine.

17. Calm

Best for: Using mindfulness for relaxation.

Features: Daily 10-minute meditations, 7-day and 21-day mindfulness programs, mindful stretching and movement, and breathing exercises.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $14.99/month, $69.99/year, or a $399.99 one-time payment.

Also a popular meditation app, Calm offers breathing programs and more to help you improve your life. Their library includes 7-day and 21-day classes that range from beginner to advanced levels, so you can complete the sessions that are best suited for you. You can also listen to music and sounds for focus, sleep, or relaxation, or complete Calm Body sessions to get yourself moving during the day.

18. Breethe

Best for: Habitualizing breathwork and meditation.

Features: Ever-growing library, guided meditations and breathing exercises, hypnotherapy, and a personalized toolkit.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $12.99/month, $89.99/year, or a $179.99 one-time payment.

Breethe is another meditation app with an expansive catalogue of audio. In addition to meditations, it also offers breathwork, music,  sounds, and master classes. It is also currently the only app to offer hypnotherapy. Their 7-day, 30-day, and 90-day programs will help you build new habits, and their additional tools help you create ideal sessions and stay on track.

19. Simple Habit: Meditation, Sleep

Best for: Improving sleep habits.

Features: Curated library, 5-minute to 25-minute sessions, offline listening, and community features.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $9.99/month or $71.99/year.

As featured on Shark Tank, Simple Habit is also one of the top meditation apps. The app offers meditations and breathing exercises that can help with sleep, or whenever you need some quick mindfulness. It also offers coaching content and motivational talks, all of which can be accessed offline with a Premium subscription.

20. Breathe+ Simple Breath Trainer

Best for: Daily relaxation practices.

Features: Breath visualizations; guided sessions from 1 to 60 minutes; breath cycle counter; and customizable inhale, exhale, and hold lengths.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $0.99/month, $4.99/year, or a $8.99 one-time purchase.

Breathe+ is a helpful option for those who need help visualizing their breathing. The app uses the entire screen to help guide you through sessions of various lengths. It's also easily customizable and tracks your usage history.

21. Breathe In: Meditation & Sleep

Best for: Improving your sleeping habits.

Features: Breathing exercises, guided 5-minute meditations, mindfulness quotes, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $0.99/month, $5.99/year, or a $15.99 one-time purchase.

One of the most visually stunning apps on this list, Breathe In is full of guided breathing exercises and meditations. The sessions in this app are designed to help with anxiety, stress, relief, focus, and sleep. The app also sends you mindfulness quotes to keep you inspired, and can be integrated with Apple Health.

Best breathwork apps to manage stress & anxiety

One of the top reasons many turn to breathwork is for stress and anxiety management. Here are some additional apps with a focus on stress and anxiety.

22. Relax - Stress and Anxiety Relief

Best for: Quick stress relief.

Features: Guided breathing and meditation exercises, music cues, structured courses, and a quick-start feature.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: $2.99 (Lite version available)

Relax is full of breathing exercises and meditations specifically for those who need to de-stress. It's designed for people with busy schedules, offering 5-minute (or longer) breathing sessions and 8-minute to 12-minute meditations. It uses music cues and graphics to guide your sessions, and also has a quick-start feature for those who need relief fast.

23. Breath Ball: Breathing Exercise

Best for: Exercises that are easy to follow and learn.

Features: Breathing exercises, maximum customizability, simplistic design, and tutorials.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to access basic features, $7.99 to unlock premium features.

Based on the the observations of hundreds of users, Breath Ball is an app full of breathing exercises that provide natural-feeling experiences. The app has a very simplistic look and is highly customizable, helping you create sessions that are easy to follow and suit your needs. Its sessions can help with stress, relaxation, and COPD.

24. Steady: The Breathing App

Best for: Access to a larger variety of breathwork techniques.

Features: 4 default programs, various customizations, daily reminders, and monthly goals.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $4.99/month or $20.99/year after free trial.

For a comprehensive breathwork app, opt for Steady. This app uses sessions with a variety of techniques, from box breathing to Pranayama, to help you combat stress and anxiety. It's also very customizable and even lets you collect badges throughout your breathing journey.

25. Kardia Deep Breathing

Best for: Accessible breathing exercises.

Features: Breathing exercises for 5-7 cycles/minute, inhale-exhale ratio setting, exercises between 1 minute and 1 hour, and guided audio.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $0.99 after 10-day free trial.

Kardia is another deep breathing app that can help you with relaxation and more. The guided breathing exercises can be set to fit your needs, including breaths per cycle, inhale-exhale ratio, and session length. The audio features also help guide you without needing to use your screen, making it easier to use Kardia at any time.

26. Breathe to Relax Pranayama App

Best for: Learning to use deep breathing for stress management.

Features: Breath Ball guide, custom time settings, various breath type programs, beginner to guru levels, and your choice of background sounds.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: $4.99/month or $24.99/year after 7-day free trial.

The Breathe to Relax Pranayama App offers easy-to-follow breathing exercises to help improve your well-being. Features include the Breath Ball, which acts as a visual aid to guide you through a variety of breathwork exercises. Multiple programs are available from beginner to guru difficulties, and your sessions can also be customized to fit your needs.

9 Free Breathing Apps To Try Today

A lot of great breathwork apps can be pricey, which is difficult for those who want to improve their breathing on a budget. Luckily, there are plenty of free breathing apps that can help you achieve the same results.

1. Smiling Mind

Best for: Mindfulness for all ages.

Features: Daily exercises, variety of programs, age categories, and progress tracking.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

If you’re looking for accessible breathwork for people of all ages, Smiling Mind is the perfect choice. Created by a non-profit, this app exists to help educate people on the life-changing power of practicing meditation and breathwork. It categorizes its programs for adults, youth, kids, families, schools, and the workplace. It also offers a wide variety of educational courses to complete.

2. MindShift CBT - Anxiety Relief

Best for: Therapeutic features for managing anxiety.

Features: CBT-based tools, quick relief, thought journal, and check-in features.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

MindShift CBT is a breathing app for anxiety management that uses proven CBT techniques. Among its features are guided breathing and meditation exercises to help you achieve a sense of calm. It also includes daily check-ins and a thought journal to help you track your mood over time.

3. Breathly

Best for: Users just starting their breathwork practice.

Features: Guided exercises, multiple techniques, and daily relaxation.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

Breathly is a great option for those looking for free daily relaxation and breath training. Simply choose an exercise, and the app will guide you through it. It's a great way to learn about different breathwork techniques and start building a regular practice.

4. Breathe2Relax

Best for: Affordably learning diaphragmatic breathing.

Features: Detailed info on effects on the body, easy-to-follow instructions, practice exercises, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

Breathe2Relax is an app that helps with stress reduction by making use of diaphragmatic breathing. The breathing sessions include a visual tool and instructions, along with customizable inhales and exhales, to help you relax. It can be used for assistance with stress relief, mood stabilization, anger control, and anxiety management.

5. iBreathe

Best for: Easy-to-use deep breathing app.

Features: Customizable breathing intervals, customizable reminders, quick actions via haptic touch, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free

For those wanting to incorporate deep breathing exercises into their daily routine, iBreathe is a great choice. This app offers a highly educational and customizable experience, even letting you adjust the length of your breathing intervals. It's recommended for those struggling with stress, anxiety, or insomnia, or those just looking to relax.

6. The Breathing App

Best for: Learning and practicing resonant breathing.

Features: Guided exercises, visual guides, setup guide & quick-start video, and information on resonant breathing.

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

For those interested in resonant breathing exercises, The Breathing App can give you free access to them. Using guided exercises with easy-to-follow visuals, this app will help you practice resonant breathwork anywhere and everywhere. Benefits include reduced inflammation, reduced stress, improved sleep, improved resiliency, and stronger cardiovascular function.

7. Breathe Meditation: Deep Breathing Meditation App

Best for: Visuals to help with synchronization.

Features: Breath synchronization and guided sessions.

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free

Another great free app is Breathe Meditation. Using clean visuals, this app will help guide you through the meditation and breathing sessions. It's designed to help you develop a deep breathing practice and learn to properly synchronize your breath for various benefits.

8. Breathe Easy

Best for: A simple and fully customizable experience.

Features: Customizable times, customizable shapes, and the ability to change colors.

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free

Breathe Easy helps you do just as the name suggests. Using customizable shapes and colors, the app uses easy-to-follow visuals to help guide you through meditations and breathing exercises. You can also customize your inhale, exhale, and pause times; this allows you to use Breathe Easy as a 4-7-8 breathing app, for example.

9. breathe2

Best for: Creating your own breathing workouts, or customizing existing sessions.

Features: Guided breathing workouts, customizable sessions, visual & haptic feedback, and Apple Health integration.

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free

breathe2 is another free app for guided breathing workouts. This app uses visual and haptic feedback to help guide you through the top modern breathwork techniques. You can also customize your own sessions once you gain more experience.

Top Features a Breathwork App Should Have

With the growing popularity of breathwork, there’s a huge variety of apps. When trying to decide which one you want to use, you’ll need to review their features to know if it’s a high-quality app. If a breathwork app has some or all of the features below, you’ll know you’ve found a good one.

1. A wide variety of sessions

Everyone has different needs and interests, so a good breathwork app should reflect that. Having a catalogue that covers multiple techniques, addresses a multitude of problem areas, and offers different exercise lengths will give you many different choices that can be catered to your mood and situation. Apps that continuously add to their library and offer daily exercises will also help you get a lot of use out of them for months and years to come.

2. Guided sessions and digestible information

Many users that seek out breathing apps are beginners, so it’s important that an app can help set them in the right direction. Ensuring that all (or the majority) of an app’s sessions are guided makes the learning experience much easier. It will also help to ensure you can learn the techniques properly. If an app has instructions or provides lessons on breathwork, the information should be simple enough that it’s easy to understand and process. Trying to read a whole textbook on an app meant for breathing exercises is a sure way to become bored quickly.

3. Customizations

Everyone is unique and has different needs, so your app should recognize that. Choosing a breathwork app with a variety of customizations will help you create your ideal breathing experience. Some examples of customizations to look for include the length of  sessions, the inhale-exhale-hold ratios, the music and sounds, and even the colors and visual guides.

4. Different types of cues

When it comes to guided sessions, everyone has different preferences on what works best for them. For example, some people like the visual guides, while others might want to keep their eyes closed and receive another type of cue for when it’s time to move on. Make sure you’re using an app that includes the cues that you prefer: visual, audio, or haptic. If the app offers all three, even better!

5. Reminders

Habit-building can be a struggle, so it’s important to have help along the way. Using an app that sends you daily reminders when it’s time to do a session will help you stay on track. This will help you maintain your commitment to integrating breathwork into your life. Bonus points if the app lets you customize your reminders, so you can be reminded to breathe when you’re able to do so.

6. Progress tracking

If you’re trying to build a daily habit or want to use breathwork as a healing practice, using an app with different progress-tracking methods is ideal. Most apps will include features that track how many sessions you’ve done and how much time you’ve spent breathing. Others might incorporate mood trackers, thought journaling, or breaths per minute (BPM) meters so you can see how your mental and physical health have been improving. These features are a great way to see how breathwork has changed your life, and can even serve as a motivator to keep practicing.

7. Offline listening

Many of us are on the go and might need a quick breathwork session throughout the day. Offline listening is extremely helpful, as it makes sure you can access your favorite exercises wherever and whenever you need stress relief or a quick break.

8. Apple Health and Google Fit integration

Breathwork can be a big part of maintaining great health, so being able to track it as such is incredibly helpful. Apps that offer Apple Health (for iOS) and/or Google Fit (for Android) integration allow you to track your breathwork alongside your other health data. They also  allow for access through smartwatches and other health-related devices. This feature is more of a bonus, but can be very helpful if you view mindfulness as a big part of your lifestyle.

Now you know what breathwork apps are available, what they can help with, and how to choose the best one for you. Want to test out online breathing sessions now? See what people have said about the Othership app.