20 Deep Breathing Apps to Improve Health & Anxiety + 5 Free Apps

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December 8, 2021
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Over time, many people are likely to develop shallow breathing patterns as they try to navigate their lives. This can lead to experiencing more stress and anxiety than necessary. If you notice this happening to you, the best way to correct it is to look for ways to help you remember how to breathe better, such as deep breathing exercises.

Finding time to practice breathing better can be tough. Luckily, there are many different deep breathing apps you can download to your smartphone to quickly and easily learn and practice. We’ll help you find the best app for you by exploring apps in the following categories:

  • Best deep breathing apps for your health and well-being (9)
  • Best deep breathing apps for anxiety relief (7)
  • Best deep breathing apps for kids (4)
  • 5 free deep breathing apps you should try today

We’ll start our exploration of the best deep breathing apps with those that can help improve your health.

If you’d like to view a more comprehensive list of breathwork apps, check out 35 breathwork apps for guided sessions.

Best deep breathing apps for your health and well-being (9)

Many breathwork apps are great for promoting deep breathing as a way to improve general wellness. Here are some of the best deep breathing apps for improving health and well-being.

1. Othership

Othership home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

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

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

Othership is a breathwork app full of over 500 guided sessions to help you make the most of deep breathing. The app has daily and weekly exercises to help you improve your focus, relieve anxiety, regulate your emotions, and increase lung capacity and breath retention. There are even exercises that will get you moving, introduce you to the science of breathwork, and provide esoteric experiences.

2. Breathe+ Simple Breath Trainer

Breathe+ session customizations

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to start using; $0.99/month, $4.99/year, or $8.99 to unlock all features.

Features: Breath visualization, guided sessions from 1-60 minutes, breath cycle counter, and customizable intervals from 1-32 seconds.

Breathe+ is a deep breathing exercises app that helps users easily improve their breathing. The app uses beautiful full-screen visuals to help guide users through their exercises while also helping them to feel calm. It’s great for relaxing, meditating, and even training the breath.

3. Headspace

Headspace home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to use; $12.99/month or $69.99/year to unlock all features.

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

Despite being known as one of the top meditation apps, Headspace is also an incredible app for deep breathing sessions. It’s full of a wide variety of guided meditation and breathwork courses that will help you to make use of your breath for relaxation, focus, sleep, and more. It also provides mindful fitness courses to help you get your body moving as you breathe.

4. Universal Breathing - Pranayama

Universal Breathing session

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $4.99 (Lite version available)

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

Those in search of a belly breathing app will greatly benefit from using Universal Breathing. This app guides users through pranayama breathwork exercises to help them learn how to control their breathing. The breathing exercises are customizable and designed to help users gain many health benefits like stronger lungs, reduced stress, and improved sleep.

5. Paced Breathing

Paced Breathing session

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free; ad-free and advanced upgrades available.

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

Paced Breathing is a great option for those in need of a deep breathing app for Android. The app uses visual, audio, and haptic cues to help guide users through breathing exercises. It’s great for helping people improve their breathing for both mindfulness and fitness.

6. Breathing Zone

Breathing Zone app

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $2.99

Features: Apple Health integration; guided sessions; custom routine based on breathing; and customizable visuals, sounds, and haptics.

For a simple deep breath app, Breathing Zone has all that you need. This app is full of guided breathing exercises that will help you relax, increase your energy, and improve your mood. It also includes customization settings, and can create custom routines based on your breathing patterns to give you deep breathing exercises that are ideal for you.

7. BreatheIn: Calm Breathing

BreatheIn session

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: $0.99

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

BreatheIn is a deep breathing app designed specifically to help with relaxation and concentration. It’s full of guided sessions that are based on 5 different breathwork techniques, including box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, and humming bee breath. All exercises make use of deep breathing to help induce a state of calm and/or body regeneration.

8. Liberate: Black Meditation App

Liberate home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to use; $9.99/month or $71.99/year to unlock all features.

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

Liberate is an app that offers opportunities for deep breathing with a social purpose. It’s a black-owned meditation app that was created to help the black community develop mindfulness habits while bonding over shared experiences. Of course, anyone else is free to use the app, too. The number of options in their curated library helps position this app as both a great short and long deep breathing app.

9. Heal My Life

Heal My Life home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to use; $29 for 3 months or $39/year to unlock all features.

Features: Breathing exercises and meditation programs, guided meditations, subliminal affirmation audio recorder, and a variety of music and sounds.

While known for its soothing sounds and healing affirmations, Heal My Life is also full of many breathing exercises that will help you breathe deeper. The app is full of breathing exercises and meditation programs to help you with stress, depression, anger, anxiety, focus, and confidence. It also allows you to record your own affirmations to inspire you on your healing journey.

Best deep breathing apps for anxiety relief (7)

Since deep breathing has proven to be highly effective for relieving stress and anxiety, many breathwork and meditation apps have curated their content to help those in need of relief. These are some of the best deep breathing apps for anxiety.

10. MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness

MyLife Mediation home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: $9.99/month, $58.99/year, or $249.99 lifetime

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

Originally known as Stop, Breathe & Think, MyLife Meditation is a mindfulness app that helps users tackle the stresses of everyday life. It includes many deep breathing exercises to help users tackle stress, anxiety, and sleep. The mood tracking feature also helps to work toward managing emotions.

11. Breath Ball: Breathing Exercise

Breath Ball session

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to use; $7.99 lifetime to unlock all features.

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

Breath Ball is an app that visually guides you through deep breathing exercises. The simplistic setup makes the app easy to use and helps you focus on getting the most out of your breathing sessions. It also offers a huge range of customizations, allowing you to get the most ideal sessions for your situation.

12. Kardia Deep Breathing

Kardia session

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: 10-day free trial; $0.99 to unlock all features.

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

Kardia is a deep breathing app with a focus on helping you relieve stress and feel relaxed. It uses visuals and sounds to help guide you through deep breathing exercises that will calm your body and mind in minutes. This app is helpful for calming down during your most anxious moments, and even for helping you fall asleep at night.

13. Calm

Calm home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free to use; $14.99/month, $69.99/year, or $399.99 lifetime to unlock all features.

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

Also a popular meditation app, Calm offers a lot of deep breathing exercises that can help reduce anxiety. It has a wide variety of mindfulness programs, both for beginners and for those more experienced in breathwork and meditation, to help everyone relax and improve their stress levels. The audio features on the app include music and soundscapes that will also help users relax and fall asleep

14. Relax - Stress and Anxiety Relief

Relax session

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: $2.99 (Lite version available)

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

Relax is a deep breathing app that can help you relieve stress in 5 minutes. The app’s structured course is designed to help you reduce your breathing rate, which allows you to relieve anxiousness. All the exercises use music cues and beautiful graphics to help you easily learn and follow along.

15. Prana Breath - Calm & Meditate

Prana Breath session

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free to use; 3 month, 1 year, or lifetime subscriptions for Guru version available.

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

Another app that uses pranayama breathwork exercises is Prana Breath. The visual and audio cues help guide you through deep breathing exercises that have been used for many years. These exercises have all been designed to help you relieve anxiety and improve brain activity. The app also provides statistics to help you see how your breathing is improving over time.

16. 3 Minute Mindfulness

3 Minute Mindfulness session

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to use; $6.99/month, $24.99/6 months, or $39.99/year to unlock all features.

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

For those who want to feel better fast, 3 Minute Mindfulness is a great option. This app teaches breathwork techniques that can be used to help calm users in everyday life, including box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing. Users can also create their own reminders, so they’ll remember to practice mindfulness when the time is right for them.

Best deep breathing apps for kids (4)

People of all ages can benefit from practicing deep breathing exercises, and that includes children. Here are a few options to help you choose a deep breathing app for kids.

17. Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame

Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame story mode

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

Features: Interactive activities, personalized encouraging phrases, “Breathe with the Monster” activity, and resources for parents.

If your little one is a fan of Sesame Street, they will love the Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame app. This app teaches kids how to problem-solve and practice self-control through an interactive story that lets them take care of their monster friend. The “Breathe with the Monster” activity is a great resource for teaching kids to use deep breathing to feel calm.

18. Stop, Breathe & Think Kids

Stop, Breathe & Think Kids home screen

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to use; $9.99/month or $58.99/year to unlock all features.

Features: Mindfulness activities, mindful sleep stories, video animations, and sticker rewards.

Stop, Breathe & Think Kids is a mindfulness game app created by the team behind MyLife Meditation. It’s designed to help kids ages 5-10 learn to be mindful by introducing deep breathing as a way to tackle stress, overexcitement, and negative emotions. It’s full of stories and animations that introduce kids to everyday situations where deep breathing can be useful. The app also rewards users with stickers as they reach milestones in their practice.

19. Mindful Powers

Mindful Powers home screen

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to access first 3 levels; $4.99 to unlock all features.

Features: Voice-guided sessions, sensory-based interaction, focus timer, and skill-building lessons.

Mindful Powers is an interactive app that teaches kids mindfulness through fun lessons. Kids are taught all about deep breathing and other mindfulness activities through guided sessions that begin by helping to soothe their Flibbertigibbet. There’s also a focus timer feature that helps them build better concentration skills.

20. Moshi Kids: Sleep and Mindfulness

Moshi Kids home screen

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: 7-day free trial; $59.99/year to unlock all features.

Features: Audio stories, sleep sounds, meditations, and relaxing music.

Based on the popular game and toy franchise Moshi Monsters, Moshi Kids is a mindfulness app that helps children relax, sleep, and meditate through the use of deep breathing. It uses stories, sounds, and music to help kids learn to relax and clear away stress before bedtime (or anytime, really). The app is also great at helping kids reduce anxiety and better manage negative emotions.

5 free deep breathing apps you should try today

Not everyone can afford subscriptions, so it’s important to know that there are deep breathing apps for free available. These are some of the best free deep breathing apps

1. iBreathe

iBreathe session

Best for: Anxiety Relief

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free to use, $1.99 to remove ads.

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

iBreathe is a deep breathing app that will simply guide you through exercises. It’s designed with clean visuals to help you easily follow along with each breathing session. You also have the option to customize the colors in the app, and set up reminders to help you stay on track.

2.Breathe2Relax

breathe2relax

Best for: Anxiety Relief

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

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

Developed by the US National Center for Telehealth & Technology, Breathe2Relax is a diaphragmatic breathing app that helps people relieve stress and anxiety. This app uses a simple visual to help users practice diaphragmatic breathing and feel relaxed. It’s also great for helping with mood stabilization and anger control.

3. Breathe Meditation: Deep Breathing Meditation App

Breathe Meditation session

Best for: Guided Breathwork

Download it Now: Android

Cost: Free

Features: Breath synchronization and guided sessions.

For a free app for Android, try the Breathe app. It’s full of deep breathing meditations that will help you relieve your stress and anxiety in as few as 5 minutes. You can use this app whenever you’re feeling stressed, anxious, distracted, or restless.

4. breathe2

breathe2 Workouts screen

Best for: Guided Breathwork

Download it Now: iOS

Cost: Free

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

breathe2 is a deep breathing app that is great for easy-to-follow breathing workouts and exercises. The app uses visual guides to teach you breathwork meditations that will help you relieve stress and anxiety or fall asleep at night. It’s also great for improving your physical health and focus.

5. Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind Adults programs screen

Best for: Mindfulness

Download it Now: Android | iOS

Cost: Free

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

If you want a free deep breathing app with a wide variety of programs, Smiling Mind is your best choice. It’s full of mindfulness courses for people of all ages who want to learn to be more mindful at work, at school, or during everyday life. Popular programs on the app include those tailored to address stress, sleep, concentration, relationships, and more.

Ready to try a deep breathing app? Try Othership for free to see how breathing can improve your life.