Breathwork and Yoga Apps: How They Differ and How to Choose One

Breathwork apps guide you through timed patterns of breathing, counting each inhale, hold and exhale for you, while yoga apps lead you through classes of postures on the mat. Several apps now offer both, along with meditation, and they differ in how they pace sessions, how much music and coaching they add, and whether they keep a free tier.

What these apps do

A breathwork app takes the counting off your hands. You choose an exercise and the app paces it with a voice, a moving shape on screen, sound or a vibration in your hand, telling you when to breathe in, when to hold and when to breathe out. Sessions can be as short as a minute or long enough to fill a lunch break. Patterns named in these apps include box breathing, alternate-nostril breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.

A yoga app works like a class you can take at home. A teacher’s voice or video leads you through postures, and you choose the style, level and length. Some apps record fixed classes with named teachers; others assemble a new sequence each time you press play.

What to look for

Breath, movement or both. Decide whether you mainly want breathing exercises, yoga classes or a mix. Some apps here do one thing; others cover breathwork, yoga, Pilates and meditation in one membership.

Pacing cues. For breathwork, check how the app paces you: by voice, visuals, music or vibration. If you practice with your eyes closed, sound or vibration cues matter.

Styles and levels. For yoga, look for the styles you want, such as Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin or Restorative, and for a true beginner level.

Session length. Check that the shortest sessions fit your day and that longer ones are there when you want them.

Video or audio. Decide whether you want to watch a teacher on video or follow a voice without looking at a screen.

Free tier. Some apps keep a small free library; others are membership-only after a trial. Read what the maker says is free.

Platforms and offline use. Check the app runs on your devices, including a TV if you want to practice from a bigger screen, and whether classes can be downloaded.

The apps

Breathwrk

Breathwrk, now part of Peloton, is built around short exercises that combine timed inhales, exhales and holds. Each one comes with customizable sounds, visuals and haptic vibrations to pace you, along with breath coaches and short lessons about the technique. The library holds hundreds of exercises and classes, with new daily classes, and the app also offers reminders, streaks, a lung score and exhale tests, and offline access. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web, and the maker says it is available in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia and the EU. Free tier: yes; Breathwrk Free gives limited access to exercises and classes, while a Pro subscription, with a seven-day trial, opens the full library. It is included for Peloton All-Access, Guide and App+ members.

Othership

Othership, from Breathwork Plus, is a music-driven breathwork app whose sessions run from 60 seconds to 60 minutes. Each day it offers an “UP” session and a “DOWN” session, plus a longer weekly practice. Sessions fall into five styles: UP, DOWN, ALL AROUND, BODY, which pairs breathing with movement such as gentle stretching, and BRAIN, which covers the science behind breathwork. The patterns it uses include box breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, ocean breath, alternate-nostril breathing, 4-7-8 breathing and coherent breathing, set to soundscapes from musicians and DJs, across a library of more than 500 sessions. Othership also offers in-person sessions with saunas and cold plunges. The app runs on iPhone, iPad and Android. Free tier: limited; five free sessions rotate regularly for anyone who downloads the app, the full library needs a membership with a free trial, and the maker says it gives a free membership to anyone who asks because of financial need.

Open

Open, from Open Inc., combines breathwork, meditation and movement, and runs a studio in Los Angeles alongside the app. Its store listing says many breathwork techniques are rooted in spiritual traditions such as yoga, Qi Gong and Buddhism. Classes run from five-minute breathwork sessions to hour-long strength and conditioning classes, with daily meditations, monthly programs, yoga, Pilates and HIIT, thematic workshops and curated music, and new classes are added daily. Progress tracking, reminders, streaks and badges help build a habit. It runs on iPhone and iPad. Free tier: no; Open is a subscription, and its site offers a free trial first.

Down Dog

Down Dog, from Yoga Buddhi Co, builds a new yoga practice every time you press start, assembled to match your level, focus, pace and length. It offers more than ten styles, including Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin and Wake-Up Yoga, and beginners can start at a level called Beginner 1. A “Boost” setting focuses a session on one of 19 body areas, such as hips, core or shoulders; you can choose from six teachers’ voices and “like” or “dislike” poses to see them more or less often. One subscription also covers meditation, Pilates and HIIT, with practice available in 13 languages. Practices can be downloaded for offline use or cast to a TV with Chromecast or AirPlay. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and in a web browser. Free tier: no; Down Dog is a subscription, though the maker says it has given free memberships to students, teachers and people who need them most.

Glo

Glo, from YogaGlo, Inc., is a library of recorded classes led by its teachers. It covers more than 25 styles of yoga, Pilates, meditation and fitness, including Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini, Vinyasa, Yin and Restorative yoga, and sessions of breathwork, Yoga Nidra and visualization. Classes run from five-minute morning stretches to 90-minute workshops, and there are programs for prenatal, postnatal and midlife practice. You can save favorites, build collections and track your activity, and classes can be downloaded for offline practice. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android and the web. Free tier: no; Glo is a membership with a seven-day free trial.