Inhale. Hold. Exhale. It sounds simple, but mindful breathing can have a profound impact on your health. Whether you’re managing anxiety, improving focus, or just trying to reset after a stressful day, guided breathing exercises are one of the fastest, most effective ways to regain control of your body and mind.

The key? Finding the right app that guides you through it — not just with timers, but with visuals, sounds, and science-backed techniques that actually make a difference.

Here are the top apps for guided breathing exercises that can help you breathe better, feel better, and live with more balance.

1. Mana App – Best All-Around App for Breathing, Relaxation & Mental Wellness

If you want more than a simple breath timer — something that feels like a calming space to reset your nervous system — the Mana App is your best choice. Built to support anxiety relief, stress reduction, and emotional balance, Mana goes far beyond standard breathing apps. It combines breathing exercises with powerful tools like sound therapy, CBT techniques, tapping, and guided meditation.

In Mana, you’ll find dozens of beautifully designed sessions that guide your breath in rhythm with calming music, colored noises, and visuals — helping you relax almost instantly. Whether you’re trying to stop a panic attack, get grounded before a big meeting, or wind down for sleep, Mana has a breath-based session that fits.

Why It’s #1:

• Breathwork combined with music, soundscapes, and CBT
  
  

• Sessions for calming, energizing, grounding, and sleep
  
  

• Personalized recommendations based on how you feel
  
  

• Tracks your progress, mood, and breathing time
  
  

• Free trial with full access to 50,000+ minutes of wellness audio
  
  

The Mana App isn’t just about breathing better — it’s about feeling better fast, with a library of resources designed to support your mental health every day.

2. Breathwrk – Best for Short, Targeted Breathing Sessions

Breathwrk is a clean, well-designed app that focuses exclusively on breath training. It breaks down breathing into categories like calming, sleep, energizing, and focus — and then gives you short 1-5 minute sessions tailored to that purpose.

Each session comes with visuals and audio cues to help you breathe in sync. Breathwrk also integrates some athletic and performance-enhancing techniques, making it popular with high performers and athletes.

Highlights:

• Specialized breathing techniques (e.g., box breathing, Wim Hof style)
  
  

• Built-in visual guidance and breath pacing
  
  

• Quick, targeted sessions (1–5 min)
  
  

• Some content is free, full access with subscription
  
  

It’s ideal if you want fast, effective breathwork with a clear goal in mind — whether it’s to fall asleep, calm down, or wake up with more energy.

3. Calm – Best for Breathing + Sleep Support

Calm is known for its meditations and sleep stories, but its "Breathe" feature is a hidden gem. You can set custom inhale, hold, and exhale times, and pair them with soothing background music and animations that guide your breath.

For users who like structure, Calm also includes breathing as part of its wind-down and anxiety-reduction programs. It’s especially great if you want to combine breathwork with other calming tools like gentle movement, body scans, and bedtime stories.

What You’ll Like:

• Built-in breathing visuals and timers
  
  

• Sleep-focused breath sessions
  
  

• Customizable timing and breath patterns
  
  

• Premium content for deeper routines
  
  

If your focus is winding down and improving sleep through breathwork, Calm delivers a smooth and supportive experience.

4. iBreathe – Best Simple Breathing App for Custom Patterns

Sometimes less is more. iBreathe is a minimalist app designed to help you quickly create custom breathing routines and follow them with zero distractions.

You can set your own durations for inhale, hold, and exhale — and choose whether or not you want background sound or vibration cues. iBreathe is excellent for anyone who already knows what kind of breathwork they need and just wants a no-fuss tool to stay on track.

Key Features:

• Customizable inhale, hold, exhale lengths
  
  

• Optional reminders throughout the day
  
  

• Simple, uncluttered interface
  
  

• One-time purchase, no subscription required
  
  

It’s a great choice for experienced breathers or anyone who wants a focused breathing tool without distractions.

5. Breathe+ Coherence Breathing – Best for Visual Breath Guidance

Breathe+ uses dynamic visuals to guide your breath — a method shown to help deepen the relaxation response. This app is based on coherence breathing, a practice that balances heart rate variability (HRV) and reduces anxiety by syncing the breath with calming visuals.

It’s especially helpful if you’re a visual learner or get distracted easily — the visuals help anchor your attention in the moment.

Why It’s Great:

• Beautiful breath pacing animations
  
  

• Based on HRV and coherence science
  
  

• Can be used for meditation, stress, or focus
  
  

• Custom duration settings
  
  

While it’s limited in scope, it excels at what it does: getting you into a steady, relaxed breath rhythm with intuitive, calming visuals.

Why Breathwork Matters

Breathing is one of the only automatic processes in the body we can control — and that gives us tremendous power. With just a few minutes of guided breath, you can:

• Lower your heart rate and blood pressure
  
  

• Reduce cortisol (the stress hormone)
  
  

• Improve clarity, energy, and mood
  
  

• Soothe symptoms of anxiety and panic
  
  

• Improve focus and emotional regulation
  
  

According to the American Psychological Association, slow, mindful breathing is one of the most effective and evidence-based tools for managing stress. And with the right app, it’s never been easier to do it daily.

Final Thoughts

Breathwork is one of the most accessible, effective tools for feeling better fast. Whether you’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, or just trying to stay grounded, these apps offer a range of approaches to help you reset through breath.

If you want the most complete, ADHD-friendly, and emotionally supportive experience — start with the Mana App. With science-backed audio, breathwork, CBT, tapping, and daily personalized routines, Mana offers far more than just a timer — it offers a path to calm that actually sticks.

About the Author

Sophie Langford is a breathwork facilitator and certified stress reduction coach who has helped hundreds of people integrate mindful breathing into their daily lives. She writes about mental health, emotional regulation, and the science of relaxation.