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What are the best meditation timer apps for ios?

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5 Options Considered

5 Options ConsideredPriceLast Updated
i-Qi clock & meditation timer
May 2, 2017
Samsara | Meditation and Yoga Timer
May 2, 2017
Insight Timer
Mar 30, 2017
Apple Watch - Timer App & Alarm App
–
Mar 30, 2017
Self: A Meditation Machine
Mar 30, 2017
See Full List

i-Qi clock & meditation timer

Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Pro

Gorgeous sounds

•••
The sound engine which emulate the reverberation of the bells is impressive. Multiple strikes overlap, even the sounds of different bells can overlap as well.
adamlogan
Top Pro

Easy to setup

•••
You choose the bell, when the bell should play, how many times the bell should repeat, the volume by % and optionally you can give the event a name. Set it and forget it.
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Pro

Reliable

•••
While this app does not have the Background App Refresh feature, there have not been instances where the bell did not go off for a meditation session.
adamlogan
Laura Kyle
Top Pro

Can be used as a wake up alarm

•••
For the devout meditator, you can elect to wake up to bells. Two choices are available. The Golden Ratio alarm starts with distantly spaced bell strikes and over time the interval becomes shorter and shorter. Continuous Chimes which is in a fixed interval of your choosing defaulting at 10 seconds b...
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Pro

Has reminder function

•••
This app does not feature an explicitly stated "reminder" feature to do meditation session, but the wake-up alarm serves the same function. You can set multiple alarms for throughout the day if you wish.
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

Main screen is a menu

•••
The main screen features a clock that only shows the quarter marks like the cardinal directions, largely useless for actually telling time. At the bottom are the links to playing with the bells, wake up alarm, meditation session presets, and settings. The meditation presets should be the main scre...
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

Infrequent updates

•••
The app is simple enough that frequent updates are not necessary. However, the fact remains that the developer is not aggressive about improving the app. This is a blessing and a curse.
adamlogan
Top Con

No integration with Health Kit

•••
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

No han instrument

•••
A zen instrument comprised of a thick wooden board that is struck by a wooden mallet. It is struck at dawn, dusk and the end of the day. It is used to summon participants to the zendo (meditation hall) for daily zazen (meditation). The pattern of strikes always includes three roll downs.
See 7 more Pros & ConsSee 7 more Pros & Cons

Samsara | Meditation and Yoga Timer

Add Video or Image
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Easy to use

•••
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Stores different types of statistics

•••
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Pro

Alarm is reliable even if the app is put in the background

•••
Refreshes in the background, few meditation timers have this critical feature.
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Notifications to remind you to meditate

•••
Izem Lavrenti
Top Con

No social features

•••
See 3 more ProsSee 3 more Pros

Insight Timer

Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Contains audio-guided meditations

•••
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

You can see who else is meditating at the same time

•••
Izem Lavrenti
Top Pro

Simple to use

•••
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

Several distracting features

•••
It can be harmful to compare or compete in racking up meditation time, or only doing guided meditation. Or fiddling too much with different features and browsing all the teachers, meditators, etc.
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

In app purchases

•••
IAPs for bells and guided meditations.
Izem Lavrenti
Top Con

Not very aesthetically pleasing

•••
See 4 more Pros & ConsSee 4 more Pros & Cons

Apple Watch - Timer App & Alarm App

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adamlogan
Top Pro

Works without iPhone

•••
Almost entirely functional without iPhone. The only thing that requires the iPhone is renaming the labels for the alarms. This comes in really handy for situations where phones are confiscated or frowned upon in monasteries or temples, retreats etc.
adamlogan
Top Pro

Discreet

•••
Haptic Feedback is as nice as it gets for a discreet but clear and unmistakable alarm for those drowsy moments.
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Pro

Dead simple

•••
Timer App: Select from several preset timers, or set a custom amount of time before the timer goes off. Alarm App: Click Add alarm, pick a time you want the alarm to go off and you're done. Optionally you can go back into the alarm if you want it to persist, give it a name (provided an iPho...
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

Must charge daily

•••
With the Phone on Airplane Mode the Apple Watch will easily last all day leaving plenty of buffer room to charge, but still, it will require recharging on a daily basis. For many, the most convenient time to do this is as part of their bedtime or wake-up routine. Sometimes both if the watch is used...
Laura Kyle
adamlogan
Top Con

No bells or whistles

•••
No sounds of bells, no warm up periods, no statistics, no homekit integration. It's the equivalent of a kitchen egg timer except it's strapped to your wrist and it's silent.
See 3 more Pros & ConsSee 3 more Pros & Cons

Self: A Meditation Machine

4 Community Recommendations

adamlogan
Francisco
Stuart Kearney
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