Vayu vs Headspace
For Breathing Exercises
Comparing a dedicated breathing app against a meditation giant. Which is right for your breathwork practice?
You want dedicated breathwork with smartwatch support, HRV tracking, and better value at $59.99/yr
You want structured meditation courses, beautiful animations, and focus music
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Vayu | Headspace |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $8.99/mo | $12.99/mo |
| Annual Price | $59.99/yr | $69.99/yr |
| Breathing Techniques | 10+ | 3-4 |
| Custom Patterns | ||
| Apple Watch App | ||
| Wear OS App | ||
| HRV Biofeedback | ||
| Haptic Guidance | ||
| Meditation Courses | Basic | Extensive |
| Focus Music | ||
| Animations | Beautiful | Beautiful |
| Offline Mode |
Best Meditation Apps: In-Depth Analysis
🌬️ Breathing Features: Vayu Wins Decisively
This is the core difference. Vayu is built entirely around breathwork with 10+ techniques, fully customizable patterns, and HRV biofeedback to measure your physiological response.
Headspace treats breathing as a small part of meditation. You'll find a few breathing exercises scattered throughout courses, but no dedicated breathing section, no custom patterns, and no biofeedback.
💰 Pricing: Vayu Wins
Headspace costs $69.99/year ($12.99/month). Without subscribing, you get very limited access to a few sample meditations.
Vayu costs $59.99/year ($8.99/month) with a 7-day free trial. That's $10/year cheaper than Headspace while offering more breathing techniques and better smartwatch support.
🎨 Design & Content: Tie
Both apps feature beautiful animations. Headspace has cute illustrated characters, while Vayu offers elegant, calming visual guidance for breathing patterns.
Where they differ: Headspace has extensive meditation courses, focus music, and sleep content. If you want a broader mindfulness platform beyond breathing, Headspace offers more variety. Vayu focuses purely on breathwork excellence.
⌚ Smartwatch: Vayu Wins
Vayu has full standalone apps for Apple Watch AND Wear OS with haptic breathing guidance and HRV tracking built-in.
Headspace only supports Apple Watch with limited breathing features. No Wear OS support at all.
Our Verdict
For breathing exercises specifically, Vayu is the clear winner. It's purpose-built for breathwork, has more techniques, better smartwatch support, and is more affordable.
For a complete meditation ecosystem, Headspace delivers. If you want guided meditation courses, focus music, beautiful animations, and don't mind the subscription—Headspace is a premium experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vayu or Headspace better for breathing exercises?
Vayu is better for dedicated breathing exercises. It offers more breathing techniques, customizable patterns, Wear OS support, and HRV biofeedback at $59.99/year (with 7-day free trial). Headspace is better for structured meditation courses and focus music, but breathing is a secondary feature and costs $69.99/year.
Is Vayu cheaper than Headspace for breathing?
Yes, Vayu is more affordable at $59.99/year (with 7-day free trial) compared to Headspace at $69.99/year. Vayu includes Apple Watch and Wear OS apps with haptic guidance and more breathing techniques.
Does Headspace have breathing exercises?
Yes, Headspace includes some breathing exercises as part of its meditation content. However, breathing is not the primary focus—it is embedded within meditation courses rather than available as standalone, customizable sessions like in Vayu.
How much does Headspace cost vs Vayu?
Headspace costs $69.99 per year ($12.99/month) for full access. Vayu costs $59.99/year ($8.99/month) with a 7-day free trial. Vayu is $10/year cheaper and offers more breathing techniques.
Best Mindfulness and Meditation Apps Comparison
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