Breathwrk: Breathing Exercises

What it does

Breathwrk is a mobile app focused on guided breathing exercises. It offers a library of science-backed techniques designed to help users with specific goals, such as reducing stress, managing anxiety, improving sleep, or increasing energy. The app provides both short, targeted exercises and longer, guided classes led by instructors.

Where it shines

Breathwrk stands out by grounding its wellness promises in science and data from the very first moments. The onboarding powerfully demonstrates this by showing 'Before and After' brain scans to frame its benefits as neuroscience, not magic (00:30). The interactive "lung test" (00:49) is another highlight, turning a simple data-gathering step into an engaging and personalized assessment. Once in the app, the core exercise interface is clean, immersive, and highly focused, using simple visual and audio cues to guide the user (02:28), effectively blocking out distractions.

UX highlights

Interactive Onboarding: The app uses a unique lung health test to create immediate user investment and provide a tangible, personalized metric to improve.
Strong Credibility Building: Social proof like press mentions and Apple 'App of the Day' badges are used effectively on the paywall (01:34) and throughout onboarding.
Focused Session UI: The exercise screen is minimal, centered around a clear visualizer and simple text prompts, which helps users focus entirely on the breathing task.
Deep Customization: Users can tailor their sessions by changing the background, soundscape, inhale/exhale tones, and even the voice guide (04:32), giving them a strong sense of control.
Clear Content Library: The app organizes a large number of exercises into intuitive categories based on goals (e.g., Calm, Sleep, Energize), making discovery easy (05:35).
Motivational Reinforcement: Features like daily streaks, session summaries (04:00), and inspirational quotes keep users engaged and motivated to build a habit.

Monetization & growth

Monetization is handled through a hard paywall that appears at the end of the onboarding sequence (01:31). The app requires users to sign up for a 7-day free trial for an annual or monthly plan before they can access the core experience. This strategy filters for users with high intent. The paywall itself is well-designed, leveraging social proof, benefit-oriented copy, and clear pricing to make a compelling case for the subscription.

Who it’s for

Breathwrk is likely for individuals looking for practical, non-pharmaceutical methods to manage stress, anxiety, and sleep. Its scientific framing appeals to users who are skeptical of more abstract wellness apps and prefer data-driven approaches. The simple interface and guided nature also make it accessible for beginners who are new to breathwork practices but want structured guidance.

Notes & opportunities

The onboarding flow is long and requires a subscription commitment before the user experiences the core product. While this qualifies leads, it may also lead to a higher-than-average drop-off rate for users who are just exploring. After the subscription, the user is immediately asked to create an account (01:55), adding one more step of friction before they can begin their first session. Testing a path that allows a sample session before the paywall could be an interesting experiment.