BreathHold vs Freediving Apnea Trainer (2026 Comparison)
BreathHold and Freediving Apnea Trainer compared on AIDA phase cues, contraction marking, Bluetooth heart-rate straps, table generation and how differently their two platform builds are maintained.
Freediving Apnea Trainer is the pick for divers who want AIDA-style spoken time notifications, contraction marking and a named Bluetooth chest strap, and who are on Android where the app is actively updated; BreathHold is the pick if you want the same currency of updates on both stores, a CO2-baseline test that sets your intervals, and Equanimity tables keyed to your first urge to breathe.
This comparison is written by the BreathHold team. We strive for accuracy and fairness, but acknowledge our inherent bias. All data verified from public app store listings as of the publication date.
BreathHold makes one of the two apps compared here. Freediving Apnea Trainer facts come from its current App Store and Google Play listings, read on August 12, 2026. It is published by an independent developer, and both listings were read in full rather than summarised from a previous version of this page.
At a glance
| Feature | BreathHold | Freediving Apnea Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, Android | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Latest build read Aug 12, 2026 | 2.6.0, Aug 3, 2026 (both stores) | iOS 1.3.3, Jul 2024; Android updated Aug 7, 2026 |
| Table generation | From max-hold and CO2-baseline tests | Calculated from your best time |
| Preset CO2 tables | Easy, Classic, Hard (40/50/60% of max) | Generated, then editable |
| Preset O2 tables | Custom builder only | Generated, then editable |
| Editable / custom tables | ||
| Equanimity-style tables | Yes, premium | |
| Contraction marking | ||
| Bluetooth heart-rate devices | Mi Band 3-6, Polar H10/H9/H8 | |
| Apple Health | Heart rate and oxygen saturation | |
| AIDA time notifications | ||
| Square / box breathing | Box, rectangular, full-cycle, rhythmic | Square breath timer |
| Mid-session controls | Pause | Pause, skip a phase, +10 seconds |
| Instructional videos | 8, most in the subscription | In-app how-to guide |
| Store record (Aug 12, 2026) | 5.0 from 1 US rating; 1K+ Play downloads | 4.7 from ~278 US ratings; 4.4 with 100K+ Play downloads |
| Price model | Free to install, optional subscription | Free to install, in-app purchases |
What Freediving Apnea Trainer does better
Freediving Apnea Trainer
Pros
- AIDA time notifications during the preparation and table phases
- Contraction marking during a hold, stored with the session
- Named Bluetooth heart-rate support: Mi Band 3 to 6 and Polar H10, H9 and H8
- Apple Health integration for heart rate and oxygen saturation
- Tables calculated from your best time, then fully editable
- Voice and vibration announcements of remaining time
- Pause, early transition to the next phase and a +10-second control mid-session
- A flexible Square breath timer for preparation and relaxation
- 100K+ Google Play downloads and an Android update on August 7, 2026
- Its own listing carries a medical-advice disclaimer
Cons
- The iPhone build is still 1.3.3 from July 2024
- The Android rating (4.4) sits below the other dedicated trainers
- Its listing leads with stamina language rather than describing the table structures
- No structured video library
What BreathHold does differently
BreathHold
Pros
- Both store builds are on 2.6.0 from August 2026, so neither platform is a year behind
- A CO2-baseline test as well as a max-hold test, with the baseline setting the intervals
- Preset CO2 difficulty is explicit: the hold holds at 40%, 50% or 60% of your recorded max
- Equanimity tables run each hold to your first urge-to-breathe signal, or that signal plus 15 or 30 seconds
- Custom builder covers hold, rest, rounds and progression, including O2-style tables
- Box, rectangular, full-cycle and rhythmic breathing in the same app
- Spoken phase cues with downloadable voice packs per language
- Eight instructional videos, a safety consent gate, a safety resources page and a medical citations sheet
- A directory of freediving schools for in-water instruction
Cons
- No contraction marking
- No Bluetooth heart-rate or SpO2 support and no Apple Health
- No AIDA competition countdown
- No preset O2 table — build it in the custom editor
- iPhone-only on iOS, with no iPad build
- Equanimity tables, Full Breath Cycles and most videos need the subscription
- One US App Store rating and 1K+ Play downloads, against 100K+
The differences that actually decide it
Update cadence is the surprise
The two builds of Freediving Apnea Trainer are not the same age. Android was updated on August 7, 2026; the iPhone version is 1.3.3, dated July 5, 2024. Two years is a long time in iOS releases, and it is the single most useful thing to know before installing it on a phone. On Android, none of this applies and the app is in active maintenance with 100K+ downloads behind it.
Cues built for a competition, or cues built for a phase
Freediving Apnea Trainer announces AIDA-style times during preparation and the hold, which is what you want if you are rehearsing a format you will meet at a competition. BreathHold's spoken cues call the phase you are in, with voice packs you download per language. If the countdown convention matters to you, that is a genuine reason to pick theirs.
Sensors and contractions
This is where their app is materially richer: named Bluetooth straps and bands, Apple Health, and contraction marking during a hold. BreathHold has none of the three.
If you do keep a contraction log, read it with care. Involuntary breathing movements commonly appear during longer voluntary breath holds, but their timing, strength and pattern vary between people and between attempts, so they are not a reliable gauge of blood oxygen or a signal that a fixed amount of safe time remains. See breath-hold contractions for what the research actually observed.
Where the table numbers come from
Both apps generate a table from a recorded best hold. BreathHold adds a second measurement — a CO2-baseline test — and states its preset difficulty as a percentage of your max, so you can see why the interval is what it is. Freediving Apnea Trainer hands you more adjustment: editable tables, phase-level control and a plus-10-second nudge during the session. More control is better when you know what you are aiming at, and worse when you do not. Either way the table names describe interval patterns, not measurements of your blood gases — CO2 table vs O2 table sets out the distinction, and the CO2 table generator will show you the shape before you install anything.
Beginner path
Their listing markets the app to beginners as well as advanced divers, and it does ship an in-app how-to guide, so "advanced only" would be unfair. The practical difference is the number of decisions between opening the app and starting a hold, and BreathHold makes fewer of them for you to answer. Our own starting point is written up in how to use the BreathHold app.
When to choose Freediving Apnea Trainer instead of BreathHold
Choose Freediving Apnea Trainer if you are on Android and want AIDA-style time notifications; if you train with a Polar strap or a Mi Band; if you log contractions per session; if you want Apple Health to hold your heart-rate and saturation data; or if you want the plus-10-second and phase-skip controls mid-table.
Choose BreathHold if you want an iPhone build that is current, if you want the CO2-baseline test to set your intervals, if the Equanimity structure appeals, or if you want box and rectangular breathing plus a school directory in the same app as the tables.
Whichever app you choose
No app supervises you. Never practice breath holding in water alone — use a trained buddy who understands freediving rescue and watches the diver throughout the attempt, because apps and timers do not replace trained in-water supervision. Never hyperventilate before a hold: it can delay the urge to breathe without preventing oxygen from falling, which increases the risk of loss of consciousness. Practise alone only on dry land, and read the safety guide before your first table.
Sources
- Freediving Apnea Trainer on the App Store — version 1.3.3 dated July 5, 2024, read August 12, 2026: editable tables, AIDA notifications, Square breath timer, contraction marking, Bluetooth device list, Apple Health, ratings.
- Freediving Apnea Trainer on Google Play — rating, 100K+ downloads and the August 7, 2026 update date, read August 12, 2026.
- BreathHold on the App Store and Google Play — version 2.6.0, read August 12, 2026.
- Freediving Safety, Divers Alert Network
- Hypoxia in Breath-Hold Diving, Divers Alert Network
- Involuntary breathing movements during breath holding (1981) and a 2023 pilot study of respiratory-muscle activity
Related reading
- Best breath-hold apps in 2026
- BreathHold vs STAmina Apnea Trainer
- BreathHold vs Apnea Trainer
- What is static apnea?
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