Glimt
Glimt
Glimtvs
Glimt vs Calm

Calm is a place you go. Glimt comes to you.

Calm is a rich library of meditations, sleep stories, music and breathing exercises that you open when you think of it. Glimt does one thing: it brings a short guided breathing session onto your desktop during the workday, so you don't have to remember.

One-time purchase — no subscription

Different tools for different moments

These apps overlap less than you might think. Plenty of people would happily use both.

Calm

A library you open

Calm covers sleep, meditation, music and breathwork across your phone, tablet, Watch, TV and Mac. Its Breathe Bubble guides you at 4, 6 or 8 breaths a minute, and reminders can nudge you to open the app. It's at its best when you set time aside.

Glimt

A practice that finds you

Glimt lives in your menu bar or system tray. At the intervals you choose, a breathing orb floats over your work and paces you through Box, 4-7-8 or your own pattern, then fades away. It holds off while your mic or camera is in use.

Feature by feature

Glimt
Calm
Guided breathing exercises
Animated breathing guideGlimt: breathing orb. Calm: Breathe Bubble
Breathing session appears on screen at intervals you setCalm sends reminder notifications; you open the app to start
Set your own inhale / hold / exhale timingsCalm's Breathe Bubble offers a pace of 4, 6 or 8 breaths per minute
Holds reminders while your mic or camera is in use
Native Mac appCalm on Mac requires Apple silicon and macOS 15+
Native Windows appCalm offers a simplified Breathe Bubble in any browser at calm.com/breathe
iPhone, Android & Apple Watch apps
Meditations, sleep stories & music
Free trial
No subscription

Which one is right for you?

Pick the one that fits the problem you actually have.

Choose Calm if…

  • You want sleep stories, meditation courses and music, not only breathing.
  • You mostly practise on your phone, Watch or TV.
  • You'd like to try it for free before you pay.
  • You like setting aside dedicated time for practice.

Choose Glimt if…

  • You spend your day at a Mac or Windows computer and only notice your shallow breathing once you're tense.
  • You want the reminder and the session in one, so there's nothing to open.
  • You want reminders that wait until your call is over.
  • You'd rather pay once than subscribe.

A subscription vs. a one-time purchase

Calm gives you far more content for a yearly fee. Glimt does less, costs less over time, and doesn't renew.

GlimtGlimt
$39one time
  • Guided breathing on your desktop
  • Pay once, keep it
  • No account needed
Calm
$69.99per year

In the App Store; also $14.99/month. $79.99/year on calm.com. Free trial available.

  • Meditation, sleep, music & breathing
  • Phone, tablet, Watch, TV and Mac
  • Renews every year

Competitor prices and features checked against their official sites and App Store listings in October 2026. They may have changed since. If something here is out of date, let us know and we'll fix it.

Glimt

Bring the breath to your desk.

$39, once. No subscription. No account. A breathing practice that shows up during your workday, so you don't have to remember to open it.

One-time purchase — no subscription — mac & windows

Learn more about Glimt