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Meditation is a great way to refocus and center yourself, but when life is hectic and distracting, it can be difficult to master. Enter meditation apps: technology-based applications that contain guided meditation sessions as short as one minute or as long as 30 minutes. These apps can help make meditation easier and more intuitive, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.We have rounded up the best meditation apps based on criteria like evidence-based design, expert involvement, practitioner level, ease of navigation, variety of meditations offered, and cost. Use this list to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Meditation is a great way to refocus and center yourself, but when life is hectic and distracting, it can be difficult to master. Enter meditation apps: technology-based applications that contain guided meditation sessions as short as one minute or as long as 30 minutes. These apps can help make meditation easier and more intuitive, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.
We have rounded up the best meditation apps based on criteria like evidence-based design, expert involvement, practitioner level, ease of navigation, variety of meditations offered, and cost. Use this list to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Most Comprehensive: Headspace
Headspace
Sign Up Now
Key Specs
Why We Chose It
Headspace has a user-friendly interface with hundreds of guided meditations promoting mindfulness, better sleep, reduced stress, and more for beginners to experts.
Pros & Cons
ProsUser-friendly appGuided meditations for beginnersCues to cope with external soundsHundreds of meditations to choose fromConsMembership is a bit expensiveNeed a subscription to access most featuresCan be a little difficult to navigate
ProsUser-friendly appGuided meditations for beginnersCues to cope with external soundsHundreds of meditations to choose from
User-friendly app
Guided meditations for beginners
Cues to cope with external sounds
Hundreds of meditations to choose from
ConsMembership is a bit expensiveNeed a subscription to access most featuresCan be a little difficult to navigate
Membership is a bit expensive
Need a subscription to access most features
Can be a little difficult to navigate
Our Experience
Headspace says it’s on a mission to improve the health and happiness of the worldwith science-backed meditation and mindfulness tools that help create life-changing habits to support better mental health. With over 70 million downloads in 190 countries, Headspace is well on its way to achieving its mission.
We tried Headspace for a month and were overwhelmingly impressed with its offerings. We could choose exercises from four different categories—Meditation, Sleep, Stress, and Mindfulness—and with the hundreds available, we never ran out of options. We liked that as soon as we signed up, we could fill out symptom trackers for our stress and anxiety, and the app followed up a few weeks later asking us to rate our stress and anxiety levels again (and they had improved!). We also appreciated that, although Headspace showed us a “featured meditation” each day, the app never forced us to do a certain exercise or follow a certain routine—we were able to choose each and every meditation we did, which made us feel more in control of our meditation practice.
Some of our favorite exercises had to do with relaxation. We found that even in the middle of a busy day, we were consistently able to take five-minute breaks and listen to guided meditations that helped us focus on our breath and body tension. There were as many great 4-minute options as 30-minute ones, so we felt like Headspace was supporting our meditation no matter how much time we had to practice. Our favorite exercise of all was a visual meditation that showed us beautiful pictures of national parks while soothing music played. We were able to clear our mind and feel calm, even if it was just for a few minutes, and that helped us lower our stress levels throughout the day.
Plans & Pricing
Those new to the app can take advantage of a 7- to 14-day free trial depending on subscription level (monthly or annual).
Headspace Review
Best for Beginners: Happier MeditationSign Up NowKey SpecsPlatforms:iOS, AndroidFeatures:Access to meditation courses, expert-led talks, and podcastsWhy We Chose ItWe selected Happier for people beginning their road to meditation enlightenment because this app caters to newbies with easy-to-follow guided meditations. It also has shorter sessions that can be increased over time.Pros & ConsProsGood for sleep and stressHundreds of meditations availableLive group classes with time to ask questionsEasy to useConsAbove-average membership costNot great for more advanced practitionersOur ExperienceBased on ABC news anchor Dan Harris’s book, “10% Happier,” theHappier appteaches meditation basics in a fun, easy, and accessible way. It’s well suited for anyone, but especially those who think they’re “not the meditation type” and can’t find the time to start a meditation practice.When we signed up to test Happier for a month, we were meditation novices—so we were pleased to find over 50 meditations that were labeled “Great for Beginners” right off the bat. (There was also a course called “Meditation for Skeptics” that called out any misconceptions we might have had, including that meditation just means sitting with our eyes closed and thinking about nothing.) Happier has meditation exercises as short as three minutes and as long as 15 minutes or more, so no matter what we were in the mood for or had time for, there was always a meditation we could fit into even our busiest of days.We found the app most useful when we scheduled a short window of time every day to devote to our meditation. There is no set curriculum or schedule that the app made us follow, so we could design our own practice easily. We could even search for meditations based on topic, like “parenting” or “money,” which let us tackle our specific worries. Ten Percent Happier definitely made meditation feel more accessible, and we noticed a change in our anxiety for the better almost immediately.Plans & PricingAn annual subscription to Happier costs $99, which comes out to $8.33 a month. It offers a 7-day free trial.Ten Percent Happier Review
Best for Beginners: Happier Meditation
We selected Happier for people beginning their road to meditation enlightenment because this app caters to newbies with easy-to-follow guided meditations. It also has shorter sessions that can be increased over time.
ProsGood for sleep and stressHundreds of meditations availableLive group classes with time to ask questionsEasy to useConsAbove-average membership costNot great for more advanced practitioners
ProsGood for sleep and stressHundreds of meditations availableLive group classes with time to ask questionsEasy to use
Good for sleep and stress
Hundreds of meditations available
Live group classes with time to ask questions
Easy to use
ConsAbove-average membership costNot great for more advanced practitioners
Above-average membership cost
Not great for more advanced practitioners
Based on ABC news anchor Dan Harris’s book, “10% Happier,” theHappier appteaches meditation basics in a fun, easy, and accessible way. It’s well suited for anyone, but especially those who think they’re “not the meditation type” and can’t find the time to start a meditation practice.
When we signed up to test Happier for a month, we were meditation novices—so we were pleased to find over 50 meditations that were labeled “Great for Beginners” right off the bat. (There was also a course called “Meditation for Skeptics” that called out any misconceptions we might have had, including that meditation just means sitting with our eyes closed and thinking about nothing.) Happier has meditation exercises as short as three minutes and as long as 15 minutes or more, so no matter what we were in the mood for or had time for, there was always a meditation we could fit into even our busiest of days.
We found the app most useful when we scheduled a short window of time every day to devote to our meditation. There is no set curriculum or schedule that the app made us follow, so we could design our own practice easily. We could even search for meditations based on topic, like “parenting” or “money,” which let us tackle our specific worries. Ten Percent Happier definitely made meditation feel more accessible, and we noticed a change in our anxiety for the better almost immediately.
An annual subscription to Happier costs $99, which comes out to $8.33 a month. It offers a 7-day free trial.
Ten Percent Happier Review
Best for Sleep: CalmCalmSign Up NowKey SpecsPlatforms:iOS, AndroidFeatures:Calming background sounds, short meditations, and sleep storiesWhy We Chose ItCalm is well known for promoting relaxation and sleep thanks to its soothing background sounds, to-the-point meditations, and sleep stories.Pros & ConsProsHighly effective “sleep stories"Offers many individual exercisesLess structuredCalming sounds in backgroundConsApp isn’t the most intuitiveLimited free contentOur ExperienceWhat’s keeping you up at night? Anxious thoughts? Lack of focus? A stressed-out psyche? Calm’s guidedmeditationswill have you sleeping soundly and feeling more relaxed almost instantly. When we tried Calm, we were immediately impressed with the breadth of content available—everything from soothing soundscapes to narrated meditations to sleep stories. Since we have always been the type of person who needs background noise to sleep, we found the wide variety of soundscapes to be especially useful. Calm had everything from office noises (the clinking of mugs and tapping of keyboards) to thunderstorms (as well as 14 other rain-related themes) to a spaceship engine room (which we could only imagine was accurate).But we got the most out of the sleep stories, which are designed to lull you to sleep before you can reach the end. In fact, for the whole month we tested Calm, we never heard the end of our favorite 39-minute sleep story, “Mr. Calm.” We considered that a true success.Plans & PricingAfter a 7-day free trial, you can sign up for a monthly subscription for $14.99 per month, an annual subscription for $69.99 per year, or a lifetime subscription for $399.99.Calm Review
Best for Sleep: Calm
Calm
Calm is well known for promoting relaxation and sleep thanks to its soothing background sounds, to-the-point meditations, and sleep stories.
ProsHighly effective “sleep stories"Offers many individual exercisesLess structuredCalming sounds in backgroundConsApp isn’t the most intuitiveLimited free content
ProsHighly effective “sleep stories"Offers many individual exercisesLess structuredCalming sounds in background
Highly effective “sleep stories"
Offers many individual exercises
Less structured
Calming sounds in background
ConsApp isn’t the most intuitiveLimited free content
App isn’t the most intuitive
Limited free content
What’s keeping you up at night? Anxious thoughts? Lack of focus? A stressed-out psyche? Calm’s guidedmeditationswill have you sleeping soundly and feeling more relaxed almost instantly. When we tried Calm, we were immediately impressed with the breadth of content available—everything from soothing soundscapes to narrated meditations to sleep stories. Since we have always been the type of person who needs background noise to sleep, we found the wide variety of soundscapes to be especially useful. Calm had everything from office noises (the clinking of mugs and tapping of keyboards) to thunderstorms (as well as 14 other rain-related themes) to a spaceship engine room (which we could only imagine was accurate).
But we got the most out of the sleep stories, which are designed to lull you to sleep before you can reach the end. In fact, for the whole month we tested Calm, we never heard the end of our favorite 39-minute sleep story, “Mr. Calm.” We considered that a true success.
After a 7-day free trial, you can sign up for a monthly subscription for $14.99 per month, an annual subscription for $69.99 per year, or a lifetime subscription for $399.99.
Calm Review
Best Budget: Insight Timer
Insight Timer
Insight Timer has a giant library of free meditations, so if your budget is tight, this is the meditation app for you.
ProsOver 150,000 free meditationsEasy to search and filter contentFree 7-day intro courseFree community of meditatorsConsNot the most intuitive appToo many choices overwhelms some usersSome technical glitches
ProsOver 150,000 free meditationsEasy to search and filter contentFree 7-day intro courseFree community of meditators
Over 150,000 free meditations
Easy to search and filter content
Free 7-day intro course
Free community of meditators
ConsNot the most intuitive appToo many choices overwhelms some usersSome technical glitches
Not the most intuitive app
Too many choices overwhelms some users
Some technical glitches
We found the “Explore” section of the app to be incredibly useful, helping us look for meditation exercises under eight categories: beginner, meditation, breathwork, sleep, music, yoga, live events, and courses. We could also choose topics to focus on, such as stress and anxiety, which is where we most often found ourselves when looking for meditation exercises. While Insight Timer offered everything from guided meditations to yoga classes to soothing music, as well as exercises that ranged from a few minutes to over an hour, we made the most use of the shorter meditations, usually sticking around 15 minutes or fewer.
Insight Timer is free to use, with over 150,000 meditations and exercises available at no charge. If you’d like access to every resource on Insight Timer, a premium subscription costs $59.99 per year.
Insight Timer Review
Best Guided: BuddhifybuddhifySign Up NowKey SpecsPlatforms:iOS, AndroidFeatures:Wheel of guided meditation practicesWhy We Chose itBuddhify’s specialty is guided meditations, which hold your hand as they lead you through exercises that address anxiety, stress, sleep, and more.Pros & ConsProsOver 200 targeted guided meditationsEasy to useWheel of meditation practices helps you choose the one you needConsNo desktop versionIn-app purchasesOur ExperienceWe tested Buddhify for a month and were impressed with how simple and intuitive the app was. There are over 200 guided meditations available, and as a beginner to meditation, we found it especially helpful that the exercises were guided. We never felt lost or like we didn’t know what we were supposed to do because the narrators of the exercises led us through things like body scans to identify how we were feeling and use that insight to improve our mood, focus, and productivity.The main feature of the app is a pinwheel featuring different categories of meditations we could choose from—the straightforward design made it easy to dive into any meditation. With options like “Waking Up,” “Stress and Difficult Emotion,” and “Can’t Sleep,” we were able to quickly identify how we were feeling at the moment and choose a meditation to suit our needs at that time. Our favorite category was “Work Break,” which included exercises we could set up when we were feeling a midday slump. The speaker asked us to check in with our body to identify physical changes, like being hunched over at our workdesk, as well as the emotions we were feeling at the time (which was usually a lack of motivation to keep working). Our guide helped us recognize how we were feeling in that moment and be compassionate with ourselves as we worked.Plans & PricingIt costs $4.99 to download Buddhify on the Apple App Store and $3.99 on Google Play. There are also in-app purchases available, as well as a $30 membership fee that gives you access to extra features like additional meditations and courses. There is no free trial available.Buddhify Review
Best Guided: Buddhify
buddhify
Why We Chose it
Buddhify’s specialty is guided meditations, which hold your hand as they lead you through exercises that address anxiety, stress, sleep, and more.
ProsOver 200 targeted guided meditationsEasy to useWheel of meditation practices helps you choose the one you needConsNo desktop versionIn-app purchases
ProsOver 200 targeted guided meditationsEasy to useWheel of meditation practices helps you choose the one you need
Over 200 targeted guided meditations
Wheel of meditation practices helps you choose the one you need
ConsNo desktop versionIn-app purchases
No desktop version
In-app purchases
We tested Buddhify for a month and were impressed with how simple and intuitive the app was. There are over 200 guided meditations available, and as a beginner to meditation, we found it especially helpful that the exercises were guided. We never felt lost or like we didn’t know what we were supposed to do because the narrators of the exercises led us through things like body scans to identify how we were feeling and use that insight to improve our mood, focus, and productivity.
The main feature of the app is a pinwheel featuring different categories of meditations we could choose from—the straightforward design made it easy to dive into any meditation. With options like “Waking Up,” “Stress and Difficult Emotion,” and “Can’t Sleep,” we were able to quickly identify how we were feeling at the moment and choose a meditation to suit our needs at that time. Our favorite category was “Work Break,” which included exercises we could set up when we were feeling a midday slump. The speaker asked us to check in with our body to identify physical changes, like being hunched over at our workdesk, as well as the emotions we were feeling at the time (which was usually a lack of motivation to keep working). Our guide helped us recognize how we were feeling in that moment and be compassionate with ourselves as we worked.
It costs $4.99 to download Buddhify on the Apple App Store and $3.99 on Google Play. There are also in-app purchases available, as well as a $30 membership fee that gives you access to extra features like additional meditations and courses. There is no free trial available.
Buddhify Review
Best for Breathing Techniques: Breathwrk
Breathwrk
While many breathing apps only focus on meditation and relaxation, Breathwrk also offers classes and programs promoting the long list of benefits of focused breathing.
ProsMeditations geared toward relieving pain and improving energyWide variety of meditations availableTeaches calming breathing techniques you can do without the appConsPremium subscription needed to unlock most optionsRequires internet access while using
ProsMeditations geared toward relieving pain and improving energyWide variety of meditations availableTeaches calming breathing techniques you can do without the app
Meditations geared toward relieving pain and improving energy
Wide variety of meditations available
Teaches calming breathing techniques you can do without the app
ConsPremium subscription needed to unlock most optionsRequires internet access while using
Premium subscription needed to unlock most options
Requires internet access while using
We found Breathwrk especially helpful with our insomnia. Our favorites were the sleep-based classes (because the shorter exercises that only last a few minutes weren’t ever enough to calm our overactive brain when we woke up in the middle of the night). Guiding us through inhaling and exhaling with a soothing voice, the classes were always helpful lulling us back to sleep. We did enjoy the shorter exercises, though, for creating a bedtime routine. It was easy to squeeze in a minute or two of breathing before bed, and doing some breathing exercises earlier in the evening to prepare for bedtime took away the anxiety of being able to fall asleep later when we wanted to.
A premium subscription to Breathwrk costs $12 per month or $69 per year, with a 7-day free trial.
The free options on Breathwrk are limited—you can access 50 exercises and classes, as well as 7-day challenges. However, if cost is an issue for you, you can contact the company about more affordable options. In addition, it offers discounts for students, teachers, military, veterans, and first responders.
Best for Kids: Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind has guided meditations and activities designed specifically for children, including easy one-minute meditations and fun guided meditations like The Bubble Journey.
ProsTotally freeGeared toward children 3 and upMeditations start at one minute long to help children build on the practiceConsChildren will need a phone or tablet to use the appEmail address is required at sign-up
ProsTotally freeGeared toward children 3 and upMeditations start at one minute long to help children build on the practice
Totally free
Geared toward children 3 and up
Meditations start at one minute long to help children build on the practice
ConsChildren will need a phone or tablet to use the appEmail address is required at sign-up
Children will need a phone or tablet to use the app
Email address is required at sign-up
We found Smiling Mind’s programs, which are collections of exercises meant to help develop different kinds of skills, to be highly customizable—we could pick any programs we wanted without the app telling us what to do or in what order. We especially liked the mindfulness programs that taught us the basics of meditation and how to be more mindful in our everyday lives, such as appreciating food before we ate it or having a conversation with a friend while practicing mindful listening (this was one of our favorite activities that the app suggested). We could jump around to any exercise we wanted in these programs and tailor our experience to what we were in the mood for that day.
This kind of personalization could be especially beneficial to kids and teens to help them feel like they have more control over their lives and the way they practice meditation and mindfulness. In fact, these skills can help lead to better attention, memory, regulation of emotions, and self-awareness, and improvements in these areas can bring about reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as better academic skills, social skills, and self-esteem.
Smiling Mind Review
Compare the Best Meditation Apps
Guide for Choosing Apps for Meditation
How to Choose the Right Meditation App for You
When choosing thebest meditation and mindfulness appto meet your needs, make a mental list of what you’re hoping to achieve with the app; for instance, you might want to see what meditation is all about, learn breathing techniques, discover anxiety coping skills, or achievebetter sleep. Next, consider how much time and money you can devote to the practice.
What to Look for in a Meditation App
Below are a few factors to weigh before downloading a meditation app to ensure you get the most out of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Seema Sarin, MD, medical director of lifestyle medicine at EHE Health, says, “In the case of meditation, these apps can guide a user through a session. It has been shown that meditation can help with stress levels, help you find a new perspective on a stressful situation, help you build self-awareness, reduce negative emotions, and improve your creativity and patience. [They] can even help lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and improve sleep.”
While meditating on your own or using more basic online guides can certainly help you meditate, apps have the advantage of providing intuitive tools, like trackers, that can help keep you accountable and improve over time. Many also offer expert support at the touch of a button in case you have questions as you practice.
Yes, almost any amount of daily meditation can offer benefits. If you want to recenter, it may take only 30 seconds. If you want to achieve pain relief or a night of more restful sleep, a guided meditation session could last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. You could aim for 15 minutes a day and adjust as needed.
Yes, Smiling Mind and Insight Timer are both free (though you can purchase a premium subscription for Insight Timer), as is the Healthy Minds Program app that’s affiliated with the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (although there is a donation button for those who wish to contribute). The Healthy Minds Program app offers hundreds of hours of free guided meditations, podcast-style teachings, and progress-tracking features. Many other apps have free meditations with the option to pay if you want more.
We diligently researched the best meditation apps on the market before making our final recommendations. We considered more than 20 meditation apps, read over 150 reader reviews (both positive and negative), and used many of the meditation apps ourselves for at least a month. The apps were rated on the evidence-based programs offered, expert involvement in the creation of the meditations, whether the meditations were guided or self-led, the overall variety available, the issues addressed in the meditations (e.g., better sleep, reduced anxiety, or better focus), and price.
1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Guendelman S, Medeiros S, Rampes H.Mindfulness and emotion regulation: insights from neurobiological, psychological, and clinical studies.Front Psychol. 2017;8:220. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00220
1 Source
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Guendelman S, Medeiros S, Rampes H.Mindfulness and emotion regulation: insights from neurobiological, psychological, and clinical studies.Front Psychol. 2017;8:220. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00220
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Guendelman S, Medeiros S, Rampes H.Mindfulness and emotion regulation: insights from neurobiological, psychological, and clinical studies.Front Psychol. 2017;8:220. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00220
Ally Hirschlag
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