Want to start meditating but don’t know where to dive in? Are you an experienced meditator looking for an app that can expand your practice and expose you to new methods and techniques? No matter where you are in your journey we’ve got you covered! We’ve assembled a list of the best meditation apps available for all experience levels. Ranging from the biggest names in the industry to some deep cuts and hidden gems. From paid apps to completely free. There’s something for everyone!
Headspace
Headspace is one of the most well-known meditation apps on the market. And for good reason! Headspace offers a variety of guided meditations ranging from their beginner series for those that are completely new to meditating to an expert series that delves deeply into various strategies and methods. You can explore walking meditations and sessions that help you manage stress or improve focus. Additionally, you can find sessions led by Elmo of Sesame Street for meditation curious kids, “energy shot” sessions led by comedian Kevin Hart designed to give you a mid-day boost and a chuckle and sleep sessions led by actress Gina Rodriguez to lull you off to sleep at the end of the day. Regardless of who you are and how long you’ve been practicing, there’s a session for you! It’s not just one of the best meditation apps available, it’s also one of the most versatile.
Headspace was founded by Andy Puddicombe in 2010. Since its inception, Headspace has expanded its offerings from simple meditation sessions to include advice on mindful eating, full length podcasts, and even a telehealth platform providing on-demand, confidential mental healthcare directly via your smartphone. It’s an all-in-one mental health platform for every situation.
Price: $12.00/Month or $69.99/year
Calm
If you’ve spent any amount of time researching meditation apps online there’s no doubt you’ve already found the Calm app. Calm is another one of the “OG” meditation apps that hit mainstream success by being one of the first wellness apps to introduce “Sleep Stories”. Calm’s main offering is derivative of its name. The app offers a wide range of different session types but focuses mainly on delivering content designed to relax and ease the mind. If you’re looking for beginner friendly sleep stories, calming music or chill guided meditation sessions Calm is for you.
Calm originated from an earlier project created by co-founder Alex Tew in 2011. Tew initially developed an app titled “Do Nothing for 2 Minutes”, which was a web-based experience that demonstrated a demand for digital mindfulness tools. The app’s humble roots and mission to introduce new users to mindfulness and meditation remain at the heart of its offerings today. Consequently making Calm one of the best meditation apps for new users looking to relax.
Price: Limited free content, $79.99/Year, $499.99 Lifetime Subscription
Insight Timer
Want access to a massive library of hundreds of thousands of free meditation sessions led by well respected teachers from all over the world? Do you want it completely for free? Does it sound too good to be true? It isn’t. It’s Insight Timer. Insight Timer offers the largest free library of meditation sessions of any app currently available. Zen, Trataka, Transcendental, Vipassana, Qigong, Tonglen. If you can name it, Insight timer can provide it. There’s a premium version of the app, but the average user will never need it. The free version of the app provides a literal lifetime of sessions. A premium subscription gets you access to live events, discussion groups, and some literal “bells and whistles” within the timer app.
More people use Insight Timer than any other meditation app. Accounting for nearly 59% of time users spend on meditation apps today. Insight timer was founded in 2009 as a simple timer app by Brad Hubbard and has since grown to a leadership team of 70 people who support a roster of over 20,000 teachers. If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck(or in this case no bucks at all) you can’t beat Insight Timer, regardless of where you are in you meditation journey.
Price: Free massive content library, $9.99/month, $59.99/year
Waking up: Meditation & Wisdom
If you’re looking for an app that will both calm and simultaneously challenge your mind, Waking Up is the app for you. Unlike other meditation apps that simply offer guided meditations, Waking Up delves into the neuroscience, psychology and philosophy of meditation. It’s the perfect app for skeptics and accomplished believers alike. Whether you’re trying to pragmatically understand if meditation is worth your time, or logically quantify the benefits you’ve noticed from extended meditation practice, Waking Up will help you find the clarity you’re looking for. In addition to the scholarly approach and information, Waking Up also offers a variety of guided meditations ranging from simple 5 minute timers to longer guided breathwork sessions.
Waking up is a relatively new app. It was founded in 2018 by neuroscientist, philosopher, and five-time New York Times bestselling author Sam Harris. Harris’ spiritual resume is every bit as impressive as his professional and academic achievements. Over 30 years of meditation practice and study under Tibetan, Indian, Burmese, and Western meditation teachers is folded into his scholarly research, creating the perfect environment for both skeptical newcomers and advanced meditation pros.
Price: $19.99/month, $129.99/year
Medito: Meditation & Sleep
Made for people. Not for profit. Their tagline is more than a catchy marketing ploy. Medito is the most accessible meditation app available today. Every session on their app is completely free. No strings attached. Their content library isn’t going to knock your socks off. But it offers a wide array of standard guided and non-guided meditations. It has everything you could possibly need to start or expand your practice, and it won’t cost you a cent.
“Free” rarely means actually free these days. Medito: Meditation & Sleep is one of the few exceptions. Medito is owned and operated by the Medito Foundation. It’s a registered non-profit. That means no shareholders, no growth targets, and no premium tier to upsell you. Normally, when an app is offering you “free” content it’s because you become the product. They sell your data to advertisers. That’s not the case here. There are no ads, no 3rd party tracking and no algorithms trying to hock you random wellness products. Medito is one of the only opportunities you have available today to free your mind, completely for free! Making it the perfect fit for the budget conscious newbie or veteran.
Price: Completely Free!
Plum Village: Mindfulness App
Thich Nhat Hanh is widely credited as one of the most important figures in bringing the concept of Mindfulness to the West. His quest to spread Buddhism and mindfulness is being continued posthumously by Plum Village, a monastic practice center he founded before his death in 2022. And they’re continuing his mission to spread ancient wisdom with modern means. Including a completely free app! The Plum Village App contains an assortment of guided meditations, deep relaxations and other practices originally crafted by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his close monastic community.
The Plum Village App offers a unique perspective other apps can’t replicate due to its deep connection with Thich Nhat Hanh and his Plum Village teachings. Exclusive chants, Dharma talks, and mindful living practices rooted in Hanh’s personal brand of “Engaged Buddhism” make for a truly incomparable experience. Engaged Buddhism puts emphasis on social action and compassion in Buddhism and modern society. The unique perspective this app offers makes it a great starting point for newcomers or a way to expand horizons for experienced meditators.
Price: Completely Free!