Best Apps For Guided Meditation

Working with a mantra can be truly transformative; however, using a traditional meditation method can be a bit difficult for some individuals. Enter the world of apps for guided meditation, helping everyone from newbies to experienced meditators find inner peace in only minutes a day. We took a look at some of the most highly rated apps available on iTunes (and Android). 

Best Apps For Guided Meditation

Calm
Calm
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Key Specs:

Cost: Calm offers a seven-day free trial with annual membership for around $70. Or, if you want meditations for life, you can pay about $400 for indefinite access to the app.
App Features: Calming background sounds and short meditations
Why We Chose It: We chose Calm because it’s a flexible app with less structured programs and exercises that help manage anxiety.

PROS
App offers more individual exercises

Less structured

Calming sounds in background

Simple to follow

CONS
Need a subscription

App isn’t the most intuitive

What are you working through? Anxious thoughts? Lack of focus? A stressed-out psyche? Calm’s guided meditations have you covered. More than that, though, the app really focuses on teaching you a variety of tools and using different modalities to help you stay centered throughout the day-to-day.

Calm stands out from the crowd because of its well-being offerings beyond that of its already impressive meditation catalog. Their newest offering is Calm Body, which are 10-minute guided videos that teach gentle stretching to help you unwind. One of the best features is “Sleep Stories,” which feature bedtime stories read by the soothing voices of celebs (like Matthew McConaughey).

Looking for more ideas? Take a peek at our roundup of the best meditation books.

BEST BUDGET
Insight Timer
Insight Timer
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Key Specs:

Cost: Free access to thousands of meditations. Premium is about $60 per year or roughly $10 per month.
App Features: Over 45,000 free meditations.
Why We Chose It: We chose Insight Timer because it has a giant library of free meditations which you can filter by what you’re looking for.

PROS
Over 45,000 free meditations

Easy to search and filter content

Free seven day intro course

Free community of meditators

CONS
Not the most intuitive app

Too many choices overwhelms some users

Technical glitches

Insight Timer offers more than 45K free meditations—that’s a big deal, as one of the biggest complaints about other apps is their lack of free content. The library allows you to filter by need (e.g. stress, sleep, self-esteem), time (from five minutes to 30+ minutes), or specific benefit (e.g. relationships, spiritual, kids). If you’re just getting started, opt for the seven-day free course on how to meditate. You can also join the community of fellow mindful folks for free.

BEST FOR SLEEP
Headspace Meditation & Sleep
Headspace
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Key Specs:

Cost: Headspace offers a two-week free trial. An annual subscription is about $70 and a monthly membership costs around $13.
App Features: Meditation guides for all levels.
Why We Chose It: We chose Headspace for its user-friendly interface with hundreds of guided meditations for beginners to experts.

PROS
User-friendly app

Guided for beginners

Cues to cope with external sounds

100s of meditations to choose from

CONS
Membership is a bit expensive

Need a subscription

Not great for the less tech-minded

If you’re the type whose mind gets lost in worry (or flooded with to-do lists) the minute your head hits the pillow, then Headspace should be your go-to. This app provides breathing exercises, sleep meditations, and wind-down practices. The screen is dimmed, so there’s no blaring, headache-inducing bright light.

While the app is free, you’ll want to take advantage of the subscription to access the all-important sleepcasts to help get your mind ready for sleep.

Check out our reviews of the best books for anxiety.

BEST FOR BEGINNERS
Ten Percent Happier Meditation
10% Happier
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Key Specs:

Cost: Free, seven-day trial; about $100 annually.
App Features: Experts available for questions.
Why We Chose It: We selected Ten Percent Happier because it offers beginner guides for people who aren’t sure about meditation

PROS
Good for sleep and stress

Experts available for questions

100s of meditations available

Easy to use

CONS
Above average membership cost

Not great for more advanced meditators

Based on ABC news anchor Dan Harris’s popular book, this app will teach you the how-to behind meditating in a fun, easy, and accessible way. It’s 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.

You’ll be lead through short on-the-go meditations designed to be listened to whenever you can fit them in (like during your commute). Try to see how many consecutive “Mindful Days” you rack up: with time, these moments of calm will come second nature.

BEST GUIDED
Buddhify
buddhify
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Key Specs:

Cost: About $5, plus in-app purchases.
App Features: “Wheel” of meditation practices. meditation practices.
Why We Chose It: Buddhify stands out because of its targeted meditations for whatever mental health situation you need help with.

PROS
Over 200 targeted meditations

Easy to use

“Wheel” of meditation practices

Timer to meditate without guidance

CONS
No desktop version

Have to pay to use the app

What’s going on with you now? Right now? Whether you’re grabbing a minute in between to-do’s at work, taking a walk, boarding a plane, or dealing with overwhelming feelings, this app has a targeted meditation (over 200 of them) waiting for you.

It’s super easy to use—you can create your own “wheel” of meditation practices for quick access when you need them. Each one lasts four to 30 minutes, so you can find time to meditate no matter how swamped you are. As you advance in your skill, you can use their timer to meditate on your own without guidance.

BEST FOR FOCUS
Unplug
Unplug
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Key Specs:

Cost: About $8 per month, $60 per year.
App Features: Meditation timer, progress tracker.
Why We Chose It: We chose Unplug because it offers short and long meditations that help address anxiety and stress.

PROS
Expert guides to tackle mental health issues

Intuitive design

Seven day free trial

Meditation timer

Progress tracker

CONS
Have to pay to keep using the app

Somewhat expensive

If you have five minutes, you have enough time to meditate. Unplug excels in guided meditations but also allows you to self-direct with unobtrusive timers and ambient sounds. Because just a few minutes are required, it’s great to use when you need to refocus and destress during the workday. Want to commit? Tackle their 30-day challenge to make meditation a daily habit for the long haul.

BEST SELECTION
Simple Habit
Simple Habit
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Key Specs:

Cost: Free, about $12 a month, $90 a year, $300 a lifetime for premium.
App Features: Five-minute meditations, bedtime stories.
Why We Chose It: We selected Simple Habit because it offers free, short meditations from top mindfulness experts.

PROS
Five-minute meditations

Expert guides

Bedtime stories

Free

CONS
Not many longer meditation offerings

Need to pay to unlock all features

No matter your meditation goal—to boost self-confidence, shake off anxiety, get over a breakup, or simply be present—Simple Habit has an extensive library of meditations, all cataloged and easy to find. You’ll love how each meditation is very specifically titled, making mindfulness something you can turn to for any occasion.

One of the big perks of their premium subscription is that you can use the app offline, which makes catching a few minutes of mindfulness even more accessible. It may even be necessary for your mental health, too. The app offers special meditations designed to help you overcome panic attacks or lessen stress.

Final Verdict
All the meditation apps on this list aim to help you harness the healing powers of meditation with the swipe of a finger. Whether you’re a meditation newbie or a seasoned pro looking for some structure, there’s an app for you that can help streamline the meditation process and answer any questions you may have along the way. However, only one app could be our top pick, and that is Calm.

Calm is an incredibly flexible app that offers lots of individual exercises that target common mental health issues from anxiety to lack of focus. It also has a number of tools to help you retain that meditative focus throughout your day. While it’s not the most inexpensive, it’s reasonably priced considering all that it offers, including bedtime stories read by favorite celebs.

Compare The Best Meditation Apps
Best Mental Health Apps Cost Features
Calm
Best Overall Annual membership is $70. Meditations for life is $400 Flexible app with short meditations
Insight Timer
Best Budget Free or premium is $10 per month, $60 per year Over 45,000 free meditations
Headspace
Best for Sleep $13 per month or $70 per year Meditation guides for all levels
10% Happier
Best for Beginners $100 Annually User-friendly app and website
Buddhify
Best Guided $5, plus in-app purchases “Wheel” of meditation practices
Unplug
Best for Focus $8 per month, $60 per year Live-recorded meditation sessions
Simple Habit
Best Selection Free, $12 per month, $90 per year, $300 a lifetime for premium 5-minute meditations
FAQs
How Do Meditation Apps Work?
Meditation apps help you learn and master various meditation skills like focused deep breathing, mental clarity and being present. They do this by offering various tech tools like mood trackers, expert guided meditations, meditation timers and a community of fellow meditators.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Meditation App?
Practicing meditation through a meditation app helps you tune into your body and stay in the present moment with exercises and expert advice. Being mindful through meditation has been shown to help improve your focus on tasks in everyday life as well as process new information. Using an app as a guide while you meditate can also help you build up your meditation skill set, which may in turn help you access a calm, focused state in your day-to-day life more easily.

Are Meditation Apps Worth It?
While self-meditation 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.

Methodology
Our writers spent hours researching the best meditation apps on the market. Before making their final recommendations, they considered more than 20 meditation apps, read over 150 reader reviews (both positive and negative), and used 4 of the meditation apps themselves. All of this research adds up to recommendations you can trust.

Best meditation app for beginners

The Magic of Meditation Apps
If you think meditation is something reserved only for intense yogis and Buddhist monks, think again. The practice, which dates back to 1500 BCE (Before Common Era), is for everyone. It has loads of benefits, too. Research shows meditation can make you a better athlete, increase self-awareness, and dramatically lower stress levels. In a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, people who received just three consecutive days of mindfulness training felt calmer when faced with a stressful task. (And those are just a few of the massive benefits of meditation.)

But there’s just one little problem: Getting started with anything new, including meditation, can feel super overwhelming — especially on those anxious days when sitting still and breathing feels like climbing Mount Everest. That’s where meditation apps come into play. Not only can these digital guides take the edge off the practice for newbies, but they can make your practice more fun too. These best meditation apps will make getting into the practice an absolute breeze. (These top therapy and mental health apps are worth checking out, too.)

Headspace
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Headspace
Ask any big entrepreneur if they use a meditation app, and nine times out of ten you’ll hear them utter the word Headspace. The app offers a wide range of guided meditations on subjects ranging from sleep and anxiety to focus and relationships, as well as an everyday Headspace free to non-subscription customers. (They offer a mindful eating meditation series, too.)

Plus, users can track their progress from day to day, and even buddy up with a friend to stay accountable. It doesn’t hurt that Andy Puddicombe, the company’s CEO and voice behind the programming, has a super attractive (and calming) British accent.

Price: $69.99/year for iPhone, Android

Calm
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Calm
Have trouble sleeping? The Calm meditation app has got your back. With 100+ sleep stories, these adult bedtime stories of sorts are made strategically to help users hit the hay. Feel like you’re over the whole guided practice thing? This app’s got next-level options included unguided timed meditation, open-ended meditation, and 30+ soothing sounds and scenes to use to practice on your own, no guide required.

Price: $69.99/year for iPhone, Android

Buddhify
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Buddhify
Out of all the meditation apps, Buddhify gives you the most meditation gratis. Of the 200 free meditations available, you can choose one that suits your needs with subjects ranging from stress to pain.

Splurge for the membership, and you can unlock additional features including Together (which offers video courses and community stories), Formal (which teaches six formal meditation techniques), and karaoke-style meditation called Transmission. Here’s how it works: Pick the meditation you want to transmit (great for people who practice together), and you’ll see words you have to say out loud on the screen. Read them aloud, and you’re instantly performing a guided meditation for whoever is around.

Price: $29.99/year for iPhone, Android

Smiling Mind
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Smiling Mind
This entirely free meditation app, developed by psychologists and educators, is a great intro for someone who isn’t quite ready to invest in their practice just yet. The best part? Smiling Mind offers programs specifically made for everyone from 7-year-olds to adults. When each meditation finishes, the app prompts you to respond and gauge how you feel, offering a fun, easy way to track your progress and meditation’s impact over time. (Looking for more wallet-friendly downloads? Check out the best free apps for runners.)

Price: Free for iPhone, Android

The Mindfulness App
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The Mindfulness App
With sessions ranging from 3 to 30 minutes, the Mindfulness App allows users to tailor their practice to their own schedule. This meditation app offers 200+ guided meditations, and premium subscribers can even download meditations to use offline. (Related: Why You Should Keep Up Your Meditation Practice While Traveling)

Price: $59.99/year for iPhone, Android

Journey LIVE
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Journey LIVE
When you’re using a meditation app, you’re typically trading the personal touch of a meditation class for convenience. But with Journey LIVE, each day, users get access to 15-minute live sessions, along with one new on-demand class, in case you have scheduling conflicts. You can even type questions to your teacher and receive real-time feedback during class. Journey bills itself as the best meditation app for professionals, and will teach you life-changing skills to better manage stress at work and at home in addition to simply helping you meditate.

Conclusion

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