Best Meditation Apps

Headspace says it's on a mission to improve the health and happiness of the world with 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.

Those new to the app can take advantage of a 7- to 14-day free trial depending on subscription level (monthly or annual). Headspace Plus opens access to hundreds of guided meditations that promote everything from reduced stress to better sleep. There are short meditations you can do anytime with expert guidance from Headspace co-founder and former monk Andy Puddicombe. Or, choose sleep sounds to ease your mind into a truly restful night.

Note that to take advantage of the full benefits offered by Headspace, you will need a membership, which runs $12.99 a month or $69.99 a year.

Based on ABC news anchor Dan Harris's book, "10% Happier," the Ten Percent Happier app teaches 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 starting on the app, you're asked a series of questions about what you're hoping to get out of meditation and what you would like to address through meditation, such as sleep, mindfulness, or anxiety. After that, you'll have your meditation plan, and you're on your way to learning meditation via a program tailored to your needs.

You'll start with short on-the-go meditations designed to be listened to whenever you can fit them in (like during your commute or before bed). See how many consecutive "Mindful Days" you rack up. With time, these moments of calm will become second nature.

What's keeping you up at night? Anxious thoughts? Lack of focus? A stressed-out psyche? Calm’s guided meditations will have you sleeping soundly and feeling more relaxed almost instantly. Beyond that, the app provides several meditations to help reduce stress and improve mindfulness and self-compassion.

Calm stands out from the crowd because of its offerings and impressive meditation catalog. Its newest offering is Calm Body, a series of 10-minute guided videos that teach gentle stretching to help you unwind. One of the best features is Sleep Stories, which feature bedtime stories from soothing celebrity voices like Matthew McConaughey.

To get the most out of the app, you'll need a subscription, paid either annually at $69.99. The good news is that the tools and meditations you'll learn may benefit you for a lifetime.

Insight Timer offers more than 45,000 free meditations—that’s a big deal, since one of the biggest complaints about other meditation apps is their lack of free content. The library allows you to filter by need (e.g., stress, sleep, self-esteem); time, from five to 30 or more minutes; or specific benefit, such as pain relief, relationship woes, or teaching kids to meditate. If you’re new to meditation, opt for the seven-day free course on how to meditate.

Another cool feature is the community of fellow mindful folks you're able to interact with on the app. Connect in group chat rooms like "Be Here Now" and "Loving Kindness and Compassion" or choose a group by topic, like LGBTQIA+, relationships, nutrition and wellness, or weight loss.

Between the extensive library and the group chats, Insight Timer is one meditation app worth downloading.

Buddhify is the only app on our list that requires you to pay for it before downloading. Touted as family-made and operated, it promotes meditation and all its benefits through one app, including its newest feature, Buddhify Kids. So while this app costs money to download, there is something for the entire family to enjoy.

Buddhify excels in the meditation app category for its wheel of meditation. It looks like a spinning pinwheel with each section color-coded and labeled with a different meditation for a particular need: alleviate anxiety, improve relaxation, promote sleep, improve focus, and more.

It's super easy to use, and you can create your own wheel of meditation practices for quick access when you need them. Each one lasts four to 30 minutes. As you advance in your skill, you can use the timer to meditate on your own without guidance.

Whether you’re grabbing a minute in between tasks at work, taking a walk, boarding a plane, or dealing with overwhelming feelings, this app has a targeted meditation (over 200 of them) available.

Unplug is the self-professed "meditation app for people who don’t have time to meditate but want to experience all the benefits." The app offers short and long meditations that help address anxiety and stress through calming, easy-to-follow, expert-guided meditation.

With over 100+ world-renowned guides and 1,000+ videos filmed in its Los Angeles meditation studio, Unplug surely has a meditation to fit your schedule and needs. Classes include mindfulness, guided imagery, sound baths, hypnosis, breathwork, and more.

If you want to make meditation a part of your daily routine, commit to the seven-day challenge. If you find yourself so immersed in meditation that you want to become a teacher, Unplug offers teacher training through its website as well, starting at $3,500 for a six-week course.

If you want to get more out of your meditation than relaxation and better sleep, Simple Habit is for you. It's designed to help you boost your confidence, shake off anxiety, get over a breakup, or simply be more present. You’ll love how each meditation is specifically titled, making it easy to find the one that you need.

There are 160 experts guiding hundreds of meditations specifically geared to helping you get through difficult life events, emotions, and experiences. The app also offers special meditations designed to help you overcome panic attacks or lessen stress.

In addition, Simple Habit offers free and paid guided yoga sessions. If you opt for a premium subscription, you can use the app offline, which makes catching a few minutes of mindfulness even more accessible.

The Breathwrk app has numerous breathing exercise programs that promote calm, relaxation, and pain management, and offer an energy boost to help carry you through your workday.

Breathwrk's wide range of breathing exercises will benefit you for a lifetime. Learn focused breathing techniques during classes called Calm, Sleep, Awake, Energize, Anxiety, Ease Pain Relief, Unwind, Reboot, Recharge, and Stamina.

Research shows that "slow, voluntarily regulated breathing practices are non-invasive, easy to learn, and generally safe for treating patients with symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, depression, stress- and trauma-related disorders, ADHD, schizophrenia, and substance abuse."

Overview

Smiling Mind was developed by psychologists and educators in Australia to help bring mindful balance to children and adults. The app's creators believe "accessibility and inclusiveness are key to empowering a new generation to thrive. We approach everything we do in an open, curious, and non-judgmental way."

Smiling Mind is perfect for children 3 and older thanks to programs like The Bubble Journey, Smiling Starfish, and the Snow Globe. There are also guided meditations for older children that focus on being a better student, being more present, and using mindfulness to excel while playing your favorite sports.

Meditation and mindfulness can help lead to better attention, memory, regulation of emotions, and self-awareness. In turn, improvements in these areas can bring about reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as better academic skills, social skills, and self-esteem.