9 Best Meditation Apps Like Waking Up
| App Name | Best For | Key Features | AC Rating | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life7 | All in one mental wellness | Binaural beats, sleep stories, breathing exercises, CBT, hypnotherapy | 4.8/5 | Free trial, weekly/monthly/yearly plans |
| Headspace | Beginners learning meditation basics | Structured courses, sleep content, focus music, mindful movement | 4.5/5 | Free trial, monthly and yearly subscriptions |
| Calm | Sleep and relaxation | Sleep stories, celebrity narrators, nature scenes, music | 4.4/5 | Free trial, monthly and yearly subscriptions |
| Insight Timer | Free meditation with huge library | 200,000+ free meditations, live events, community features, timer | 4.5/5 | Free with optional premium upgrade |
| Happier Meditation | Skeptics new to meditation | Expert teachers, personalized plans, weekly content updates | 4.2/5 | Free trial, yearly subscription |
| Balance | Personalized meditation programs | AI personalization, 10 day plans, sleep content, one year free trial | 4.3/5 | One year free, then monthly or yearly |
| Smiling Mind | Families and children | Content for all ages, mental fitness tracking, completely free | 4.4/5 | 100% free forever |
| Medito | Budget conscious meditators | 30 day challenges, sleep section, breathing exercises, non profit | 4.6/5 | 100% free forever |
| Waking Up | Deep philosophical meditation | Theory and practice combined, 28 day intro course, nondual awareness | 4.5/5 | Free trial, yearly subscription |
#1. Life7 – Best for All in One Mental Wellness
Life7 is a complete mental wellness app that goes far beyond simple meditation. It brings together everything you need for better sleep, less stress, and a calmer mind in one place.
The app has been mentioned in over 1,200 editorial publications. Users have logged more than 312 million meditation minutes. That tells you how popular and trusted it is.
What makes Life7 special is the science backed approach. You get binaural beats, brain wave music, and healing frequencies all designed to help your mind relax faster.
Key Features:
- Binaural beats and brain wave frequencies including Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma waves
- Complete sound library with green noise, white noise, brown noise, pink noise, and nature sounds
- SOS sessions for anxiety and panic attacks plus CBT and hypnotherapy content
What I like: I really appreciate how Life7 combines so many wellness tools into one app. The binaural beats and solfeggio frequencies actually help me feel calmer faster than regular meditation. The Backdrop Mode is brilliant because you can mix soundscapes with meditations or sleep stories. The daily new sessions keep things fresh and the gamified approach with XP makes me want to stay consistent with my practice.
What I don’t like: The free content is somewhat limited. You need a subscription to really get the full experience. But the 7 day free trial helps you decide if it’s worth it first.
Pricing: 7 day free trial available. Weekly, monthly, and yearly subscription plans with frequent special offers.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#2. Headspace – Best for Beginners Learning Meditation Basics
Headspace is one of the most popular meditation apps in the world. It was founded in 2010 by a former Buddhist monk named Andy Puddicombe.
The app takes a fun, friendly approach to meditation. The animations are colorful and cartoon like. Everything feels approachable, even if you’ve never meditated before.
Headspace organizes content into clear categories. You’ll find sections for meditation, sleep, movement, and focus. The structured courses walk you through everything step by step.
Key Features:
- Over 1,000 guided meditations covering stress, anxiety, focus and sleep
- Sleepcasts and sleep stories narrated by soothing voices to help you drift off
- Mindful movement exercises including yoga and cardio with meditation
What I like: The beginner courses on Headspace really hold your hand through learning meditation. I love how each day builds on the last. The sleep content is fantastic, especially the sleepcasts. The daily Wake Up feature with short inspiring videos is a nice touch that helps start my morning right.
What I don’t like: Almost everything requires a paid subscription. The free content is very limited compared to other apps. Also, having the same few teachers for most content can feel repetitive after a while.
Pricing: Free trial available. Monthly subscription around $13 or yearly subscription around $70. Student and family plans available.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#3. Calm – Best for Sleep and Relaxation
Calm has become a household name in the meditation app world. The company was founded in 2012 and is now worth over 2 billion dollars.
About half of all Calm users open the app to help them sleep. The sleep stories are the star feature here. Famous celebrities like LeBron James and Stephen Fry read soothing bedtime stories.
The app has a beautiful nature focused design. Instead of cartoons, you see peaceful mountain lakes and forests. This creates a more serious, zen like atmosphere.
Key Features:
- Hundreds of Sleep Stories read by celebrities and voice actors for adults and kids
- Daily Calm meditation that offers a new 10 minute session every day
- Extensive music library with soundscapes designed for focus, relaxation and sleep
What I like: The sleep stories on Calm are genuinely wonderful. Having big name celebrities read to you at bedtime feels like a treat. The app looks gorgeous with all those nature backgrounds. I appreciate the new content being added regularly, including masterclasses on different wellness topics from experts.
What I don’t like: Almost all the good content sits behind the paywall. The free version is very limited, maybe only 5 percent of the app. The subscription price is also on the higher end compared to some competitors.
Pricing: 7 day free trial available. Monthly option around $15 or yearly around $70 to $80. Lifetime purchase option available.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#4. Insight Timer – Best for Free Meditation With Huge Library
Insight Timer started as a simple meditation timer app. Now it has grown into the largest free meditation library on the planet.
The app offers over 200,000 guided meditations. More than 18,000 teachers from around the world contribute content. New meditations are added every single day.
What sets Insight Timer apart is the community. You can join groups, attend live events, and connect with other meditators. It feels less like an app and more like a global meditation community.
Key Features:
- Over 200,000 free guided meditations covering every topic imaginable
- Live events including yoga classes, group meditations and workshops with teachers
- Customizable meditation timer with interval bells and ambient sounds
What I like: The sheer amount of free content is incredible. I can always find something new whether I want a five minute morning session or an hour long sleep meditation. The community features make me feel connected to other people on the same journey. Being able to filter by duration, topic, and teacher makes finding the right meditation easy.
What I don’t like: With so much content, it can feel overwhelming. Sometimes quality varies since anyone can become a teacher on the platform. The app interface feels cluttered and busy compared to simpler apps.
Pricing: Completely free with optional premium subscription around $60 per year for advanced features like offline listening.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#5. Happier Meditation – Best for Skeptics New to Meditation
Happier Meditation used to be called Ten Percent Happier. The app was created by news anchor Dan Harris after he had a panic attack on live TV.
The name comes from the idea that meditation won’t change your life completely. But it can make you about ten percent happier. That realistic approach appeals to skeptics.
The app features world renowned meditation teachers like Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg. The content pairs videos with guided meditations for a complete learning experience.
Key Features:
- Over 500 guided meditations led by expert teachers covering anxiety, sleep, focus and more
- Structured courses that pair instructional videos with guided practice sessions
- Personalized meditation plans that adapt based on your check ins and progress
What I like: I love the down to earth, skeptic friendly approach. The teachers explain why meditation works, not just how to do it. The combination of theory videos plus practice really helped me understand what I was doing. Dan Harris asking teachers honest questions feels authentic and relatable.
What I don’t like: There are no ambient soundscapes or music options. The sleep section is smaller than competitors. The app focuses only on meditation with no exercise or movement content included.
Pricing: 7 day free trial available. Yearly subscription around $100. Free beginner course available without subscription.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#6. Balance – Best for Personalized Meditation Programs
Balance won Google’s App of the Year award. The app creates a custom meditation program just for you based on your answers to questions.
Each day, you answer questions about your mood, goals and preferences. Balance then assembles a unique meditation using thousands of audio files. The more you use it, the more personalized it becomes.
Two meditation coaches named Ofosu and Leah guide you through sessions. Their calm, soothing voices make the experience feel personal and supportive.
Key Features:
- AI powered personalization that creates custom meditations tailored to your daily needs
- 10 day progressive plans that teach concrete meditation skills and techniques
- Singles for quick meditation boosts when you only have a few minutes
What I like: The personalization feels genuinely different from other apps. It’s like having a meditation coach who knows exactly what I need that day. The one year free trial is incredibly generous. The interface is clean and beautiful without being distracting. The coaches have wonderfully calming voices.
What I don’t like: The overall content library is smaller compared to bigger apps like Calm or Headspace. Being a newer app, it doesn’t have the same track record or breadth of features yet.
Pricing: One full year free trial for new users. After that, monthly around $12 or yearly around $70. Lifetime option available.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#7. Smiling Mind – Best for Families and Children
Smiling Mind is an Australian non profit organization. They believe everyone deserves access to mental wellness tools. That’s why the app is completely free.
The app has programs designed for different ages. Kids as young as 5 can use it. There are also sections for teens, adults, families and even workplaces.
What makes Smiling Mind unique is the focus on mental fitness. Instead of just meditation, the app teaches five core skills that help you thrive in daily life.
Key Features:
- Over 700 lessons, practices and meditations organized into 50 plus collections
- Age appropriate content for children 5 to 12, teens, and adults all in one app
- Meditations available in Indigenous Australian languages for diverse communities
What I like: Having one app that works for my whole family is perfect. The kids’ content is thoughtful and engaging without being babyish. I appreciate that a non profit made this, so there’s no pressure to buy anything. The mental fitness tracking helps you see your progress over time. The Australian accents are soothing too.
What I don’t like: The sound design and music could be better. Some loops repeat too quickly. The new app design took some getting used to after the recent update.
Pricing: Completely free forever. No subscriptions, no hidden fees.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#8. Medito – Best for Budget Conscious Meditators
Medito is run by a non profit foundation. Their mission is simple: meditation should be free for everyone. No ads, no fees, no catches.
The app is built by volunteers who believe in making mental wellness accessible. They only ask for optional donations to keep things running.
Despite being free, Medito offers quality content. You’ll find courses for beginners, 30 day challenges, sleep content, and sessions for specific issues like anxiety and pain.
Key Features:
- Completely free with no subscription required, ever
- 30 day mindfulness challenges to build consistent meditation habits
- Emergency sessions for acute feelings of anger, fear, grief or stress
What I like: Finding a quality meditation app that’s actually 100 percent free feels like discovering a hidden gem. The sessions are well produced with soothing voices. I love that there are no ads interrupting my practice. The 30 day challenges helped me build a real meditation habit. The emergency sessions are genuinely helpful during tough moments.
What I don’t like: The content library is smaller than paid apps. There are limited voice options to choose from. Some of the sessions feel generic compared to apps with celebrity teachers or expert guides.
Pricing: 100% free forever. Optional donations accepted.
Platforms: iOS and Android
#9. Waking Up – Best for Deep Philosophical Meditation
Waking Up was created by Sam Harris, a neuroscientist and philosopher. Unlike other apps, this one digs deep into the theory behind meditation.
The app isn’t just about stress relief. Harris wants to help you understand consciousness itself. You’ll explore concepts from neuroscience, philosophy, and various meditation traditions.
The 28 day introductory course is where everyone starts. Harris guides you through both practice and theory, explaining why each technique matters.
Key Features:
- 28 day introductory course that combines guided practice with theory lessons
- Content from multiple meditation traditions including Zen, Dzogchen and Vipassana
- Conversations with leading thinkers covering philosophy, psychology and consciousness
What I like: Waking Up treats meditation as something serious and meaningful. The theory lessons helped me finally understand what meditation is really about. Having access to so many expert teachers is valuable. The daily meditations vary in length which fits different schedules. Harris offers free subscriptions to anyone who can’t afford it, which shows real integrity.
What I don’t like: The content can feel too advanced for complete beginners. The philosophical approach isn’t for everyone. Some people just want simple relaxation, not deep exploration of consciousness. The subscription price is higher than most competitors.
Pricing: 7 day free trial available. Monthly around $20 or yearly around $120 to $130. Free scholarship available for those who cannot afford it.
Platforms: iOS and Android
What Makes Waking Up Different From Other Meditation Apps?
Waking Up stands apart because it focuses on the theory behind meditation, not just the practice. Sam Harris combines neuroscience with contemplative traditions to explain why meditation works.
Most apps help you relax in the moment. Waking Up aims to change how you understand your own mind. The content explores consciousness, the illusion of self, and nondual awareness.
This approach appeals to people who want more than stress relief. If you’re intellectually curious about meditation, Waking Up offers depth that other apps simply don’t.
Are Free Meditation Apps As Good As Paid Ones?
Free meditation apps can absolutely match paid options for many users. Insight Timer, Medito, and Smiling Mind offer excellent content without charging anything.
The difference usually comes down to production quality and features. Paid apps often have celebrity teachers, better sound design, and more polished interfaces.
For beginners or people on a budget, free apps work perfectly well. As your practice deepens, you might appreciate the extra features and content variety that paid apps provide.
How Do I Choose the Right Meditation App For Me?
Start by thinking about what you want from meditation. Better sleep? Stress relief? Deeper self understanding? Different apps specialize in different areas.
Consider your experience level too. Complete beginners do well with structured apps like Headspace or Balance. More experienced meditators might prefer the freedom of Insight Timer or depth of Waking Up.
Try the free trials before committing. Most paid apps offer at least a week to explore. Your personal preference for teacher voices, visual style, and content type matters more than any review can tell you.