Life can be unpredictable, overwhelming, and downright difficult. It is often difficult to find balance and it is easy to lose focus. This is where a good meditation app can come in handy.
We spoke to three experts, researched 28 apps, and tested 19 of them. As a result, Headspace provides the best possible experience. The courses are organized and easy to navigate. Headspace also provides daily personalized to-do lists and group sessions, creating a sense of community and connection.
our picks
This app has the most variety of meditations, including guided sessions for beginners and less structured programming for more advanced practitioners. The extensive library of meditations is well organized and easy to navigate.
Headspace (iOS, Android, $70/year) has the best combination of options of any app we’ve tried, with a fun interface and a huge, well-organized meditation library. The course is clearly labeled and structured, progressing gradually over multiple sessions, making it easy to find and stick to the exact type of meditation you want. Some of Headspace’s courses will give you the tools you need to improve your overall practice. There are also solution-driven meditations that focus on anxiety, patience, self-esteem, and sadness, to name a few. A short, one-session meditation can help you in specific situations (for example, feeling frustrated before an interview or stuck on a writing assignment) or provide a quiet break whenever you have time.
This is also great
This app offers guided and unguided meditations that generally focus on relaxing and staying stable during difficult times. Personalizing your experience is easy.
If you already meditate and are looking for strategies and features to enhance your meditation, Calm (iOS, Android, $70/year) may be a better choice. In addition to guided sessions, it offers more free-form exercises and a flexible meditation timer, as well as a dedicated music section compared to Headspace. Like Headspace, Calm keeps track of stats like the number of sessions you’ve completed, but it can also track your mood over time more frequently than Headspace. Calm also has an extensive section for kids. However, it is less organized and more difficult to navigate than Headspace.
budget selection
This free app offers a clearly structured set of courses without the burden of additional features. It’s a great option for people who want to see if meditation is right for them.
Healthy Minds Program (iOS, Android) is a free, no-frills app centered around four key ideas: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Its content is more user-friendly and goal-oriented than other free apps we’ve tried, as well as many paid apps. When you first use the app, you will be asked to complete a survey that will give you a score on each of the four pillars. This score is a baseline that can be improved over time. You can choose from two teachers, adjust the course length in her 5-minute increments, and track your progress.
budget selection
This free option packages a well-structured beginner’s course into an easy-to-understand and simple app. Especially suitable for children and young people.
The Smiling Mind (iOS, Android) program is designed to support children and teens on their mindfulness journey. It has a clean interface that attracts people with simple animations and a clear structure that makes it easy to navigate. The app also includes structured guidance with a 35-session beginner course and many other meditations. Additional features we like include the option to choose from two teachers for most meditations, the option to adjust course length in 5-minute increments, and the option to track your progress. will appear.
