Headspace and Calm are giants of the meditation app world, and both have done a great job of bringing mindfulness-based meditation to the masses. Their app makes it easy for anyone to learn the skills needed to relax or deal with more pressing issues like anxiety and depression.
But at $100 a year, it’s certainly expensive. Also, because it’s so popular, the program can be very generic.
If you’ve tried Headspace or Calm before and it didn’t work for you, or you simply find them too expensive for what they offer, there’s a world of niche meditation apps you can explore. Here are eight of my favorite alternatives, so give them a try and see which one works best for you.
smiling mind
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
If you’re looking for a free alternative to Headspace, start with Smiling Mind. It is developed by an Australian non-profit organization and the app is completely free (there is also no premium tier offered).
This app offers structured programs to learn about mindfulness meditation, sleep, relationships, stress, diet, and more. Our Introduction to Mindfulness course is a great place to start. You can also use one-time guided meditations, including breathing and sound meditations, body scan meditations, sleep meditations, and more.
Smiling Mind is available on iOS and Android.
Strong Points:
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It’s completely free and run by a non-profit organization.
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A great collection of reliable, basic and repeatable meditations.
Cons:
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The design is a bit complex and can be difficult to use in some cases.
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This app’s program library is not as extensive as some of the other apps on our list.
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New features are added very rarely.
plum village
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese monk who founded a monastery called Plum Village in France. He is also the author of many popular mindfulness books. There is no mud, there is no lotus.. Plum Village has hosted numerous mindfulness programs, workshops, and lectures over the years.
Plum Village is a completely free app that allows you to explore this wealth of information from your smartphone. Access meditations (some by Thich Nhat Hanh himself), talks, text resources, and videos.
The Plum Village app is available for iOS and Android.
Strong Points:
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Mindfulness bells help bring you back to the present throughout the day.
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A vast library of programs led by the monks and nuns of Plum Village.
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Meditation is easy to follow.
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free!
Cons:
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This app is very unreliable, freezes and randomly shuts down.
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Practices are limited to only those taught in the Plum Village tradition.
Medito
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Medito is another popular free option. It is also run by a non-profit organization and has a zero-advertisement policy. The app starts with Medito courses that help you learn mindfulness, compassion meditation, and insight meditation. There is also an option to learn gratitude habits.
The app also has a section dedicated to sleep featuring sleep meditations, sleep stories, and music. Medito also provides a simple silent meditation timer.
Medito excels in its simplicity. The app only offers programs, lists, and meditations. That’s all. No account or complex UI required. However, the downside is that you can’t actually bookmark anything or create your own list of exercises that you might find useful.
Medito is available for iOS and Android.
Strong Points:
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Completely free and no ads.
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Incredibly easy and fast app.
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Covers beginner meditation, compassion practices, and sleep meditation.
Cons:
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There is no way to bookmark or save meditations.
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The catalog is simple, but quite limited.
insight timer
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Insight Timer is a community-based mindfulness meditation app and website. Apps like Headspace basically give you access to one or two meditation teachers. At Insight Timer, you can choose from thousands of meditation teachers. You can also sign up for a community that practices mindfulness and meditation together.
The free version of the app offers over 100,000 meditations and gives you access to live events where you can practice meditation with people from all over the world. This app categorizes meditations into different categories, and you can find different meditations to deal with anxiety, stress, sleep, and more.
The best part about Insight Timer is that it has no limitations. Explore and find teachers and courses that fit your current needs.
The “timer” part of the name comes from the fact that the app has a neat meditation timer built into it. If you’re transitioning to a self-guided meditation practice, using an interval bell or custom timer can be helpful. We also have a great collection of bells, gongs and chimes.
Insight Timer has a Member Plus program that gives you access to over 1,000 exclusive courses and offline downloads for $60 per year, but you don’t have to pay to get the most out of the app. (unfortunately, many Ads are not displayed during normal use).
Insight Timer is available for iOS and Android.
Strong Points:
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There are many free meditations from the community.
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An intuitive and customizable self-guided meditation timer.
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Easy to use interface.
Cons:
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There are too many promotions for the Member Plus program.
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With so many programs, teachers, and meditations out there, finding the one that’s right for you can be difficult and time-consuming.
10% happier
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Ten Percent Happier isn’t exactly a cheap alternative to Headspace or Calm. Annual membership fee is $99. But it’s certainly better than both of these options when it comes to targeted meditation training. This app has carefully selected a diverse range of teachers to help you practice mindfulness. There are over 500 guided meditations in the app.
What sets this apart is our 1:1 meditation coaching program. If you’ve tried Headspace and can’t meditate, you may find it helpful to learn directly from a meditation teacher.
Ten Percent Happier is available on iOS and Android.
Strong Points:
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A great place to start managing stress and improving your sleep.
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Live group classes include time for questions and answers.
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Easy to use app with media and helpful videos.
Cons:
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Membership fees remain high, falling between Headspace and Calm.
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Not very useful for advanced users.
Wake Up by Sam Harris
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Waking Up by Sam Harris is a different kind of meditation app. It’s actually more like a meditation course. This book is based on Sam’s book of the same name, in which he talks about awakening to spirituality without being religious.
“Wake Up” incorporates elements of Buddhism, Stoicism, and mindfulness meditation to create a 28-day course. All you have to do is spend about 10 minutes each day practicing. The $99 annual membership isn’t cheaper than Headspace, but if you want to explore the world of mindfulness meditation, you can try the 28-day beginner course. The program is available for one month for $14.99. Membership also includes multiple programs taught by many reputable teachers in the fields of mindfulness and psychology.
Waking Up is also very good at supporting people in need, so if you can’t afford to buy the app, write to us to see if you can get it at a discount or even free. Please write.
Waking Up is available on iOS and Android.
Strong Points:
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This is a beginner-friendly program.
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A completely secular and scientific approach to mindfulness meditation.
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Easy-to-use apps and a variety of programs to deepen your practice.
Cons:
zenitizer
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
After learning some mindfulness techniques, the best way to practice and grow is to do it yourself without audio guidance. However, you can also set a timer or add a nice bell to the start. End your meditation or add an interval bell. You might also want to keep a daily streak to stay motivated.
Zenitizer is an app from an indie developer that helps you do all of this. The app has a minimal design and no ads even in the free version. In my experience, it works more reliably than Insight Timer.
You can set a custom timer, interval bell, warm-up, start sound, and end bell sound. The free version comes with several presets, but if you choose the paid version, you can create your own presets and access interactive widgets. Zenitizer Premium costs $19.99 per year or $2.99 per month. You can purchase a lifetime subscription for $79.99.
Zenitizer is available for iOS.
Strong Points:
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The minimalist design makes it easy to use and does not add bulk.
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Support for custom routines, shortcut automation.
Cons:
YouTube
Don’t want to pay an app subscription fee to meditate? No need. YouTube has lots of great resources for meditation. Find meditation to relax, reduce anxiety, and stress. YouTube is also a great resource to learn breathing techniques and listen to mindfulness talks.
Reddit has some advice for finding good channels. Here are some of our favorite channels to help you get started.
Strong Points:
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It’s free and easy to access.
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There is more variety and you are more likely to find something that suits you.
Cons:
