Mindfulness apps compared: features, costs and what to expect

If you're looking for solutions to regain some inner peace, there are plenty of meditation apps available that can help with building mindfulness sessions into your daily life.

So many, in fact, that trying to figure out which one to go for might well run counter to a quest for relaxation.

They've all got a few things in common, such as offering guided meditations and sleep assistance, plus help for beginners. Most have a free version and a subscription option too, though they vary in terms of what is offered at each level.

Prices for an annual subscription vary between around £24 (less if you can get a student deal) and £90. 

Beyond cost considerations, it's important that you find the app engaging and relatable. Most apps offer a free trial period before you sign up, so you can try a few to find the right fit for you.

We've rounded up the main meditation and calming apps with a guide to their features and prices to help you get started. Plus, hear from Which? researchers who've used some of the apps, about their experiences and what they found helpful.

What are the benefits of mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing yourself into the present moment, noticing any thoughts or feelings that arise, but not getting caught up in them. 

This is often achieved by meditation, which typically involves focusing on your breath and other physical sensations to help ground you.

Mental health charity Mind says: 'Studies show that practising mindfulness can help to manage depression, some anxiety problems and feelings of stress.'

The theory is that regular mindfulness and meditation can help you notice the signs of stress and anxiety in day-to-day life, and help you disentangle yourself from those patterns of thought.

Research is ongoing into the efficacy of mindfulness and meditation apps, but frequent practice is likely to be important in reaping any benefits, something an app can help you keep track of.

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How to choose a mindfulness app

You'll generally get better value for money if you sign up for longer – a year vs monthly, for example. And committing to regular practice over time is likely to reap more benefits for your mental health too.

For some brands, such as Calm, an annual subscription is your only option. 

Headspace and Calm are the biggest players in the market and are designed to make starting out with meditation less intimidating. 

For those seeking variety, Insight Timer claims to have the world's largest library of free meditations. Buddhify is among the cheapest, as most of its content is available for a one-off fee rather than a subscription, but you have to pay up front before trying it out.

Find out more about each app below.

Headspace

Headspace is one of the most popular and longest-running meditation apps. It's very accessible for beginners, but there are also some advanced 'pro' courses and a range of mindfulness exercises to suit different needs and approaches.

The app has meditation sessions and short courses of sessions dedicated to specific issues. These are organised into categories including stress, anxiety and sleep.

There are quick meditations too, including a one-minute 'Time for me" breathing exercise and a short 'Waking up' session to help you start your day. Three-minute SOS mediations, such as 'Flustered SOS' and 'Feeling Overwhelmed SOS'  are on hand for difficult moments.

It's got a slick and aesthetically pleasing interface, and is simple to use.

Key features

• Sleep assistance Contains sleepcasts (stories that are slightly different each time you listen),  guided sleep meditation to help you rest and soothing soundscapes such as 'ocean waves' or 'soft spring showers'.
• Mindful fitness It also has a 'move' section for low-to-medium impact exercises, as well as cardio to get your heart pumping.
• Animated videos Taking advantage of its distinctive illustration and design, Headspace also has short animated video meditations that you can watch.

How much is it?

A subscription, which gives you full access to the app, is £9.99 a month (with a one-week free trial) or £49.99 for a year (with a two-week free trial).

There is also a family plan available, which offers six accounts for £74.99 a year, and a student plan for a bargain £7.99 a year (students get an impressive 85% off).

Find out more on the Headspace site or app store.

Calm

Calm is another of the most popular meditation apps. It has an expansive library of guided meditations that you can filter by category, plus meditation courses that go for multiple days, sleep stories and soundscapes.

According to Calm, its most popular feature is 'The Daily Calm', a daily themed 10-minute meditation (available to subscribers). When you open the app, you'll hear gentle nature sounds, and you can customise this to be, for example, zen garden gentle rain.

Key features

• Sleep assistance Calm has a library of more than 300 sleep stories, with a few famous narrators thrown into the mix, including Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba and Harry Styles.
• Music library There is also a large library of music, ranging from ambient nature sounds to carefully crafted piano melodies for sleep or concentration.
• Mood tracker This is a simple feature where you can log how you're feeling each day, to keep track of patterns and triggers.
• Guided stretches and movement If sitting still is a challenge for your meditations, there's a section for gentle active movement too.

How much is it?

You can get a free seven-day trial and have to pay for an annual subscription after that, which costs £49.99.

You can also pay £499.99 for lifetime access, you’d have to use the app for more than 10 years to start seeing savings from this option though. 

Find out more on the Calm site or app store.

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Insight Timer

Insight Timer has an expansive range of free guided meditations, plus a solo meditation timer (from which it gets its name). When you open the app it tells you how many people are currently using the app to meditate, which is a nice touch.

The app's biggest selling point is its expansive library. It has thousands of free guided meditations (but some courses are reserved for paid members). You can filter by desired benefit, length and type of practice, or just dive into the entire mammoth list.

There are also some beginner meditation kits to help you get started.

Key features

• Meditation timer Set how long you want to meditate for and the ambient sound you would like to hear. This isn't guided, so is probably one for more experienced meditators.
• Sleep support You'll find sleep music, expert guided relaxation techniques and sleep breathing help to promote better rest.
• Music There is a large collection of tracks and playlists, which range from ambient to classical and other options that you might swerve if you're a newbie, such as Shamanic drumming.
• Courses A paid-for subscription gives access to hundreds of meditation courses. These are guided mindfulness coaching courses that range in length from about seven days to 40 days, on topics from building confidence to overcoming worry about climate change.
• Exercise and journalling The app also includes yoga sessions and a space to note your thoughts and feelings.

How much is it?

Insight Timer boasts a huge library of free guided meditations, but you have to pay to fast-forward or rewind any of them in the app, or if you want to close the app mid-session and pick up where you left off when you return. 

This paid-for functionality also goes for the sleep tracks and the music library, where it's probably a little more annoying if you're on the free version.

Member Plus is £45 a year, and there's a seven-day free trial before you have to commit.

Find out more on the Insight Timer site or app store.

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Simple Habit

Simple Habit bills itself as a 'five-minute meditation app for busy people'. When you first open it up, you can set a time for a daily reminder to meditate.

Like other meditation apps, you can search the library of guided meditation tracks through standard categories. There is a basics category for beginners, and when you sign up to the app it gives you a five-minute starter meditation right away.

Key features

• Mindful fitness For those who get fidgety when meditating, or just want to combine healthy practices, there are some movement-focused sessions, including yoga and running.
• Sleep assistance Like the other apps, there's a whole section of sleep tracks with soundscapes, sleep meditations and bedtime stories.
• Music Simple Habit has a music library with tracks, playlist and music courses, which are a bit more involved, such as a 30-day mantra challenge.

How much is it?

It's free to download and there is a limited amount of free content – you have to pay to unlock the later sessions of some courses. 

A premium subscription gives you access to more meditation practices (more than 2,000). It costs £67 a year, and you can trial it first for seven days for free.

Find out more on the Simple Habit site or app store.

Buddhify

Buddhify aims for simplicity and to 'fit into a busy modern lifestyle'. When you open up the app there's a colour from which you choose your mood, and it gives you a guided meditation to suit.

The categories include things such as 'Can't sleep', 'Meditation 101' and specific emotions such as stress. There's also a beginner category.

Interestingly, there are some meditations that are designed to be done with others, such as a friend or partner.

Key Features:

• Customisable options You are able to edit what you see on the homescreen colour wheel, so you can collect the types of meditation you're likely to want most often.
• Solo timer For more experienced meditators, there's a solo timer for unguided meditation. You can choose the duration, start/end sounds and optional interval bells.

How much is it?

Buddhify costs £4.99 to download from the App Store, and £2.99 from Google Play Store. This will give you over 200 meditations and mindfulness exercises. 

Annual membership adds more content for £24. 

Find out more on the Buddhify site or app store.

Breethe

Breethe, like Calm, greets you with soothing ambient sound when you open the app. When you first use it, you can choose your top goals, such as 'Deal with insomnia', 'Age well', 'Achieve success' or simply 'Relax'. These display on the home page of the app.

There's a tab named 'Day & Night', which lets you choose out of five categories for the situation you find yourself in – from starting your day, to commuting, focusing at work, taking a break or going to sleep. 

The entire library, on another tab, is categorised concisely into meditation (which has a 'learn to meditate' option), sleep, music, sounds and wellbeing.

Key features:

• Daily meditation Each day there's a 10-minute guided meditation called the 'Daily Breether', the name of which might slightly ruin your zen if you're a stickler for spelling.
• Sleep assistance Like other apps, there are bedtime stories, sleep playlists and specific sleep meditations to help you drift off.
• Music Breethe also has a music library of soundscapes, tracks and playlists, which are simply organised into genre and type of sound.

How much is it?

The app is free to download and you get access to some content across all the categories for free.

A paid-for subscription gives access to more content. You can sign up for a free 14-day trial, then subscriptions are £12.49 a month. Paying for an annual subscription is substantially cheaper, at £87.99 a year.

Find out more on the Breethe site or app store.

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User experiences of meditation apps

Not sure if you want to take the plunge? 

We asked Which? researchers who'd used different meditation apps for their advice and thoughts on how they found the experience. Here's what they said:

Jessica Carson, Which? health and wellbeing editor, has found regular practice makes a real difference over time:

'I signed up to Calm when I was feeling anxious about an upcoming trip that was a bit out of my comfort zone, and found its seven-day tailored anxiety course really helpful for managing this. As a result, I signed up properly and started doing its daily 10-minute meditation after work most days. 

I find it a helpful way to let go of any work-related stress and unwind. I don't always manage to fit it in, but I do usually manage at least three days a week. 

Over time, I have noticed a change in how I think and react to stressful situations. I think the regular practice has helped me to 'step back' a little in the moment and assess the situation and my response to it, rather than reacting instinctively. I've been using it for around five years now, and it's become an established habit. I can see the benefits it brings for me, so I plan to keep it up.'

Yamina Aloui, Which? Panel manager, advises that whether you like the voice on guided meditations makes a difference, as does whether you prefer variety or consistency:

'I've tried a couple of different apps, and the one I liked the least was Headspace. Even though having the same person / voice can be a positive for some, for me, it made it feel like I was listening to the same thing over and over again.

I liked Simple Habit (although it has changed quite a bit since I used it last). There is a section with a wheel where you can choose the amount of time you have, and then a category, such as sleep, commute, after work, etc. I found that handy to have something tailored to the situation you are meditating on.

Insight Timer has a lot of free content, so it's good if you are looking for that, but I also find you have to have a listen to the meditation first to see if you like the voice.'

Tony Chilton, Which? endorsements team admin, says things can get repetitive, and it's worth figuring out what works for you and checking if there are free alternatives that work too:

'I have used both Headspace and Calm in my time. I found that they are good, but in both cases I felt like the advice and the guided mediations started to feel repetitive, and I started to get a bit stressed out by the gamification of making sure I've logged my mindfulness for the day. 

I just do it on my own now using the techniques I learnt and found helpful, without feeling the pressure to track everything.

Likewise, I used to rely on them for the soundscapes and sleepcasts that they offer to help me sleep, but have found there's actually loads of free podcasts that do the same job (Get Sleepy, The Sleepy Bookshelf, Sleep with Me) and of course YouTube and Spotify have plenty of options for white noise or rain sounds, so for me it's a case of saving money and using the free options.'