The Best Meditation Apps to Help You Find Balance

Best Overall: Calm

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Why We Chose It: Calm offers a huge library of meditations, even some narrated by celebrities and accomplished artists. Plus, it tailors the user experience to meet your needs depending on your goals.

What We Like

• Frequently updated with new meditations
• Offers a range of perks
• Provides a customized experience 

What We Don’t Like

• Not many short guided meditations

Whether you’re looking to increase your happiness, build self-esteem, or develop gratitude, you’ll find something in Calm’s large library of meditations. A new original Daily Calm meditation is also added every day. 

The first prompt you see when you download the Calm app is one you'll take with you throughout every practice: Take a deep breath. Next, you’re asked a series of questions to help customize and curate your experience. Calm then selects the best meditations for your needs.

What makes the app truly stand out from the others are the special add-ons. There’s a Mood and Gratitude Check-in feature that allows you to track and document your "emotional rhythm" and essentially serves as a mini, digitized diary. In the Sleep Stories section, you can select from a variety of celebrity voices like Idris Elba, Harry Styles, and Kate Winslet who will help lull you to sleep.

The Spark gives users a quick dose of inspiration through interviews with fascinating people from all walks of life. If you prefer more calming music and less talking, there’s a wide selection of ambient songs from popular musicians like Toro y Moi.

All are useful tools to help you to stay centered throughout the day, and for $70 per year, it seems like a real steal. This award-winning app boasts more than 1.5 million 5-star reviews.

Best on a Budget: Insight Timer

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Why We Chose It: Insight Timer made our list because it's free and allows you to interact with others who are looking to calm their minds.

What We Like

• No charge
• Lots of variety in options
• Provides a communal aspect 

What We Don’t Like

• Not as aesthetically pleasing as the other apps
• Can be difficult to navigate

One complaint surrounding a lot of meditation apps is the price. Insight Timer provides an affordable alternative, with more than 100,000 guided meditations available free of charge.

Learn from seasoned teachers about how to calm the mind and reduce anxiety. Or, if you’re simply looking for a soothing ambiance, sort through a selection of relaxing music tracks, nature sounds, singing bowls, blocks, and chimes. 

Since the offerings are free, they’re not as organized or structured as the other apps, so it might take you a while to weed through the meditations and teachers to find the ones that resonate with you. Luckily, there are a bunch of community features and discussion groups to assist. 

If you’re looking to dip your toes into this particular wellness space but don’t want to shell out a bunch of money to do so, Insight Timer is a great option. Once you feel ready to upgrade, a premium version of this app is also available at $60 per year and with an optional 30-day free trail. 

Best For Sleep: Slumber

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Why We Chose It: Slumber earned a place on our list for its focus on sleep, as meditation can assist with insomnia.

What We Like

• Niche focus on improving sleep
• You can track your progress
• Option to customize background music

What We Don’t Like

• Doesn’t add new content very often
• Limited variety of meditations

While not specifically a meditation app, Slumber can be a great resource if you're looking for a way to help curb any sleep issues. The app provides meditation-focused guides that will help you quiet your mind at the end of the day and allow your body to repair itself.

The app—which costs about $40 per year—focuses on the best breathing practices and relaxation techniques, as well as hypnosis to encourage a good night’s rest. Other nighttime options include bedtime stories (for kids or adults) and ASMR soundscapes. You can even track your sleep over time to see just how much you’re improving.

One big draw seems to be the option to customize the background nature sounds to whatever you prefer. As an extra bonus, there’s a feature that allows you to keep the background music playing well after the meditation is over.

For those not yet ready for paid membership, Slumber has 10 or so free sleep episodes available to new users.

Best for Beginners: Headspace

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Why We Chose It: Headspace stood out for offering meditations that varied in length, so that newbies could ease into the practice without feeling stressed about the process.

What We Like

• Easy-to-navigate design and cute, cheery illustrations
• Ability to curate your practice
• A wide selection of meditations

What We Don’t Like

• Narrator variety is slim

Headspace is one of the better known and best-rated meditation apps for a reason. It offers a multitude of well-organized, guided meditations that are categorized depending on what you’re looking for that day—from staying focused and getting better sleep to managing everyday anxiety and stress and even a mindful workout.

While some experts recommend 20 to 45 minutes of total meditation per day, Headspace takes into account how much time you have to spare, offering up short practices that clock in at 5 minutes or less. "Mindfulness for any moment" is one of the slogans of the Headspace app, which includes quick “SOS” practices for when you might be feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

Headspace is particularly great for beginners who might feel overwhelmed by the idea of meditating. If you're just starting out, you can find guidance in its Basics course that goes over the basics of sitting quietly, calming the mind, and breathwork. Whenever you feel ready, you can build your own customized practice from there.

Headspace costs $13 per month or $70 billed annually ($5.83 per month). Monthly subscribers can try it for free for 7 days, while annual subscribers get a 14-day free trial.

Best for Skeptics: Ten Percent Happier

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Why We Chose It: We chose Ten Percent Happier because it is approachable and sticks to the notion that you’re not going to fix everything at once, but you can work on improving in increments of, say, 10% at a time.

What We Like

• Diverse selection of teachers
• Unique chat feature
• Refreshing, down-to-earth vibe

What We Don’t Like

• The modern approach can be a turn-off
• Design isn’t the most engaging
• One of the pricier options

ABC news anchor Dan Harris’ on-air panic attack is what inspired him to seek out meditation from his friend, meditation teacher Jeff Warren. In his book Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, Harris recalls his journey of quieting the voice in his head, taking control of his emotions, and fostering happiness. The Ten Percent Happier app, which is rooted in Harris' personal journey, consists of guided meditations with Warren plus podcast interviews hosted by Harris and content from other teachers and scientists in the field. 

With a wide selection of video and meditation combinations, the app provides a no-fuss approach to meditation. If you’re turned off by spiritual, woo-woo, capital M-mindfulness, Ten Percent Happier is a great option for you.

Sessions are taught by well-known meditation teachers with different styles and approaches who also come from an impressive variety of racial and cultural backgrounds. If you have questions along the way, the app's My Coach feature allows you to contact your dedicated meditation coach at any time and usually receive feedback within 24 hours. 

The app’s overall aim is to make meditation accessible and approachable to help you feel more in control of your emotions and, in turn, your life. The app costs $100 per year.