10 Best Meditation Apps for iOS and Android in 2022 (Yoga Instructor-Reviewed)
As the world becomes more and more hectic and stressful, the need to take care of one's mental health has become more important than ever before. What better way to practice self-care than through meditation? People are drawn to the benefits mediation gives to both body and mind.
It's easy to tell how popular meditation has become by all the apps that have popped up online. Not everyone has the time to attend sessions in a class! However, the sheer number of choices makes it more difficult to find the ideal app to use. To aid you in your self-care journey, we've analyzed the best meditation apps and highlighted their best points. All you need is a smartphone and you're good to go!
Quick List - Top Meditation Apps
Karin is a certified yoga instructor and HR director in addition to running a successful Instagram account about fashion, lifestyle, and more. She describes herself as "a Boho Girl living in a Yogi World".
mybest US' editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in the US in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
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How to Choose Meditation Apps
Choosing the right meditation app is not easy, because you never fully know what you'll get without personally trying them. Instead of getting some peace and relief, we often end up more annoyed or disappointed after trying out numerous apps that don't work.
To avoid counterproductivity, here's a buying guide to help you screen through the different types of meditation apps out there and select the most fitting one!
Pick a Meditation App Based on Your Level
The first consideration is your level. If you're a beginner, choosing an app with a detailed explanation of the different concepts will ease you into the practice. Downloading an app that doesn't fit your meditation expertise could result in you not using the app at all!
Beginners do Best with Intro Courses
Meditation might seem like child's play for some, but there is more to it than sitting with your legs crossed and assuming the meditative pose. It is training for the mind, just like how athletes train their bodies.
Beginner-level meditation contains an introduction or orientation period and has guided programs to teach you all about the practice. Techniques and concepts are explained in detail as a well-grounded foundation is built to ease the transition to more advanced levels.
Meditation is an art and practice that people of all ages can try! While beginners may need orientation to the practice of meditation, the art of meditation is very personal. Someone who can devote more time per day to this practice may find themselves more advanced than someone who started meditating earlier.
Intermediate to Advanced Levels have Expansion and Diversity
After practice, we become more attuned to a particular activity and need more complex concepts to continue expanding and growing. The same applies to meditation!
More advanced practitioners can incorporate meditation into other activities such as exercise, work, creativity, or relationships. They also require fewer explanations of the processes. It's also easier to enter a meditative state regardless of location, meaning you can be more efficient with your sessions.
Intermediate and advanced levels have more options in terms of delving into specific types of chants or meditations, including yoga mantras in Sanskrit or another language, visualizations, sutra practices, breathwork, yoga nidras (guided meditation), and unlocking certain parts of the conscious and subconscious mind to further find balance and flow in life.
Consider an App with a Program
The thing about meditation is that it is all-encompassing, and this can be overwhelming for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. There is always something new to be learned!
To streamline the experience and make it easier to grasp and practice, meditation sessions are often offered with a program.
Try an Orientation Program or a Specific Schedule
Many apps offer orientation courses to ease you into the practice. Not only do these help you get used to meditation, but they can also help you understand how to best use the app.
Specific programs are often offered after the orientation, ranging from a few weeks to a month. Having an orientation and specific program schedule helps you stick with your mediation, making it easier to foster it into a healthy habit. You'll be able to practice a scheduled mediation every day and not have to stress about which session to pick.
Setting aside time to do the initial orientation is helpful so that you know what to expect when you finally close your eyes, instead of constantly coming out of your restful meditation to check your iPhone or iWatch!
Knowing what sound signals or pulses (if on your fitness watch) signal certain pauses or completions will help you start off strong. Also, setting a specific time of each day to carve out for meditation helps this become part of your routine.
Consider an App That Covers the Different Types of Meditation
There are four general types of meditation that most apps cover as an essential escape from the endless cycle of everyday life: mindfulness, body scan, loving kindness, and breath awareness. Mindfulness is all about dwelling on the present. Sessions often steer you to focus toward the here and now with clear mental awareness free from distractions.
A body scan is when a person is guided to assess different parts of their body for any tension that needs releasing. A tight fist, droopy shoulders, or clenched jaw can benefit from some meditation help.
Loving kindness, as the name suggests, is all about pushing away everything else and bringing thoughts and feelings of love and kindness to the forefront as a way of building compassion for others and ourselves.
Lastly, breath awareness is the practice of bringing our attention to our breathing to ensure that it is even and calm. Our breathing is literally what keeps us going and sometimes we just need to take a step back and be grateful that we still have breath!
Consider that as you grow in your meditation abilities, you may want to dive into other types of meditations as mentioned above, like chants and such. If you're planning on subscribing or paying for an app, do some research so that you find a fit that you can further your practice with. Meditation is like a muscle; you have to use it or lose it!
Go for Interactive Apps
Meditation apps have become more and more user-friendly. They offer features to make potential meditators attracted to the program or current users committed to the practice. Some apps require information from you such as your current mood so that they can recommend the most fitting session.
Sending notifications throughout the day is another way to be reminded to pause and meditate. Just like fitness trackers, meditation apps also track your progress so you can see stats such as your longest streaks or total time spent meditating. Getting a bird's eye view of how far you've gone is an excellent source of motivation to keep going!
If you have an iWatch, Fitbit or another type of smartwatch, I highly recommend you also tie this tool into your meditation practice. A lot of meditation apps can send pulses to your watch so that you know when to speed up your breath, slow down your breath, or when to even open your eyes. It can also track your heart rate so you are able to see results in real-time!
Choose an App That You Like Using
For you to keep using an app, it must be appealing, captivating, and engaging! This is why meditation apps put so much effort into their user-interface design, making them soft on the eyes, soothing to the ears, and easy to maneuver around.
Is there a coach that has a pleasing voice? Does the session include calming background music? You can usually test these features, even on a free trial, to get the feel of an app. If you're into more interactive apps, you can even find ones that send motivational quotes as a refresher during a long day.
At the end of the day, the success of a particular app is subjective and only you can decide which one will be most effective!
While there are a plethora of breathwork and meditation app options out there, be sure to do some free trials to see which ones resonate with not only your likes, but also with your lifestyle and work schedule. There are several that send encouraging messages throughout the day for example, but you may not want that if you're on your phone for work all day.
Decide What You Want to Achieve with the App
Lastly, you can choose a meditation app based on your goals or what you want to get out of meditating.
Is it better sleep, relief from anxiety, more relaxation, less stress, or heightened creativity? Meditation apps often include their focus on the product details for you to quickly gauge if you will find what you're looking for within the courses.
There are several meditation and breathwork apps with different goals, so choose one that works for you! Do you need more clarity? Or do you need more relaxation? Try to be clear with what you hope to accomplish with your app, and search accordingly. Make sure your app aligns with what you want to achieve in your life through meditation.
10 Best Meditation Apps Ranking
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Calm.com, Inc Calm | | The Meditation App for the Sleep-Deprived | |
2 | Headspace Inc. Headspace | | Best App for Improving Mindfulness | |
3 | Aura Health Inc. Aura | | A Quick Meditation for Busy Schedules | |
4 | 10% Happier Inc. Ten Percent Happier | | A Meditation App for Fidgety "Skeptics" | |
5 | MindApps The Mindfulness App | | Meditation App for Newbies and Gurus Alike | |
6 | Mindfulness Everywhere Buddhify | | Easy-to-Use App Made by Thoughtful People | |
7 | Stop, Breathe & Think Stop, Breathe & Think | | Meditations Tuned to Your Current Emotions | |
8 | Insight Network Inc Insight Timer | | The App with the Biggest Free Library of Guided Meditation | |
9 | Smiling Mind Smiling Mind | | The Completely Free Meditation App | |
10 | Shankara Multimedia Services Sattva | | The Meditation App Used by Buddha for Advanced Users |
The Meditation App for the Sleep-Deprived
With over 50 million downloads and 700,000 five-star reviews, Calm is a pioneer in the meditation industry. This app incorporates a nature theme wherein users are able to listen to different nature sounds to help them fall asleep or relieve stress and anxiety.
Loved by beginners, Calm is easy to navigate and offers audio bedtime stories voiced by famous actors such as Matthew McConaughey and Jerome Flynn.
According to those who've tried the app, there is only one bedtime story available in audio for the free trial. This prompted many to purchase a subscription, as this is one of the best apps for those who have trouble sleeping. Many have noticed a positive change in their sleep habits after using the app!
Best App for Improving Mindfulness
Another well-known meditation app is Headspace, with over 60 million downloads across the globe. It's the best app for beginners attempting to start a mindfulness journey. Headspace offers step-by-step courses to improve one's focus and mindfulness.
After downloading, you are allowed access to a ten-part basic course. A paid subscription gives you access to hundreds of guided meditations on topics like focus, exercise, sleep, and productivity. There are also "SOS" sessions for moments of stress, anxiety, or panic.
Reviewers noted that the user interface could be a bit tricky for first-time users; however, it could be easily learned. Many were in awe at the captivating and engaging illustrations that accompany the guided courses and meditations, making this a popular choice for visual learners.
A Quick Meditation for Busy Schedules
For those who are always on call or have minimal free time, Aura is the best meditation app for busy people! The meditation sessions only take 30 seconds to 3 minutes a day with handpicked recommendations for your session.
Reviewers commented that this was one of the few apps that didn't have a free version; it only has a seven-day free trial that requires credit card details to access the app. You can cancel the subscription if the app doesn't suit your expectations easily enough, though.
A majority, though, ended up sticking with the app because of how easy it was to dive into meditation despite having a busy schedule. They say the app could find the best meditation session for any emotion they were feeling, whether it was stress, anxiety, sadness, joy, or annoyance.
A Meditation App for Fidgety "Skeptics"
Meditations with 10% Happier are taught rather than guided, wherein you get to learn the science and history of meditation during each session. The beauty of this app is that it has no sugarcoating. Each lesson is straight to the point to keep one's focus and geared towards those who aren't spiritually-minded.
Those who have used the app for quite some time noticed a change in the interface that took away some of the personal touches. Now, generic-looking images are used.
However, this didn't bother first-time users. They found the app effective in teaching the whole concept of meditation even for those with zero background knowledge. People were amazed that they could stick with the app for years without getting bored.
Meditation App for Newbies and Gurus Alike
This app offers daily reminders and keeps a record of your meditation journey so you can quickly glance through statistics and see your progress. If you're new to meditation apps and are looking to create your own customized session rather than following guided ones, this lets you do just that.
The free version offers a five-day guided practice and intro to mindfulness, while the full version allows you to connect to your phone's Health app to track how long you've been meditating throughout the week.
Some reviewers noticed the excessive notifications the app sends due to its "reminder" style experience. However, you can always turn them off if they become too annoying. The high-quality guided courses and easy-to-navigate user interface were praised by numerous reviewers!
Easy-to-Use App Made by Thoughtful People
Buddhify is unique for its on-the-go meditation style which allows you to meditate wherever you are. The app advocates that you don't need to find the time to meditate, as it comes to you. The whole approach is practical and convenient. Best of all, there's no monthly subscription - only a one-time fee!
Some users wished there was the option of playing soothing music in the background while listening to the sessions, like with other apps. On a positive note, the app is more flexible, as you don't have to follow a strict order or program before you can make progress.
There's also the feature of using a meditation timer for unguided meditations if you feel like going solo. The most recent update also added more diversity to the voices, satisfying the reviewer's wishes for different tones.
Meditations Tuned to Your Current Emotions
This app comes with 30 free sessions with recommendations based on your current mood. From a long yoga video to a short winding down experience before bed, the recommendations are spot-on based on the adjectives you pick for your mood. The app is also kid-friendly, so they, too, can find calm and peace.
Reviewers commented that the app recommended falling asleep meditations late at night as it assumed they were ready for bed. This poses a problem and extra reconfiguration steps for night owls.
The app keeps a detailed log of your emotions before and after each session, so users were able to track their progress easily. Even the sticker rewards during milestones made adults smile and feel more motivated to continue. It took many just a few days of the free trial to get hooked and purchase the full version!
The App with the Biggest Free Library of Guided Meditation
With over 30,000 completely free guided meditations, this app has an insane amount of readily available content. It allows you to see how many people are meditating with you at the moment too! Dubbed as the "Facebook" of meditation apps, you can also add friends and check in with other practitioners like you.
Reviewers advise those who are very new to the idea of meditation to perhaps take a short intro course before jumping into this app, as everything it offers might be overwhelming.
However, many said the app is effective in keeping someone in the habit of meditation because of how it's designed. If you're not into long sessions, feel free to shorten the timer feature accordingly.
The Completely Free Meditation App
Yes, this one's completely free and 100% non-profit. It's also the best meditation app for the family as it's broken down into age groups, ranging from seven-year-olds to adults. It comes with structured programs such as Mindful Foundations, Sleep, Relationships, and Workplace.
More advanced practitioners often found this app to be too simple and a tad boring. However, it is perfect for those who are new to meditating and want to do it with family members. Parents were quite pleased that they could practice mindfulness with their children using a free app that contained high-quality sessions!
The Meditation App Used by Buddha for Advanced Users
This app draws its meditation sessions from Vedic practices and offers chants and mantras from Sanskrit scholars. It's great for those who already know the basics and want to broaden their horizons. You can learn more about the origins and history of meditation from the experts themselves!
The mantras, mudras, and chants help people to focus instead of waiting for vague instructions during a meditative state that can lead to one's mind wandering.
Reviewers suggested for the creators to include the phonetics of each word, as it was sometimes difficult to hear the proper pronunciation. Other than that, this app has gotten many hooked into meditation for years.
Other Worthwhile Apps to Download
Let's add more useful apps to your smartphone, shall we? If you're learning a new language, keeping a private journal, or want to destress with games, check out these highly-rated apps!
In Collaboration With Certified Yoga Instructor Karin Loo
This expert reviewed the contents of the buying guide for accuracy and provided factual corrections when necessary. They did not participate in the product selection process, nor are they affiliated with any of our choices unless explicitly stated so.
Top 5 Meditation Apps
No. 1: Calm.com, Inc｜Calm
No. 2: Headspace Inc.｜Headspace
No. 3: Aura Health Inc.｜Aura
No. 4: 10% Happier Inc.｜Ten Percent Happier
No. 5: MindApps｜The Mindfulness App
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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