Stress affects everyone in different ways. The last year pushed many of us to our limits with new and ongoing stressors, and honestly, it’s exhausting to keep adjusting to an ever-changing environment. Meditation is backed by science for lowering stress and quieting the nonstop loop of thoughts in our heads.
Fortunately, thanks to modern tech, meditation is more reachable than ever. You don’t need any special gear, and there are countless free meditation and mindfulness apps to guide you toward calm.
1. MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness
Chosen as the Apple App Store’s “App of the Day” in 2020, MyLife Meditation: Mindfulness is a free meditation app tailored to how you’re feeling and only requires a few minutes each day.
The app reports that regular users were 82% likelier to feel less anxious after consistent practice. Count us in! This free app also includes breathing techniques to trigger calm, a daily mood log to monitor mental health, and guided meditations selected specifically for you.
If you want more, a premium plan is available for $9.99/month or $58.99/year, unlocking 400+ activities, guided journaling prompts, yoga sessions and soothing soundscapes.
2. Simple Habit Sleep, Meditation
With 71,000 reviews and a 4.8/5-star average on the Apple App Store, Simple Habit Sleep, Meditation ranks among the top free mindfulness apps out there.
As the name suggests, Simple Habit aims to make meditation a quick, daily routine. The app provides five-minute meditations, progress tracking and downloadable sessions for situations like flying or remote trips.
Programs are led by leading mindfulness teachers from places like Google, former monks, and mental health specialists. Whether you want a short reset before work or a longer bedtime practice, Simple Habit makes it straightforward.
To unlock additional content, Simple Habit offers a premium subscription at $11.99/month.
3. Ten Percent Happier
The Ten Percent Happier app was an Apple best app of 2018 and landed on the Wirecutter’s list of Best Meditation Apps.
This user-friendly app is spearheaded by Emmy-winning journalist Dan Harris, who collaborates with top meditation teachers to offer sessions focused on practices such as self-compassion, emotional steadiness and dealing with crises.
Ten Percent Happier begins by asking about your life and habits, then crafts a tailored plan. You can pick objectives like cultivating everyday calm, reducing anxiety, and more. The app also lets you choose how you prefer to learn—audio, reading, videos or experiential exercises.
Note: Ten Percent Happier isn’t free long-term, though you can try a 14-day trial before committing to a one-year subscription for $99.99.
4. Headspace
Headspace is one of the most recognized mental wellness apps. Its near five-star rating and over 65 million downloads show Headspace is serious about supporting meditation practice.
One standout collection is Weathering the Storm, a series of guided meditations, prompts, body scans and stories aimed at helping people cope with the unique challenges of the past year.
Headspace is expanding the meditation app space by including mindful workouts. Led by Olympians Kim Glass and Leon Taylor, these sessions combine mental centering with physical training to support whole-person wellness.
Headspace offers a free 14-day trial before charging $12.99/month or $69.99/year (which effectively reduces the monthly cost to $5.99/month).
5. Insight Timer
Insight Timer is another major player in the free meditation app arena, named App of the Year by TIME Magazine and highlighted by Women’s Health.
Insight Timer is ideal for people seeking a broad range of meditation styles, offering thousands of guided meditations and constantly adding new ones. It also includes free music and ambient tracks to aid sleep and concentration.
This free app fosters connection through many discussion groups and ways to interact with other Insight Timer members.
Whether your goals are better sleep, recovery from addiction, improving workplace leadership, or deepening meditation skills, Insight Timer likely has a guided practice to support you.
6. Calm
Calm is one of the earliest mindfulness apps for mobile devices. It boasts 40 million downloads globally and 1.1 million reviews on the Apple App Store.
The free tier gives access to many guided meditations, bedtime stories, ambient soundtracks and breath timers designed to cultivate a more peaceful, satisfying life.
Calm offers a wide range of meditations—from strategies for flight anxiety to SOS panic sessions meant to anchor you in the present. Some meditations and sleep stories are narrated by well-known voices like Bindi Irwin, Matthew McConaughey and Stephen Fry.
The app also tracks your meditation streaks, which can help make practicing Calm a gratifying routine.
If you want more than the free offerings, Calm’s premium subscription is $69.99/year and provides access to expanded content.
7. Breethe: Meditation & Sleep
With over 10 million downloads, Breethe: Meditation & Sleep stands out as one of the top apps in the mindfulness sphere.
Breethe includes upwards of 1,000 tracks—nature sounds, guided meditations, bedtime tales, quick five- and three-minute practices, and more.
Wellness guides like mindfulness coach Lynne Goldberg lead practices designed to help you cultivate a peaceful mind and relaxed body. Breethe’s mission is to help people find balance with their emotions, physical sensations and life events through intentional mental-health practices.
The app is free to download, and full access is available via a Breethe membership for $12.99/month or $89.99/year.
Kristin Hayes is a contributor to Savinly.
