So, you’d like to start meditating but don’t know where! Or maybe you do it already, but you’re looking for a little more. Regardless of how long you have been meditating, you may find something of value in this article.
I’m only writing this because there’s a lot of apps out there, and it can be difficult to know which is right for you. Plus, a little research wouldn’t hurt given the cost of meditation apps these days.
I’ve tried a lot of them, and this piece includes five of my absolute favorite apps. Out of these, four have rich meditation content and one is a bonus for anyone looking for more mindfulness in their daily life.
Let’s dive right in, starting with my least used app to the most used. (The last two are free, too!) But who knows, maybe you’ll love the paid ones more!
4. Serenity
I personally found this one by accident, and it was a pleasant surprise! It has a wide range of guided meditations structured into clear sections.
Content: Wide & Full of Techniques
As I mentioned, the app’s content is well-structured. So, here’s a well-structured intro to four of the sections I’ve tried.
Foundations
This section has five levels about various sitting meditations, and then a longer “maintenance” level to keep up regular practice.
These levels serve as a great introduction to meditation, starting with the breath and what’s going on in the mind. The app also starts giving you techniques almost right away. So, consider Serenity if you’re looking for quick goodies from meditation.
Advanced
This is the second section, dealing with more complex ideas like acceptance and compassion. Again, expect techniques every once in a couple of sessions.
I personally believe some of these ideas may take months to get right, so the quick 10-minute sessions may give you one way to approach each idea while not being particularly helpful.
Basic
This is one of my favorite sections. Ironically, you don’t really need an app for most of these practices! The added benefit is mostly that the practices are timed.
- First, there’s an “Easy practice” level that helps you practice awareness of breath and body scan.
- The “Timed silence” level serves as timers for you to meditate quietly.
- The “Relaxation” sessions feature ambient music which you can find on YouTube.
- And the “Deeper meditation” level is similar to the first two sections, but longer.
Kids
Among the apps I’ve listed here, Serenity is the best meditation app for kids. (Headspace also has a lovely kids’ section, but I haven’t included it in this post.)
This section features very quick practices, each aimed at a particular skill but without any need for deep concentration. I personally haven’t seen kids react to it, but it makes sense for these skills to stick with them!
Instructors: Available in 6 Languages
Serenity’s content is available in six languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. Impressive, isn’t it?
Each of these languages has one instructor that is also a native speaker of the language. The identities of the instructors are not disclosed online, but their voices are calm, organized, and clear.
Controls & Compatibility: Standard, No Web Version
Serenity is available for Android and iOS, with no web version.
I’ve seen a lot of controls on the Android app, such as turning off or changing background music, starting and ending sessions with the sound of a bell or silence, night theme, and the ability to download sessions to listen to them offline. Pretty neat!
Pricing: Affordable, with or without Concessions
Serenity offers a number of free downloads per day, which is great if you’re not ready to jump in. They also have “concessions subscriptions”, where they reduce prices for students, retired people, and individuals with a low income. For people in particular financial hardship, they also offer a limited number of free premiums.
Otherwise, the app is currently available at $9.49 per month and $23.99 per 6 months. You can also get a free 7-day trial if you opt for the second plan!
3. Simple Habit
I’ve mentioned this one in the post about my journey into meditation and I still recommend it if only for Cory Muscara’s starter course.
That’s not to say the app lacks quality content! It’s quite the opposite. Let’s take a look at it now.
Content: Quality & To-the-Point
Simple Habit is one of the more intentional apps out there. It’s not like someone woke up one day and decided they want a piece of this meditation business!
The app features hundreds of pieces of content on a truly wide range of topics. And expect meditation series or singles to get very specific, like “Evening Yoga for Better Sleep.” And if you don’t like one series on sleep, there’s definitely another one you can try.
Out of the many courses I took back when I first installed the app, two have really stuck with me so far. The starter course, and “30 Days to Better Sleep”, also by Cory Muscara. These two alone should give you an idea of the content quality!
Instructors: Wide Range of Accredited People
On Simple Habit, you may always feel like you’re not really connecting to an instructor and still like the app. There’s a lot of people on there! And that’s not to say that you will feel like some of them aren’t working for you, because these are all experienced, accredited people. Still, everyone has their preferences and it’s always good to have options.
Controls & Compatibility: Android, iOS, & Web
You can access Simple Habit on iOS, Android, and the web.
In terms of visual appeal, the app might be a step down from Serenity but it’s still intuitive and gets the job done. Plus, it’s very minimalistic and Zen! Even the brand’s aqua color is well-chosen to soothe you.
Unlike Serenity, there aren’t various lengths for sessions in a course. (That works just as well for me; I don’t personally need 30 minutes vs. 40 minutes anyway.)
On the plus side, Simple Habit has a “On the Go” section where you pick a subject, a topic, and a length between 5, 10, and 20 minutes. The app will give you a meditation based on those parameters! It’s useful. Come to think of it, they do maneuver on how you don’t have to have a lot of time. Their Google Play description preview currently reads “Feel better in 5 minutes”.
Pricing: Makes Sense!
Simple Habit is available at $12 for a month, $90 for a year, and $300 for a lifetime subscription.
2. Waking Up
Most meditation apps have guided meditations, some ambient sounds, and that’s it. The famed Sam Harris meditation app is noticeably different, in that it treats meditation more of a means to know your mind better, live more mindfully, and wake up. They currently put it forward as “a new operating system for your brain.”
It’s the number two on my list for this different, effective attitude toward meditation and mindfulness. Let’s dig in a little more!
Content: Mind-Opening Sessions
The content in Waking Up divides up into lectures, regularly updated podcasts, thought & mind experiments, and guided meditations.
If you get the trial and want an example of the content, take a look at the Introductory Course (with Sam Harris) or The Koan Way (with Henry Shukman). This content should speak vocally for the app.
The rest, I haven’t really explored. (Not really a podcast or lecture fan.) So, they’re up to you to discover!
Instructors: Handpicked & Impressive
Waking Up has a number of very impressive instructors, mostly from the US and mostly academically qualified. You can see a list of them on their website!
Controls & Compatibility: Standard, Web Version Included
Waking Up is available on Android, iOS, and the web. The apps have your standard controls: reminders, night mode, etc. The design is also superb and the app is extremely smooth to work with.
Unlike the two apps before, this one doesn’t artificially lengthen or shorten lessons or practices to fit your schedule. I think that’s a modern-day color on meditation, which Waking Up actively strives to avoid.
Pricing: Reasonable
You can get Waking Up for $130 a year with 14 free days (which is also the trial period), or for $20 a month with 7 free days.
They also offer various scholarships for people who can’t afford those prices, which is awesome.
1. Plum Village
Sam Harris is an ardent proponent of spirituality without religion, and Waking Up is a wonderful app that follows the same thinking. Still, I think this next app is even better despite having roots in Buddhism. Do you have to be a Buddhist to practice with this app? No. Do you encounter any invitations or religious dogma? Absolutely not.
Enter Plum Village! With meditation apps appearing all over the internet and spending considerable money on ads, it’s natural if you’ve never heard of this one. Still, it’s a great free meditation app developed by the community of a real-world monastery.
This monastery in question is Plum Village, located in France and established by the late Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh. (Whom I love dearly, too!) I believe people interested in or adept at meditation and mindfulness can still learn much from him and Plum Village. Let’s go in!
Content: Mindfulness at its Finest
I believe that meditation, at its core, is a rather uncomplicated practice. You don’t need to turn your attention on itself or realize that your mind doesn’t reside in your head to meditate!
All you need to do is to come back to the present moment, notice how your body is right now, feel what emotions you’re experiencing, and enjoy the “many conditions of happiness already available to you.”
So, the majority of the app’s content revolve around the same ideas. It doesn’t get boring, trust me! It just gets deeper as you get lighter, but those are things for you to discover.
Expect many guided meditations, short video talks, long speeches (dharma talks), songs, chants, and also written content like Buddha’s 16 breathing exercises.
Instructors: A Zen Master & His Monastic Community
The majority of the content in the app is from dear Thích Nhất Hạnh himself. And again, after you meditate for a while, it becomes more about being there rather than the sophisticated stuff you do in your head.
Plus, the app also features a lot of quality meditations guided by brothers and sisters at Plum Village. (For example, don’t miss out on this Coffee or Tea Meditation by Brother Phap Linh!)
I can’t choose between any of Thay’s content to introduce to you here. It may be best for you to go to Plum Village’s YouTube channel and search for key words for what you’re looking for assistance with. For example, search “anger”, “forgive”, or “peace”. If you don’t know, visit this playlist of short teachings and pick one that resonates with you right now. You should just see this wonderful man.
Controls & Compatibility: Surprises You
Plum Village is a great free meditation app available on Android and iOS. It’s neatly designed with a great search function, night mode, subtitles for videos, data usage notification, and a download functionality so you can access the data offline.
An underrated feature of the app may also be the mindfulness bell. You can choose to start and end every meditation session with the sound of a bell of your choice. Moreover, you can configure the app to play a bell sound at your chosen intervals to bring you back to the present moment.
Pricing: Free for All
The Plum Village app is completely free, which makes me love it even more! I warmly invite you to donate to Plum Village or buy from their shop if you find their app or videos useful. Go ahead and try out the app!
Bonus: Mindful Notifier
While we’re in a meditative mood, let’s discuss the bonus app. It’s a your own free and open-source mindfulness bell app that rings at designated intervals, reminding you to take a breath and return to the present moment.
It’s pretty simple to work with, too. Choose a bell sound you like, give the app minimum and maximum delays between rings, give it quiet times (like for sleep), and you’re golden.
What makes Mindful Notifier different from Plum Village’s internal bell functionality is that it chooses a random time between your min. and max. interval for every ring, so your mind doesn’t automatically get used to the sound.
You can also turn off the randomizer, but I recommend keeping it on. I also recommend you to disable battery optimization and keep it open and locked, because your Android might stop it from ringing after a while.
There are similar apps for iOS as well, although I can’t personally recommend any besides Plum Village above. You can search “mindfulness bell” in the App Store to find more!
TL; DR
I’ve tried a lot of meditation apps, but I only recommend five, in this order:
- Plum Village: A must-have completely free meditation app developed by the community of a monastery. Whatever situation you find yourself in, this app has something for you in the form of a video, audio clip, or text. Don’t miss Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh’s teachings!
- Mindful Notifier: The best meditation bell app for Android. It plays a bell sound at intervals of your choice with a little variance, so you don’t subconsciously get used to it. Every time you hear the pleasant sound of the bell, take a breath and come back to the present moment. If you’re on iOS, you can try Plum Village above (which has an internal mindfulness bell) or search for additional apps.
- Waking Up: The Sam Harris Meditation app, praised for its eye-opening content with a 50-day starter course as a wonderful intro into your own mind. If you’re going for a paid app, this may be your best bet for quality of content.
- Simple Habit: Meditation for busy people! I recommend Cory Muscara’s introductory course on this app to everyone who wants to start meditating, and the content is quite fabulous. It’s a little cheaper than Waking Up, too.
- Serenity: Well-structured and unadvertised-for! You get meditation sessions in six languages, daily free content, and some really good techniques you can pick up. It’s also cheaper than the two other paid meditation apps on the list.