Meditation is an ancient practice for mental clarity and balance that is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Like many people, you may be prioritizing your health and well-being, and seeking out self-care routines that will help you stay relaxed and focused. Even a brief morning meditation of only five minutes can help set the tone for the day; to help you build this ritual into your schedule, a meditation app may be the ideal tool to keep your motivation primed.
Meditation and mindfulness apps can be a useful introduction to meditation for newbies, as well as a productive support for more experienced meditators. Many of these apps include a variety of rich features, including not only guided meditation, but also sleep and meditation music, bedtime stories, lectures, yoga and fitness instruction, and more. As meditation apps have soared in popularity, the number of apps to choose from has increased as well. Read on to explore our list of the best meditation and mindfulness apps and what they have to offer, to help you discover the very best meditation app for you.
Top meditation apps
Aaptiv
Known for its audio-based fitness training with thousands of guided workouts, Aaptiv has expanded to include audio-based meditation instruction as well. Its 21-day “Go Deeper With Your Meditation” program provides an introduction to meditation, including training in breathwork. Some of the styles of meditation covered are the use of mantras, candle-gazing, nidra (lying-down meditation), ujjayi (nose breathing), and lion’s breath (you guessed it, also a breathing technique). Bedtime meditations specifically for enhancing sleep are also part of the program. The goal is to reduce stress, improve mental health, and accelerate fitness progress.
aaptiv.com
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Alo Moves
The Alo Moves mindfulness app transforms your home into a wellness studio with yoga, fitness, and meditation classes. Combining all these approaches provides a true holistic wellness program, strengthening the body and mind. There are a variety of topics in meditation and mindfulness, each with its own series of classes, including “Journey through Breath,” “Chakra Sound Bath,” “Morning Ritual: Daily Meditations,” and many more. “Awakening the Heart” is a 14-day meditation journey exploring self-acceptance, inspiration, and kindness.
alomoves.com
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Aura
Aura describes itself as the “all-in-one app for mental wellness and sleep.” In addition to meditation, Aura offers content in a wide variety of areas to support holistic wellness, including breathwork, therapy, prayer, hypnosis, coaching, ASMR, stories, music, and sounds. A library of material is available to users, and the app’s suggestions become increasingly personalized over time. Users have the option to receive 1:1 coaching from Aura’s expert coaches.
BODi
BODi is an app that celebrates “health esteem,” which means reaching your goals and feeling great. This holistic approach integrates four components: nutrition, fitness, mindset and motivation, and relaxation and meditation. In addition to dozens of on-demand guided meditations, the BODi app offers the “Unstress” program, with 21 days of meditation for relaxation, calm, and reduced anxiety to help users jumpstart their meditation journey.
beachbodyondemand.com
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Calm
If music’s your jam, the Calm app has a wide variety of meditation music, as well as music designed for focus, relaxation, and sleep. The runner-up in the New York Times “Wirecutter” rankings of the best meditation apps, Calm has less-structured guided meditations, perhaps better for more experienced meditators. There are a number of other features to enhance your wellness journey: a vast selection of creative ambient soundscapes, charming bedtime stories to put you to sleep, and the innovative “Poetry Pharmacy,” a thoughtful exploration of the therapeutic power of poetry, with “poetic prescriptions” for a variety of ailments of the heart and soul.
Headspace
Rated as the best meditation app by the New York Times “Wirecutter” series, Headspace is known for its extensive mindfulness and meditation content geared for all levels. With a well-organized and easy-to-navigate interface, novice to experienced meditators can find the instruction and motivation they need to develop and maintain an enriching meditation practice. In addition to general meditation guidance, the Headspace app offers solution-driven meditations to deal with specific issues like anxiety, self-esteem, and grief.
Insight Timer
Insight Timer is one of the best free meditation apps out there, as well as one of the best Android meditation apps. The Insight Timer app features guided meditations, 30-day courses, meditation talks, and live events. If you’re also interested in the best meditation apps for sleep, Insight Timer includes sleep meditations, sleep music, and guided full-body relaxation scans to help you get ready for bedtime. Considered one of the best free relaxation apps, Insight Timer has more free content than any other meditation app, with over 190,000 guided meditations and events, and 21 million users worldwide. While it is free, meditators have the option of making donations to individual meditation instructors if they wish.
obé
The obé fitness app for women has evolved from on-demand workouts to personalized fitness programs that take a holistic wellness approach, incorporating not just working out but also meditation, mobility, and better sleep. The personalized content is tailored for each user based on questionnaires and the data from health and fitness wearables. Complementing the fitness components of the app, the obé wellness program is centered around the goal of “wellness for mind-body connection.” The program is 21 days, and each week contains programming for four areas of focus: meditation, breathwork, restorative yoga, and wellness talks on various topics.
obefitness.com
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Sworkit
The Sworkit app provides on-demand health programs with the goal of total wellbeing—the content incorporates fitness, mindfulness, prevention, and nutrition. Sworkit is a great choice for people who want to integrate losing weight and getting fit with a focus on mindfulness. The meditations include those geared for morning meditation, calming anxiety, learning breathing techniques, relaxation, and preparing for sleep. Music powered by Feed.fm.
sworkit.com
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Ten Percent Happier
Ten Percent Happier focuses exclusively on meditation and mindfulness, with guided meditations and meditation instruction by experts. There are several educational courses to choose from as well, including one with the Dalai Lama. The Ten Percent Happier podcast is on the app, along with a few other podcasts: More than a Feeling, Childproof, and Twenty Percent Happier. For those without a subscription, or those wanting to sample Ten Percent Happier, there are over 40 free guided meditations that address common sources of stress and anxiety, like illness, caregiving, grief, anger, and loneliness, as well as meditations for relaxation, breathing, and falling asleep.
Y7 Studio
Y7 Studio made its name with its in-person yoga studios, and now everyone can get in on the action no matter where they are with the Y7 Studio yoga app. Y7 bills itself as “the internet’s sweatiest yoga.” There are over 300 yoga videos to choose from, and they can be filtered by type of class, music genre, instructor, and equipment. Meditation classes are one of the options; the classes focus not only on breathwork and stress reduction, but also include meditations on “Visualizing Self-Acceptance,” “Body Appreciation Affirmations,” and more. Music powered by Feed.fm.
y7-studio.com
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Finding the best mindfulness app for you
With so many amazing meditation apps to choose from, how do you know which one is the right one for you? Since each mindfulness app has a unique vibe and provides a distinct constellation of offerings, it may be helpful to think about what attracts you to using a meditation app, and what areas of your life and wellbeing you are most motivated to work on.
If you want to combine mindfulness with yoga, that will point you in one direction; if you’re interested in meditation as an adjunct to fitness and nutrition, that will point you in another. Perhaps you are primarily interested in relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety, and better sleep. Maybe relaxing music, sleep music, meditation music, and soundscapes are your thing. Or you may be looking to get serious about meditation as its own practice.
Whether you’re looking for the best guided sleep meditation apps, the best breathing apps, or the best meditation apps for anxiety, there are many excellent options from which to choose. Whatever your wellness goal, there’s a mindfulness and meditation app that can help you get there.
Music brings mind and body into harmony
At Feed.fm, we work with meditation, fitness, and wellness apps to source the best music available for bringing mind and body into harmony. The very best meditation music may come from popular artists, talented ambient musicians, and our pre-cleared catalog of commissioned and curated functional and wellness music.
Want to learn more about music licensing for meditation apps? Contact a Feed.fm specialist for a conversation about how music can enhance your app.
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