Top Meditation Apps to Transform Your Mind in 2024

Practicing mindfulness and meditation doesn’t always come naturally or easily to everyone. Perhaps it’s more difficult for you to shut your brain off, close your eyes, and sit in the stillness within yourself, or it’s downright challenging to squeeze in meditation practice in your hectic daily life.
I get it. I’ve been and am still often wearing those same shoes. It wasn’t until I downloaded and tried a few different meditation apps that I could successfully carve out time daily to practice intentional mindfulness and allow myself to be guided by a gentle and calming voice as I went through the meditation practice.
Meditation is known for reducing stress and anxiety, but research also suggests it can improve mood, promote better sleep, and enhance cognitive abilities. The following list is compiled from personal experience with different apps, reading countless customer reviews, and researching the products directly.
1. Calm

One of the most popular apps out there, Calm, is my preferred choice after trying several others. The number one reason? It offers countless options. So, if you like variety for your moods, this app will be a great fit.
The app offers guided sessions ranging from three to 25 minutes, covering topics like calming anxiety, gratitude, and mindfulness at work. It also includes sleep sounds, nature sounds, sleep stories narrated by gentle voices, and breathing exercises, allowing you to tailor your experience to your specific needs.
Cost: $14.99 per month, $69.99 per year, or a lifetime subscription of $399.99
2. Buddhify

Buddhify features over 200 meditations addressing anxiety, stress, sleep, pain, and challenging emotions. It’s a versatile app that understands your diverse needs, with a user-friendly interface that makes navigation a breeze. You can choose from various teachers to find a voice and style that resonates with you.
The standout benefit of Buddhify is its highly specific mindfulness exercises. Whether you’re traveling, working, waking up, eating, or spending time online, Buddhify’s practical exercises are there to guide you.
Cost: $4.99, plus in-app purchases
3. Ensō

Ensō is an ideal app for experienced meditators. It features a straightforward timer that lets you set bells at various intervals, helping you stay alert and focused during your practice.
Additionally, it provides a soothing sound to signal the end of your session, enhancing the overall meditation experience. The app gets 4.7 stars on the Apple Store Preview.
Cost: Free, in-app purchases
4. Headspace

Headspace is a top meditation app known for its versatility. It offers hundreds of guided meditations for relaxation, better sleep, and increased productivity.
Additional features include mini-meditations, sleep sounds, emergency SOS meditations, and specialized content for kids, making it a comprehensive tool for enhancing your well-being. With a rating of 4.8 stars on Apple, most reviewers shared that Headspace was one of the best apps they had used to practice better mindfulness.
Cost: $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year after a free seven-day trial
5. Insight Timer

Experts widely agree that Insight Timer is a top-tier meditation app. It features many experienced mindfulness teachers and offers flexibility in choosing practices based on your available time and preferred style, such as body scans, loving-kindness, or anxiety reduction. You can also set a timer for unguided sessions.
The app is also favored by several experts and users for its variety of guided meditations and a tracker that charts your progress and awards badges, encouraging consistent practice.
Cost: $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year
6. Sattva

Sattva aims to deliver an authentic meditation experience by drawing on ancient Vedic principles, which have significantly influenced Hinduism. The app offers guided meditations of six minutes or longer, along with sacred sounds, chants, mantras, and music by Sanskrit scholars.
It’s perfect for those interested in meditation’s historical and cultural origins and for anyone looking to start their own practice.
Cost: $12.99 per month, $49.99 per year, or a lifetime subscription of $399.99
7. Aura

Aura is popular for its daily meditations, life coaching, nature sounds, stories, and music, all personalized by an algorithm based on your shared needs and interests. The app adapts to your preferences over time, enhancing your experience.
Additionally, it offers mood tracking and pattern review, along with reminders to breathe and take mindfulness breaks throughout the day. With an average rating of 4.7 stars but many five stars given, Aura is a top-performing app by many users.
Cost: $11.99 per month, $59.99 per year, or a lifetime subscription of $399
8. Glo

If you want to combine fitness and meditation, then Glo is the perfect app for you. Glo offers a wide variety of guided meditations from well-respected fitness instructors and practitioners, ensuring you receive high-quality guidance in your practice.
You can customize your sessions by selecting the length, teacher, level, specific topics, and focal points to help you achieve your meditation goals. Whether you’re looking to reduce stress, improve focus, or enhance self-awareness, Glo has a meditation for you. It’s an excellent option for both new and experienced meditators. Additionally, the app provides access to teacher-led yoga and Pilates classes.
Cost: $23.99 per month after a seven-day free trial
9. Simple Habit

Simple Habit is ideal for those seeking short meditations from top mindfulness experts, including Google professionals and former monks. The app offers classic guided meditations, as well as coaching sessions, motivational guides, and bedtime stories.
With a diverse range of content, Simple Habit caters to various needs, from daily mindfulness practices to enhancing motivation and improving sleep quality.
Cost: Free, in-app purchases
10. Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind, created by psychologists and educators, promotes mindfulness as a fundamental component of well-being, akin to daily exercise, good sleep, and healthy eating. It offers a range of resources, including simple 10-minute daily meditations categorized by age and settings.
The app is entirely free, making mindfulness accessible to everyone without any cost barriers. I’ll be honest, I tried this app and didn’t love it because of the lack of options provided. However, for the cost and what is available, it’s an excellent choice.
Cost: Free
11. Ten Percent Happier Meditation

The Ten Percent Happier app, inspired by Dan Harris’s book, 10% Happier, simplifies meditation for beginners and busy individuals alike. With over 50 guided meditations labeled “Great for Beginners” and courses like “Meditation for Skeptics,” it dispels misconceptions and offers three to 15-minute sessions.
Users can customize their practice with topics like “parenting” or “anxiety,” fitting meditation into any schedule. The app’s flexible approach and accessible content make integrating mindfulness into daily life easy, promoting reduced anxiety and improved well-being right from the start.
Cost: Free, in-app purchases
12. The Healthy Minds Program

The Healthy Minds Program app, founded by neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson, combines neuroscience with meditation to enhance mental focus, reduce stress, and foster resilience, compassion, and immune health. The 4.9 stars-rated app is organized into four pillars—Awareness, Connection, Insight, and Purpose—and offers structured training with sessions tailored to each pillar’s themes.
You can choose between Sitting and Active practices, with customizable session lengths from five to 30 minutes. Beyond its framework, the app includes 27 additional meditations, including quick one-minute Micro Practices. While more thought-oriented than typical guided meditations, it’s ideal for those seeking mindful awareness and cognitive enhancement for overall well-being.
Cost: Free
13. Breethe

Breethe is one of the more expensive apps on the market. But is it worth it? It features a vast library of guided meditations, masterclasses, hypnotherapy, bedtime stories, nature sounds, and music. The app boasts high-quality instructors specializing in health and wellness, with categories including alternative therapies, anxiety reduction, spirituality, and more.
Top mindfulness doctors and authors lead masterclasses, and users can share the app with up to five family members via Apple Family Sharing. Breethe’s specificity and quality make it a worthwhile investment, especially with a 14-day free trial to explore its extensive offerings.
Cost: $89 annual membership
With a passion for travel, great food, and beautiful art, Julie put aside her 15-year career in the tech industry and dove head-first into a more creative sphere. Utilizing her degree in Communications, she is pursuing freelance writing. An avid traveler, Julie has experience writing and documenting the amazing spots she has visited and explored, the delicious food she has tasted, and the incredible art she has admired and purchased! When she’s not writing, she can be spotted around Austin, TX, at various art gallery openings, having a delicious meal with her husband and friends, and playing with her two dogs.