Meditation App Comparison: Which App Is Best?
When you’re consistently living a busy lifestyle, you become vulnerable to burnout. I’ve found that taking a few minutes every day to relax and meditate helps maintain peace of mind.
When you’re pushing yourself to accomplish goals and achieve success, the last thing you want to do is get worn out and unmotivated.
Usually I’d recommend taking a break from technology. However, some apps can help lead you in daily meditation and bring peace to your mind. I’ve been a fan of the app 10% Happier for a while and wanted to find out if there’s something better.
(Note: I recommend reading my blog about renewal practices that help you reset when your high-performance lifestyle causes stress.)
What is the best app to use to quiet your mind? Taking the time to quiet our mind is a key that helps accomplish our dreams and aspirations. I tried out three different meditation apps to find out which one is the best.
I compared the features, pricing, and pros and cons of each app—10% Happier, Calm, and The Mindfulness App.
Here’s the quick side-by-side comparison:
| 10% Happier | Calm | The Mindfulness App | |
| Free Trial | 7 Days | 7 Days | 7 Days |
| Pricing | $99/year | $70/year | $59/year |
| Key Contributors | Dan Harris and other top meditation experts | Tamera Leavitt | Martin Wikfalk |
| Special Contributors | Daily Covid-19 3 p.m. meditations | Lebron James discussing an Intro to Mental Fitness | A plethora of contributors |
| Special Features | Weekly podcast | Rate your mood feature and daily gratitude list | Library filled with premium meditations and courses |
| Favorite Feature | Breadth of topics and teachers | Daily calm meditation to do first thing in the morning on different topics | Wide variety of topics and teachers |
| Least Favorite | Higher cost and Dan’s podcasts can be too long | Nothing | The app isn’t as well organized and it’s rating system isn’t as useful as Calm |
| Overall Value Rank | 8/10 | 10/10 | 6/10 |
Comparing these meditation apps was very enjoyable for me. I got to listen and learn from the best mindfulness teachers and practitioners over the last month.
Full disclosure: I came into this analysis as a long-time 10% Happier supporter. I came out with a clear decision that Calm is the meditation best app. Tamera’s early morning 10-minute Daily Calm messages are fantastic, and I learned something new every day.
I found that every day was refreshing and helpful. Today’s topic was on change, and yesterday was on acceptance. Tamera’s voice is calm and soothing, making it a relaxed early morning listen.
I especially like Calm’s rating systems. You can rate your mood at any time throughout your day, and then Calm will recommend which meditation to listen to. This simple, AI-based feature is a game-changer. I also love using the daily gratitude reminder in the morning and at night.
The icing on the cake for me was listening to Lebron James and his mental fitness messages.
You can sign up to start using your Calm meditations for free today.
Summary and Next Steps
Meditation is an important part of a healthy high-performance lifestyle, along with regular exercise, prayer/study, and gratitude lists. These are fundamental behaviors for a sustainable high-performance lifestyle.
Read this blog on the entire formula for sustainable performance excellence.
You can also connect with me for a free coaching consultation.