Meditation has gained enormous popularity because of its scientifically-backed benefits to improve our general wellbeing in almost every part of our lives, from work to your personal life.
And while you can certainly meditate without the need for technological assistance, apps are a great way for people to gain access to guided meditations for different purposes and for different times of day. This can be useful no matter what your experience with meditation.
One of the great things about the fast technological development we see this day in age is that there are hundreds of tools that set out to make our lives easier, more productive, and more well-balanced.
But the flip side of this choice is that it can sometimes be really difficult to know where to focus your energy. To help you decide which meditation app best suits your needs, we’ve pulled together a round up of the best that are currently on offer.
Welcome to our top 6 meditation apps for 2019.
1. Headspace
Headspace is an app that definitely sets itself apart from the rest. The makers of the app have ensured that it helps to make meditation accessible to all, no matter if you’re brand new to meditating. With guided meditations around a number of themes, Headspace is true to its promise of “making your life easier” – wherever you need support. It is designed for users of all levels, and offers helpful animations to introduce you to each new task.
This is a great app if you are just getting into meditation, or if you want to reap the benefits of meditation even if you don’t necessarily identify with the spiritual aspects of meditative practice.
Price: Free to try, then $12.99 per month or $95 per year.
Android Rating: 4.5
iPhone Rating: 4.9
2. Meditation Studio
Meditation studio is a great app for those who know what they are getting into. This app offers basic guided meditations that allow you to focus on different areas of your life, including health, self-esteem, and kindness. It is also great for people who want to explore different meditation styles.
Note that Meditation studio only has premium content available for iOS at the time. Android only has access to the basic services.
Price: Free with an option to a premium membership (on iOS for $49.99 per year or $7.99 per month). You can purchase a subset of Android content and features for $3.99.
Android Rating: 4.6
iPhone Rating: 4.8
3. Calm
Calm is a meditation app designed for – you guessed it! – calming meditation.
It includes Daily Calm sessions, longer-term meditation programs, and monthly calm masterclasses. What sets this app apart are the “sleep stories” which are updated every week, many of which are narrated by celebrated actors and storytellers.
This is a great app for you if you are searching for solutions to relieve stress and get into the right mindset before going to sleep.
Price: Free with an option to purchase Calm Premium for $12.99/month, $59.99/year or $299.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Android Rating: 4.5
iPhone Rating: 4.8
4. The Mindfulness App
The Mindfulness App offers meditations for all different circumstances, states of mind, and goals, including focus, calm, relationships, productivity, sleep, and more.
The guided meditations can be as short as 3 minutes, or as long as 30 minutes. One of its best features is the mindful notices, which help remind you to be mindful throughout the day.
Price: Free basic, with $2.99 option for foundational mindfulness, and a monthly premium option for $9.99.
Android Rating: 4.3
iPhone Rating: 4.7
5. Stop, Breathe and Think
The Stop, Breathe and Think app allows you to use meditative and mindfulness techniques to check in with how you are feeling by doing short activities that help you stay in-tune with your emotions.
What we love about this app is that you can track your progress and mental wellbeing by learning to practice self-care and self-awareness as part of your daily routine. In addition to guided meditations, you can also carry out deep breathing exercises and develop strategies to manage stress. Best of all, it can be used by children and teens as well as adults.
Price:
Android Rating: 4.4
iPhone Rating: 4.8
6. Ten Percent Happier
This app is designed for “fidgety skeptics” – those who are intrigued by meditation, but may be put off by the traditional view of meditation and mindfulness training.
As one tech website put it, this app is especially for people who think “it’s all a bit of crock” (no judgement!). These video + audio guided meditation cover a range of topics from parenting to sleep and focus.
If you aren’t in the mood to meditate, but want a mindful tid-bit, the app also offers short stories and pieces of wisdom and inspiration that you can listen to on the go.
For iOS users, you can listen to your meditation with your Apple Watch to discreetly and easily schedule in your daily meditation practice.
Price: Free to try, with optional premium subscription of $5.99/month, or $55.99 a year.
Android Rating: 4.7
iPhone Rating:
Conclusion
Finding the right mediation app for you might take some time, after all – we each have our own tastes and needs. But, we hope that this guide will help make the choice a little easier.
Want to take it to the next level? Combine one of these apps with DoYoYoga’s 30-day meditation challenge.
Have you tried one of these apps? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
