Both Calm and Headspace are excellent choices for meditation and mindfulness. Calm stands out with its extensive sleep content and offline availability, while Headspace offers a more affordable student plan and community features. The best choice depends on individual needs and preferences.
| Attribute | Calm | Headspace |
|---|---|---|
| Meditation library size and variety | Vast library of guided and unguided meditations, ranging from 3 to 30 minutes, with some unguided options extending for hours. Hundreds of hours of guided meditations covering various topics like stress, anxiety, and sleep. | Over 500 meditation sessions, wide range of topics, courses for beginners and advanced practitioners. |
| Sleep stories and soundscapes | Over 500 Sleep Stories, with new ones added weekly, narrated by celebrities and other talents. Wide array of soundscapes, including nature sounds and frequency pitches like white, brown, and green noise. | Sleep sounds and guided meditations, bedtime meditations, relaxing sounds, and sleep programs. Sleepcasts cannot be downloaded for offline use. |
| Guided meditation courses for specific goals (e.g., stress, anxiety) | Guided courses tailored to specific needs such as stress reduction, anxiety management, focus, relationships, and self-esteem. | Guided meditations and mindfulness exercises for stress reduction and well-being, courses for specific mental health goals like managing anxiety. |
| Mindfulness exercises and techniques | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques, including body scans, walking meditations, and breathing exercises. Breathing exercises with customizable volume, speed, and duration. | Introduces mindfulness and meditation in an easy-to-use format, various mindfulness techniques to improve mental game in everyday life. |
| Breathing exercises | Various breathing exercises that can be customized for volume, speed and duration, ranging from 1 to 60 minutes. | Includes breathing exercises to relieve stress, calm anxiety, increase focus, and ground users in the present moment. |
| User interface and ease of navigation | User-friendly interface, with a simple and easy-to-navigate design. | Bright, simple, and user-friendly interface, intuitive navigation. |
| Personalized recommendations and progress tracking | Personalized recommendations based on user goals and usage patterns. Tracks progress, including consecutive days of use, minutes of meditation, and number of sessions. | Personalized recommendations based on user goals, interests, and progress, tracks daily streaks, meditation history, and goal setting. |
| Offline content availability | Most sessions and tracks can be downloaded for offline listening. Downloaded content can be accessed in the 'Library' under the 'Profile' tab. | Sessions can be downloaded for offline use on iOS or Android. Everyday Headspace/Today's Headspace, Wake Up, and sleepcasts are not available for offline use. |
| Integration with other health and wellness apps | Integrates with Apple Health and Google Fit. Available on Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Samsung Health. | Aims to provide a holistic view of well-being, specific integrations details are limited. |
| Pricing and subscription options | Monthly subscription is $14.99, annual subscription is $69.99 ($5.83 per month). Lifetime subscription is available for $399.99. Discounts are available for families, students, schools, and healthcare professionals. | Monthly: $12.99, Annual: $69.99, Family: $99.99/year (up to 6), Student: $9.99/year, Free trial available. |
| Expert instructors and their credentials | Features expert instructors in mindfulness and meditation practices. | Trained mindfulness and meditation practitioners, Andy Puddicombe (former Buddhist monk) co-founded Headspace and provides guided audio meditations. |
| Community features and support | Community support through FAQs, contact options, and social media. No option to add "friends" on the app. | Features such as group meditations to help establish communities. |