Mental Wellbeing Data-backed list
Best Calm Alternatives for Meditation, Sleep and Relaxation
Updated
People look for Calm alternatives when Sleep Stories are not enough, the free tier feels thin, or the yearly bill nags. This is a source-reviewed guide, not a hands-on lab test. We compared public listings captured on 13 September 2026. We did not sit every session.
Who these Calm alternatives are for
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Download Calm on the App Store
This page is for people who already know Calm and want a different desk. It is not a generic trophy list. For that, use best meditation apps.
Stay on Calm if Sleep Stories and soundscapes are the whole job and the bill is fine. Leave if you want a taught course, a free stack, a theory-heavy sit, a daily questionnaire, or a multi-teacher matcher.
How we compared Calm alternatives
Each row uses one job, dated public prices, and separate Apple and Play scores. UK and US money stay apart. If a listing showed several SKUs, we list the range and say to check live checkout. Install bands we could not see are omitted.
We did not invent a Vitality Ledger score. We did not test cancellation flows. User reviews below are dated snapshots, not our lab.
Calm alternatives comparison
| Candidate | UK price | US price | Platforms | Store rating (source + date) | Adoption signal | Subscription | Privacy caveat | Sentiment snapshot | Evidence | Best for | Why it is an alternative | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headspace | £9.99 / month or £49.99 / year (GB listing copy) | $12.99 / month or $69.99 / year; Plus SKUs at $94.99 also appeared | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch; Android | US Apple 4.8 from 974,000 (13 Sep 2026). US Play 4.3 from about 329,000–340,000 reviews | No verified install band | Free download; trial then auto-renew. Coaching and therapy sold separately in some markets | Apple lists health, location, contacts and identifiers linked to you. Play: sharing plus encryption in transit | Play reviews cite slow loads and a busy look | 14 RCTs in O’Dea 2022; mixed; mostly non-clinical | Beginners who want a labelled path | Replaces Calm’s looser library with a syllabus | Thin free tier. Extra care SKUs can raise the bill |
| Insight Timer | Check live GB store. Listing says prices vary by location | Free library; Plus $9.99 / month or $59.99 / year | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch; Android | US Apple 4.9 from 446,000. US Play 4.7 from about 256,000–262,000 | Homepage: 30 million people (vendor). Track-count claims 250,000–300,000 | Optional Plus for courses, offline, advanced player | Apple lists health, search and browsing history. Play: several shared types; deletion can be requested | 2026 Play: strong library, cluttered chrome, more Plus locks | No Insight Timer RCT series found for this page | People who will search and follow teachers | Drops Calm’s paywall for most guided audio | Quality varies. Search can feel loud |
| Waking Up | Not recaptured as a clean sterling list this day. Check live | US Apple IAP $19.99 / month, $149.99 / year, family $229.99. Website $129.99 / year or $19.99 / month | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch. Play listing not recaptured this day | US Apple 4.9 from 43,000 ratings, age 9+ | Listing claims a 2025 Wirecutter pick. That is store copy | Trial then auto-renew. Public scholarship if you cannot pay | Read wakingup.com/privacy-policy. We did not invent a full Apple grid here | Long reviews praise the 28-day intro and the scholarship | No Waking Up RCT found for this page | People who want theory with the sit | Replaces celebrity stories with philosophy and a harder intro course | US in-app year is higher than Calm’s $69.99 list |
| Balance | GB IAP included Yearly £48.99 and Premium rows such as £62.99, £39.99, £11.49 | $11.99 / month, $69.99 / year, $399.99 lifetime (listing copy) | iPhone; Android on US Play | UK Apple 4.9 from 42,000. US Play 4.6 from about 47,500–48,500 | No verified install band | Trial then auto-renew, or lifetime | Policy (29 June 2026) lists health info and possible ad sharing of identifiers | 2026 Play: praise for a smaller menu; complaints about cancel steps | No Balance-specific RCT found | People who want a built daily path | Replaces Calm’s browse model with a questionnaire | Not a huge free library |
| Aura | FAQ says prices vary by region. Sterling list not recaptured. Check live | FAQ US$69.99 / year; family US$129.99. US IAP also $47.99–$69.99 yearly and $7.99–$11.99 monthly | iPhone, iPad; Android; web login described | US Apple 4.7 from 35,000. US Play 4.5 from about 14,900–15,100 | Store copy claims millions of users. Not audited here | Free: one 3-minute session every two hours. Premium auto-renews | Apple: tracking via purchases, contacts, identifiers, usage | Reviews like breadth; others flag short stories and hard filters | No Aura RCT found | People who want many teachers and a matcher | Replaces one house style with a large mixed catalogue | Free drip is small. Coaching is extra |
Headspace if you want a syllabus
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Headspace is the closest “teach me” swap. US yearly list matched Calm at $69.99 on 13 September 2026. Monthly was cheaper. UK copy printed £49.99 a year against Calm’s scattered sterling IAP.
O’Dea et al. (2022) found 14 Headspace RCTs and one Calm RCT. That is more paper, not a promise you will sleep. Play’s 4.3 sits below Calm’s 4.5. Some experienced sitters call the design childish. If you liked Tamara Levitt’s one-voice days on Calm, Headspace will feel like a studio with more hosts—and more product tiles.
Insight Timer if you want free audio
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Download Insight Timer: Meditate, Sleep on the App Store
Insight Timer is the value break. The free tier still includes guided sits, music and a timer, per the US listing. Plus at $59.99 a year undercuts both Calm and Headspace yearly list prices. You pay for offline and courses, not for the right to sit.
The trade is clutter. 2026 Play reviews still say the shelves are deep and the taps after a track are many. Vendor track counts disagree (250,000 versus 300,000). We did not count. If Calm’s clean home screen was the point, this row can feel loud.
Waking Up if you want theory
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Download Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom on the App Store
Waking Up is not a Sleep Story clone. Sam Harris’s listing sells a 28-day intro, daily sits, conversations and a scholarship. US in-app year at $149.99 is higher than Calm’s $69.99 headline. The website listed $129.99 a year on the day we looked. Anyone who cannot pay can request free access, per the company.
US Apple was 4.9 from 43,000 ratings. That is a smaller, self-selected crowd. We found no Waking Up RCT to cite. The listing’s Wirecutter badge is marketing reprinted by the seller.
Balance if you want a built daily path
Balance asks questions and assembles a session. US yearly list matched Calm at $69.99, with a cheaper named month and a $399.99 lifetime. UK Yearly at £48.99 was the clearest sterling annual SKU we saw.
Play reviews in 2026 liked the smaller menu. One August review hated the cancel maze. Leave through Apple or Google settings. There is no Balance trial paper in the O’Dea set.
Aura if you want many teachers
Aura’s FAQ still prices Premium at US$69.99 a year—the same headline as Calm and Headspace. The free tier is one new three-minute session every two hours. That is a sampler, not a library. Family is US$129.99. US IAP showed cheaper promo years.
Apple’s tracking label is blunt. If you left Calm over data, read Aura’s form before you hop. CBT-labelled tracks are not therapy.
What you keep if you stay on Calm
You do not have to switch. Calm’s US page, captured 13 September 2026, still sells Sleep Stories, Daily Calm, breathwork, music and a free download with some features forever and no ads. Version 7.0.7 was dated 4 September 2026. US Apple was 4.8 from 2 million ratings. US Play was 4.5 from about 593,000–615,000 reviews, updated 11 September 2026.
Play Data Safety said some data may be shared, data is encrypted in transit, and deletion can be requested. Billing friction still appears in 2026 reviews. That is a reason some people shop this page. It is not a reason we invented a better “score.”
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest of these Calm alternatives?
Is there a good Calm alternative with no subscription?
Which Calm alternative is best for sleep?
Should I export Calm before I switch?
Do any of these replace therapy?
Sources
- 1. Calm
- 2. Headspace: Sleep & Meditation
- 3. Insight Timer: Meditate, Sleep
- 4. Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom
- 5. FAQ
- 6. Efficacy and Conflicts of Interest in Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating Headspace and Calm Apps
Guidance changes. Figures were checked against the sources above at the time of review; always confirm current advice with your GP, pharmacist or clinician.
Image credits
- Photo: Apple / App Store (App Store listing)
- Photo: Photo by Pixabay on Pexels / Openverse
- Photo: Photo by Max Vakhtin on Pexels / Openverse
- Photo: Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels / Openverse
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