The Best Free Meditation Apps to Find Your Zen

 
Best of all, you don’t need to go on a faraway retreat or expensive classes to learn meditation, with scores of free apps you can use anytime, anywhere to find your inner zen.

Headspace

One of the most well–known meditation apps on the market, Headspace contains hundreds of guided meditations that target specific concerns such as sleeping, commuting, eating, fears and more. While a subscription is required to access the full catalogue, there’s plenty of content offered for free, including a 10-day beginner’s course that will teach you the foundations of meditation, as well as a ‘weathering the storm’ series that’ll help you get through tough times.
 
iOS / Android

Sattva

With sacred sounds, chants, mantras and music by Sanskrit scholars, Sattva is the perfect app for anyone interested in the history and origins of meditation. The app asks for your mood, alertness level and reasons for meditating – for example to lift your energy levels or increase feelings of gratitude – taking all of these into account before guiding you through short daily meditations and a collection of over 100 you can access at any time.
 
iOS / Android

Smiling Mind

You’ll never be asked to make a purchase in Smiling Mind, a completely free, psychologist-developed app that aims to make mindfulness part of your daily routine. Simple 10 minute daily meditations are an easy way to start, while structured programs will guide you through specific interests such as sleep, relationships and work. The app tracks your happiness, alertness and mood, and the more sessions you complete, the more options are unlocked, encouraging you to keep at it.
 
iOS / Android

Simple Habit

Made for those with busy lives, Simple Habit asks only that you set aside five short minutes to achieve a little mental oasis in your day. Featuring guided meditations by everyone from mindfulness experts to former monks, this is an app that’ll have you feeling better fast. In addition you’ll find coaching, motivational guides and bedtime stories that’ll soothe and uplift you.
 
iOS / Android

Let's Meditate

This simple, intuitive app comes without the bells and whistles – all you have to do is choose a track and hit play. Tracks as short as five minutes and as long as 40 will leave you feeling refreshed and recharged, while curated lists will help you through various situations, for example sleepless nights. You can also download your favourite meditation tracks for offline listening anytime, anywhere.
 
iOS / Android

Inscape

Built by a cutting edge meditation studio in New York of the same name, the Inscape app is a fountain of zen that’s guaranteed to help you reduce stress and improve sleep. The experience is highly tailored, with the option to choose between mindfulness, mantra or focus techniques depending on your mood. Next, it’ll recommend meditations, music and breathing exercises that suit your goals, from better sleep and anxiety relief to study chill and relationship healing.
 
iOS / Android

Calm

Wind down with this helpful app that uses mindfulness to give you a better night’s sleep. Guided meditations, breathing programs, relaxing music and sleep stories seek to lower stress and improve mental health, providing a tonic to our frenetic daily lives. Whatever you’re going through, you’ll find a Calm meditation tailored for you, from relationship and self-esteem issues to managing anxiety and concentration.

iOS / Android

Insight Timer

Both new and seasoned meditators will find great use for Insight Timer, where a deep catalogue of largely free guided meditations by experienced teachers will ease you through anything that ails you. Practise body scanning, stress reduction, loving-kindness or simply set a timer and do your own meditation to the deep sound of Tibetan singing owls. To encourage consistency, the app tracks your progress and awards you badges the more you meditate.
 
iOS / Android

Stop, Breathe, Think

For those looking to ease their way into learning meditation, Stop, Breathe, Think is a great place to start. An introductory module explains the neuroscience and physiology behind why mindfulness is beneficial, and every time you open the app it asks you to rate your mind and body on a scale of ‘rough’ to ‘great’, plus five emotions. From there, it’ll recommend activities to suit your current state, which can include body scans, gratitude meditations, yoga videos or just a mindful walk.
 
iOS / Android