During the development of InTheMoment I’ve been keeping a close eye on other AI meditation apps. Today, I thought I’d compile my findings into a short review of what I found.
First up we’re going to look through the top search results for the term ‘AI meditation’ to see how relevant they are, and if they provide a good experience.
Wondercraft
Despite being the top result, Wondercraft isn’t a dedicated AI meditation platform. Instead they offer a number of tools, from AI video editing through to, yes, meditation sessions.
The interface is a simple textbox, and no sign up is required. It’s a little hard to know what to type in. The suggested text is “A new day” but this doesn’t seem very specific?
I typed in a short prompt, explaining what I’d been up to today and how I’m feeling. Within a few seconds a 3 minute audio session got returned. However I was unable to click play.
I tried again. This time a 2 minute meditation was returned, and clicking play worked.
The quality of the voice was good, and some ambient background music was playing. However around 30 seconds into the session the audio cut out, and I was unable to resume my session.
The script also felt very basic and generic, and how I would expect ChatGPT to respond if I asked it “Write me a meditation script about x”.
And finally the audio was also read in one long continuous block, leaving no room for actual practice.
I was disappointed to see that this was the top result on Google. The voice was good but the execution is poor and this is definitely not suitable for daily practice. This is quite clearly a demo for the rest of the technology that Wondercraft provides.
MySerenify
This site is a dedicated AI meditation platform, so I’m expecting a higher level of customisation and quality.
The design of the site is quite basic, but that seems appropriate for a meditation website.
There’s pre-recorded content listed on the landing page, but I’m unable to play it without first creating an account.
Once you’ve signed up, you can chose from a large number of meditation topics. Clicking one opens a prompt asking for your name. You can then pick the narrators voice (I chose Denzel Washington, because why not?) and finally the background music. I then clicked generate.
Unfortunately the session didn’t play. I tried to regenerate but was then told my monthly limit has been reached!
You only get one free session a month!
(Update: I tried again over a month later and I’m still sitting at 1/1 monthly sessions. It seems you actually only get one free session… ever?).
Unfortunately this was a worse experience for me than Wondercraft was. The site doesn’t seem like it’s being actively maintained anymore either.
Vital
Next up is Vital. This is the first one on the list so far that’s had an actual native app attached to it!
The landing page is the best so far. It’s simple and explains the app well, with a video demo and multiple session demos too.
Looking at the app’s update history it hasn’t been updated in over 6 months, but it has a number of positive reviews!
The interface is very simple. In fact, there’s really only one page for the whole thing.
Again there is a large central text box with a number of other customisation options, including voice, ambient music and length. For free accounts only a single 2 minute session can be created.
After generating my session, the audio starts playing almost instantly, which I was impressed by. The voice quality is good, and the ambient music fits well.
Again, the actual content of the session feels generic. It does a better job personalising that Wondercraft did, but I’m not sure it justifies using this system over a generic app like Headspace.
I tried to listen back to my session afterwards, but I couldn’t find any way to access my session history. I assume that the sessions are therefore not saved to your account.
This has been the best experience so far, but it doesn’t really offer anything for free users and feels more like a demo than a usable service.
InTheMoment
Yes, this is us. No need for a review, so let’s just list out everything we offer.
Conversational check-in. No text boxes. Engage in a casual 2-minute conversation what’s happening in your life, where you are, how you’re feeling, and the AI creates a session that fits your moment perfectly.
Session history. Generate follow-ups that build on previous sessions (yes, they’re saved to your account so you can listen whenever), or start fresh each time.
Adaptive to your environment. Each session adapts to where you are, what you’re doing, and what’s on your mind right now. Whether you’re on a beach at sunset or on the morning commute, your session fits your actual surroundings.
Actually free. You get 2 free 20-minute sessions… per day! Yes, a free tier that’s actually usable!
Structured learning. Want structure? Follow expert-designed courses that guide you through different topics, ensuring accuracy in teachings whilst maintaining personalised delivery.
Learns from your feedback. Provide feedback at the end of each session which will be taken into account for the next!
Native apps. Android and IOS apps with offline listening!
Go deeper with hypnosis. We also create personalised hypnosis sessions for any situation: building a new habit, deepening sleep, or that upcoming presentation. Through vivid imagination, you practise experiencing these moments with the feelings you want, training your subconscious to respond that way when it happens for real.
MeditationAI
This seems once again to be a one page site with a textbox input. I created an account and tried to make a session, but after loading for a few sessions the page reset and nothing happened.
I tried again but got the same result. On my third try I was told I had used up all my tokens?
It seems like this is another demo that has been neglected and left to rot! What a shame for such a good domain name!
Anyway, I think that’s enough for today!
Conclusion
So there we are. A review of the top options for AI meditation. Honestly this was a rather depressing exercise!
On the one hand I’m happy to see that InTheMoment has no competitors. On the other it’s a shame that such a useful technology isn’t being properly implemented by people in anything more than demos.
If I missed any off this list that you use, or if you’ve developed your own solution, get in contact with me and I’ll add yours to the reviews! But I’ll warn you, I’m going to be honest!