Meditation app subscriptions can cost £50-100+ per year. If you’re just getting started—or you’re on a budget—that’s a lot to commit to something you’re not sure will work for you.
The good news: several apps offer genuinely useful free tiers. The not-so-good news: some “free” apps are so limited they’re basically demos.
Here’s an honest breakdown of what you actually get for free in 2025.
The Genuinely Free Options
Insight Timer — Best Free Library
Insight Timer has built the largest free meditation library in the world—over 200,000 guided meditations from 17,000+ teachers.
What’s free:
- Unlimited access to the full meditation library
- Timer for unguided practice
- Community features
- Tracks and music
What’s paid (Insight Timer Premium ~£60/year):
- Courses with sequential lessons
- Offline downloads
- Advanced stats and streaks
The verdict: If you want variety and don’t mind browsing, this is the most generous free tier available. The downside is quality varies wildly—some teachers are excellent, others less so.
Medito — Completely Free (Non-profit)
Medito is a non-profit app, which means everything is free. No premium tier, no ads, no upsells.
What’s free:
- 100+ guided meditations
- Sleep content
- Courses for beginners
- Breathing exercises
What’s paid:
- Nothing. It’s all free.
The verdict: A solid option if you want a completely free experience. The library is smaller than Insight Timer, but the quality is more consistent.
UCLA Mindful — Research-backed and Free
Created by UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, this app is completely free and designed to teach mindfulness based on research.
What’s free:
- Basic guided meditations
- Wellness meditations
- Videos explaining mindfulness
- English and Spanish content
What’s paid:
- Nothing. It’s free.
The verdict: Great for beginners who want an evidence-based approach. The library is small but each meditation is designed by researchers.
Smiling Mind — Free for All Ages
An Australian non-profit app with over 300 free meditations designed for different age groups, including children.
What’s free:
- 300+ meditations
- Programs for kids, teens, and adults
- Workplace and education content
What’s paid:
- Nothing. Entirely free.
The verdict: Excellent for families or educators. The content is high quality and designed for Australian wellbeing programs.
The “Limited Free Tier” Apps
These apps have free versions, but they’re quite restricted.
Headspace — Very Limited Free
Headspace is one of the most polished apps available, but the free tier is essentially a sampler.
What’s free:
- A few beginner meditations
- Some sleep content
- Basic breathing exercises
What’s paid (~£9.99/month or £50/year):
- Full library of 1000+ meditations
- All sleep stories and content
- Structured courses
- Ebb AI companion
The verdict: You’ll hit the paywall quickly. The free content is more of a trial than a usable free tier.
Calm — Limited Selection
Calm offers some free content, but most of their signature features—especially sleep stories—require a subscription.
What’s free:
- Daily Calm (new meditation each day)
- A small selection of meditations
- Some scenes and sounds
What’s paid (~£40-70/year):
- Celebrity sleep stories
- Full meditation library
- Music and soundscapes
- Masterclasses
The verdict: The Daily Calm is genuinely useful, but if you want variety or sleep stories, you’ll need to subscribe.
InTheMoment — Generous Free Tier
Disclosure: This is our app, so I’ll be upfront about what we offer.
InTheMoment takes a different approach—instead of locking content behind a paywall, we give free users full access to AI-generated sessions.
What’s free:
- 2 AI-generated sessions per day (meditation or hypnosis)
- Sessions up to 20 minutes
- Sleep stories with all-night loop
- All voice options and ambient music
- Sessions saved for 90 days
What’s paid (£4.99/month):
- 5 sessions per day
- Sessions up to 45 minutes
- Unlimited session storage
- Priority AI generation
The verdict: If you want personalised AI-generated content, the free tier is genuinely usable—not a demo. The limitation is sessions per day, not features.
What to Consider
1. Do You Want Variety or Personalisation?
For variety: Insight Timer has the most content by far. You can browse thousands of meditations from different teachers.
For personalisation: InTheMoment generates sessions specifically for your situation. Fewer options to browse, but each session is made for you.
2. Are You Just Starting?
If you’re new to meditation, structured beginner courses help more than random content. Medito and UCLA Mindful are good free options. Otherwise, Headspace’s paid tier has excellent beginner courses.
3. Do You Need Offline Access?
Most free tiers don’t include offline downloads. If you meditate on the tube or during flights, check whether the app supports offline playback—often that’s a premium feature.
4. Are You Avoiding Spirituality?
Some apps lean into spiritual language and concepts. If you prefer a secular, evidence-based approach, UCLA Mindful, Medito, and Waking Up (which offers free access for those who can’t afford it) are good choices.
The Honest Summary
| App | Free Content | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Insight Timer | Huge library | Browsing variety |
| Medito | Everything free | Non-profit, no upsells |
| UCLA Mindful | Research-based | Evidence-based beginners |
| Smiling Mind | Family-friendly | Kids and educators |
| Headspace | Very limited | Trying before subscribing |
| Calm | Limited | Daily Calm only |
| InTheMoment | 2 AI sessions/day | Personalised content |
Looking for personalised meditation without the subscription? Try InTheMoment free—2 sessions per day, no credit card required.
Last updated: November 2025