Meditation is free. Just sit, breathe, return when you wander. No equipment needed.
And yet meditation apps charge £50-100 per year for premium subscriptions. Millions of people pay.
Is it worth it? Having used both free and paid options extensively, I can offer an informed perspective — including our own approach at InTheMoment.
What free options generally offer
Completely free apps (with ads or limitations)
- Basic timer with optional bells
- Limited library of guided meditations
- Often ads before or after sessions
- Basic tracking (streak counts, minutes logged)
Free tiers of premium apps (Headspace, Calm, etc.)
- Limited selection of introductory content
- Often 5-15 beginner sessions
- Some apps offer one sleep story per night
- Basic functionality with frequent prompts to upgrade
YouTube and podcasts
- Enormous free libraries
- Variable quality (some excellent, some poor)
- No personalisation or progress tracking
- Ad interruptions (unless Premium YouTube)
InTheMoment free tier
- Two AI-generated sessions per day, personalised to your situation
- Sessions up to 20 minutes
- 90-day session retention
- Access to lesson playlists
- Full replay of saved sessions
What paid subscriptions typically offer
Premium app features (£50-120/year):
- Full library access (hundreds to thousands of sessions)
- Specialised content (sleep stories, courses, masterclasses)
- Advanced tracking and insights
- Multiple user profiles
- Offline download
- No interruptions or upgrade prompts
InTheMoment Pro (£4.99/month or £22.49/6 months):
- Five AI-generated sessions per day
- Sessions up to 45 minutes
- Unlimited session storage
- Priority session generation
- Access to all lesson playlists
Honest evaluation: when free is enough
Free options work well if:
You just want a timer. Sitting in silence with a bell at the end requires no subscription. Insight Timer’s free tier is excellent for this.
You’re consistent with one approach. If one YouTube creator or podcast works for you, stick with it. No need to pay.
You’re exploring briefly. Checking whether meditation suits you doesn’t require commitment. Free trials and free tiers suffice.
You prefer self-directed practice. Advanced meditators often need minimal guidance. A timer may be all that’s wanted.
Budget is genuinely tight. Meditation shouldn’t be inaccessible due to cost. Free options are legitimate; don’t feel guilty using them.
Honest evaluation: when paid makes sense
Paid options become worth it when:
You want variety and depth. Premium libraries offer thousands of sessions across topics. If you’d get bored with limited free content, subscription provides exploration.
Specialised content matters. Sleep programs, anxiety courses, relationship content — these are often gated behind subscriptions.
Quality and consistency. Premium apps curate content. You’re less likely to encounter poor-quality sessions.
Tracking motivates you. Detailed progress data, milestone achievements, and insights can support consistency.
Removing friction. No ads, no upgrade prompts, seamless experience. The small friction points matter if they affect whether you practice.
You prefer human guidance. Apps like Headspace and Calm have professional teachers with polished recordings.
The AI meditation difference
InTheMoment works differently from traditional apps.
We don’t have a library of pre-recorded sessions. Each session is generated fresh, based on what you share in a brief pre-session conversation.
Specify what you’re dealing with — “I’m anxious about a work presentation tomorrow” — and the session addresses that specifically. You won’t find that in a library of 40 generic anxiety meditations where none quite matches your situation.
What the free tier offers: Two personalised sessions daily, which covers most people’s needs. Twenty-minute maximum is sufficient for most practices. Ninety-day storage means recent sessions remain accessible.
What Pro adds: More sessions (5/day) for heavy use. Longer sessions (45 min) for extended practice. Unlimited storage for keeping a personal library. Priority generation for faster session creation.
Is Pro worth it? It depends on your use patterns. If two daily sessions and 20 minutes is enough, free works well. If you want more capacity, Pro is fairly priced at under £5/month.
Breaking down the value
Let’s apply basic maths:
Premium meditation app at £80/year: £6.67/month, or about 22p per day.
InTheMoment Pro at £4.99/month: About 16p per day.
Compare to:
- Single coffee: £3-5
- Monthly gym: £30-50
- Therapy session: £50-150
If meditation produces measurable benefit — reduced anxiety, better sleep, improved focus — and you practice regularly, the value proposition is reasonable.
But only if you actually use it. A paid subscription gathering dust is worthless.
My recommendation
Start free. See if meditation works for you at all. No point paying until you know you’ll practice.
Upgrade if friction matters. If you’re practicing regularly and hitting limitations (not enough sessions, not enough variety, ads annoying you), upgrading removes those friction points.
Consider annual vs. monthly. Annual subscriptions are typically cheaper but involve commitment. If you’re unsure you’ll continue, monthly may make more sense initially.
Don’t assume paid = better. The best meditation is the one you do consistently. If free YouTube videos keep you practicing, that’s better than a premium app you ignore.
The counter-intuitive truth
The biggest expense in meditation isn’t money. It’s time.
Ten minutes daily for a year is 60+ hours. The question isn’t whether you can afford £50/year — it’s whether that investment supports consistent use of those 60 hours.
If premium features increase your practice consistency by even 10%, they’re worth it. If they don’t, save your money.
The value isn’t in the app. It’s in the practice the app facilitates. Choose accordingly.
Want to experience AI-generated, personalised meditation? Get started with two free sessions per day — see if the approach works for you before considering Pro.