Choosing between meditation apps can be overwhelming. Headspace is one of the most recognisable names in the space, and with the recent addition of their AI companion “Ebb,” they’re making a bigger push into personalised meditation.
InTheMoment, on the other hand, was built from the ground up around AI-generated sessions. These are two fundamentally different approaches to the same problem.
Here’s an honest comparison to help you decide which is right for you.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | InTheMoment | Headspace |
|---|---|---|
| AI Approach | Generates unique sessions | Recommends from library |
| Check-in | Conversational (5 turns) | Mood-based chat with Ebb |
| Free Tier | 2 sessions/day (up to 20 min) | Very limited content |
| Premium Price | £4.99/month | ~£9.99/month (UK) |
| Structured Courses | Yes (personalised delivery) | Yes (pre-recorded) |
| Sleep Stories | Yes (all-night loop) | Yes (pre-recorded) |
| Ambient Music | Yes, customisable | Focus music library |
| Hypnosis | Yes | No |
| Native Apps | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Content Library | Generated on-demand | 1000s of pre-recorded |
| Best For | Structured + personalised | Structured courses |
How the AI Works
Headspace’s Ebb
Ebb is a conversational AI companion that launched in October 2024. It uses motivational interviewing techniques to help you reflect on your thoughts and emotions, then recommends content from Headspace’s extensive library of pre-recorded meditations.
What Ebb does well:
- Empathetic conversation to help you process emotions
- Draws from a massive library of polished, professionally produced content
- Zero-retention policy for chat data (privacy-focused)
- Voice Mode added in December 2025 for spoken conversations
- Available in UK, US, Canada, and Australia
Limitations:
- Doesn’t generate new content—it recommends existing sessions
- The meditation you get is still a pre-recorded track
- Requires a subscription to access (included in Headspace Premium)
InTheMoment’s AI
InTheMoment takes a different approach: the AI actually generates your meditation session from scratch based on your conversation.
How it works:
- You have a short conversational check-in (usually about 5 turns)
- The AI creates a session tailored to what you shared
- After listening, you provide feedback that shapes future sessions
What InTheMoment does well:
- Sessions adapt to your specific situation and environment
- Supports different postures (sitting, lying, standing, stretching, walking)
- Sessions are saved to your account for replay
- Also offers AI-generated hypnosis sessions
- Sleep stories with all-night loop mode (never wake up when audio ends)
- Customisable ambient background music that plays continuously
- AI picks from established meditation techniques rather than inventing methods
Limitations:
- Smaller content library (sessions are generated, so less “browse and play”)
- No celebrity voices or branded content
- Newer app with a smaller user base
Pricing Comparison
InTheMoment
- Free: 2 new sessions per day, up to 20 minutes each, saved for 90 days
- Pro: £4.99/month or £22.49 for 6 months (25% savings)
- 5 sessions per day
- Sessions up to 45 minutes
- Unlimited session storage
- Priority generation
Headspace
- Free: Limited selection of content
- Premium: ~£9.99/month or ~£49.99/year in the UK ($13/month or $70/year in the US)
- Full access to library
- Ebb AI companion included
- Sleep content, focus music, courses
Bottom line: InTheMoment is roughly half the price of Headspace Premium, but Headspace offers a much larger library of diverse content.
Content and Features
What Headspace Offers
Headspace has been around since 2010 and has built an enormous content library:
- Thousands of guided meditations
- Sleep stories narrated by celebrities
- Focus music and soundscapes
- Structured courses for beginners
- SOS sessions for acute stress
- Move workouts and mindful exercises
What InTheMoment Offers
InTheMoment launched more recently and focuses on personalisation:
- AI-generated meditation sessions tailored to your moment
- AI-generated hypnosis sessions for habit change, sleep, and confidence
- Structured playlists (like Headspace courses, but each session is personalised)
- Sleep stories with all-night loop mode
- Customisable ambient background music that plays all night
- Feedback system that improves sessions over time
- Native apps for iOS and Android with offline listening
The Best of Both Worlds: Structured Playlists
This is worth highlighting because it directly addresses Headspace’s main strength.
InTheMoment offers structured playlists—progressive courses covering topics like beginner mindfulness, managing anxiety, building focus, and more. Just like Headspace’s courses, each session builds on the previous one.
The difference: While every Headspace user gets the exact same audio for “Basics Session 3,” InTheMoment’s Session 3 teaches the same core lesson but delivers it in a way personalised to you:
- The examples and metaphors adapt to your situation
- The techniques are selected based on what’s worked for you
- The length adjusts to your available time
- The voice matches your preference
- The delivery style fits your learning approach
So you get expert-designed curriculum and personalised delivery. Structure without the one-size-fits-all limitation.
Who Should Choose What?
Choose Headspace if you:
- Want structured courses to learn meditation fundamentals
- Value a large library of diverse content
- Like celebrity-narrated sleep stories
- Prefer professionally produced audio with consistent quality
- Want an established app with years of refinement
Choose InTheMoment if you:
- Want sessions that genuinely adapt to your current situation
- Find pre-recorded meditations feel too generic
- Want to try AI-generated hypnosis
- Prefer a lower subscription cost
- Value flexibility over structure
The Honest Truth
Both apps are good at what they do—they just do different things.
Headspace is like having access to a massive, well-organised library of meditation content with a helpful librarian (Ebb) who learns your preferences. The content is polished and professionally produced.
InTheMoment is like having a meditation teacher who creates a new session for you each time based on what’s actually happening in your life. Less polish, more personal.
If you’ve tried Headspace (or Calm) and found the sessions felt too disconnected from your actual life, InTheMoment might be worth trying. If you value structure, variety, and production quality, Headspace delivers.
The good news: both have free tiers, so you can try them yourself.
Have questions about either app? Get in touch.
Last updated: December 2025