Best Free Meditation Apps 2026: 6 Options Compared

Most meditation apps are subscriptions with a trial, so the genuinely free ones are worth knowing. Insight Timer offers thousands of free guided meditations with new practices added daily, and charges for a Premium tier at $9.99 a month. Smiling Mind is a not-for-profit app that has stayed free for individuals and families for over twelve years, with programs for different ages. Medito is free forever with no ads or sign-up, and its code is AGPL-3.0, though the meditation content has a custom licence. The Healthy Minds Program app comes from research at the University of Wisconsin Center for Healthy Minds and is listed as free on iOS. UCLA Mindful offers free guided meditations from UCLA Health on iPhone and Android, and the Plum Village app provides free practices from the Plum Village tradition, supported by donations. The trade-off is catalogue size versus focus. Insight Timer has the most variety, which can overwhelm a beginner, whereas the smaller university and nonprofit apps give a short, structured path. None of these is a medical treatment, so speak to a clinician if you are using meditation to manage a health condition. Try one app for two weeks at the same time each day before judging it.

Insight Timer

Thousands of free guided meditations on iOS, Android and the web; Premium is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. The size of the library can overwhelm beginners.

Price: Free (Free: thousands of guided meditations and 100+ new free practices daily (App Store listing)); paid from $9.99 per month, Premium subscription ($59.99/year) (Insight Timer pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: iOS, Android, Web. Proprietary.

Best for: Variety and a huge free library.

Smiling Mind

Not-for-profit app that has been free for individuals and families for over 12 years, with iOS, Android and web access. Fewer celebrity teachers.

Price: Free (Free for individuals and families for over 12 years; run by a not-for-profit) (Smiling Mind pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: iOS, Android, Web. Proprietary.

Best for: Families and school-age children.

Medito

Free forever with no ads or sign-up; app code is AGPL-3.0 and content has a custom licence. A smaller library than commercial apps.

Price: Free (Free forever per the Medito page: no ads, no sign-up, no payment) (Medito pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Android, iOS. AGPL-3.0 (app code); content under a custom licence (open source).

Project activity: 1.3k GitHub stars · latest release v2.0.48 (Jun 21, 2022) · last commit Oct 22, 2026

Best for: Ad-free practice with no account.

Healthy Minds Program

Free on its App Store listing, tied to the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Android availability was not confirmed.

Price: Free (Listed as free on its App Store page) (Healthy Minds Program pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: iOS. Proprietary.

Best for: A structured research-based program.

UCLA Mindful

Free guided meditations from UCLA Health on iPhone and Android. Content is limited compared with large apps.

Price: Free (Page offers 'free guided meditations from UCLA Mindful') (UCLA Mindful pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Short, plain guided sessions.

Plum Village app

Free app with guided meditations and practices from the Plum Village tradition, supported by donations. Centred on one Buddhist teaching style.

Price: Free (Page: 'A free app'; all content provided for free, donation-supported) (Plum Village app pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Mindfulness in Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition.

Which one to pick

• You want to browse lots of teachers: Insight Timer
• You want something for your children: Smiling Mind
• You want no ads and no sign-up: Medito
• You want a structured program: Healthy Minds Program