20 of the Best Meditation Apps and Tools to Help You De-stress

Headspace has one mission – to improve the health and happiness of the world. That is why it is one of the best meditation apps. Try it out and learn the essentials of meditation and mindfulness with their free basics course. Then, with a subscription, you have access to mini sessions for when you are short on time, exercises to add mindfulness to your day, and hundreds of meditations on everything from stress to sleep. It is one of the more structured apps if you like or need coaching and more structured guidance to help you focus.

Calm is one of the best meditation apps for meditation, sleep, and relaxation. It offers guided meditations, breathing programs, stretching exercises, and sleep sounds. Download the app for free and get access to a number of features. A subscription is required for unlimited use of all Calm’s features. It is a great app for both the beginner or seasoned meditator.

Great for both beginners and experienced practitioners, Insight Timer is one of the best meditation apps because it has such a huge library of guided meditations and talks led by the world’s top meditation and mindfulness experts. There are more than 80 new free guided meditations added daily. Learn to meditate on Insight Timer and help calm your mind, reduce anxiety, manage stress, sleep better, and improve your happiness. There are paid options if you like the app and want additional content.

Smiling Mind was developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to your life. It is one of the best meditation apps because there is no paid content and it has a number of structured programs you can work through. Most meditations last between five and fifteen minutes, with some as long as 45 minutes for advanced meditators. It also offers mini-meditation sessions between two and five minutes, for when you need a little bit of mindfulness at a moment in your day.

The Healthy Minds Program app can help you on your path to well-being. It is one of the best meditation apps because its content is backed by four decades of research. The app trains your mind through meditation and podcast-style lessons to develop skills like how to gain focus, reduce stress, and maintain positive social connections. The perk here is that the content is all completely free.

Unplug offers guided meditation videos to help you feel happier, calmer, and sleep better in 10-minute daily sessions. It is one of the best meditation apps because it helps you reach your wellness goals with courses that keep you engaged and motivated. Whatever life challenges you may be facing, you will most likely find a meditation for it in the app’s extensive video library. It keeps meditation simple, modern, and fun, so you will want to meditate.

Simple Habit’s wellness and sleep therapy sessions offer guided mindfulness and meditation, daily motivation, guided sleep sessions, and coaching that is personalized for your life. It is one of the best meditation apps because it can help you feel less stressed, get better sleep, and be your best self, whether you have five minutes in the morning, 20 minutes during your commute, or you need to fall asleep quickly. Start your Simple Habit today and live better every day.

Buddhify is one of the best meditation apps for someone with a busy lifestyle. They know it can be hard to find ten or twenty minutes of quiet time a day to fit in meditation, so buddhify focuses on on-the-go meditation that you can do wherever you are and no matter what you are doing. The app also offers traditional formal meditations for when you have time.

One of the best meditation apps for beginners, Happy Not Perfect has you enter your current mood to give you specific meditation tips to help you center yourself in the moment. Use the daily Happiness Workout, a quick eight-step routine to help you boost your feel-good hormones and relax your nervous system anywhere, any time. If you are having trouble sleeping, try the Sleep Wind-Down before going to bed and release your worries. There are monthly and annual subscription options, so you can give it a try before committing for the long term.

Meditation Studio has guided meditations on topics from happiness to performance, plus meditations custom-made for moms, teens, kids, and others. It is one of the best meditation apps because it offers collections designed to give a specific area of your life some extra love, courses that give step-by-step guidance for a deeper dive into specific topics, as well as the ability to create your own unguided meditations. Build your own personalized library, schedule meditation sessions, and track your progress.

Stress Less Cards are an easy-to-use tool to help you relieve stress and deal with anxiety whenever you need it the most. There are 50 with different exercises and techniques that can be used in any situation – on the bus, at work, in line at the supermarket, or before you go to bed at night. These exercises are designed to stop that stress reaction and help you relax.

The Buddha Board is inspired by the idea of living in the moment. This waterboard painting set uses only water, a paintbrush, and a special drawing board to let you create beautiful works of art that fade away as they dry. This meditation tool helps you achieve mindfulness as you focus on the moment and relax.  

Bonsai is a form of meditation. It is a connection between the tree and you. This Bonsai Growing Kit comes with everything you need to cultivate your own bonsai tree — four varieties of mini bonsai tree seeds, soil disks, burlap grow bags, bamboo plant markers, bonsai shears, a gorgeous wooden box that doubles as a planter, as well as detailed instructions. Spend time with your bonsai trees to connect with nature, destress, and quiet your mind.

A Tibetan Singing Bowl Set is a perfect pairing for the best meditation apps because it helps create the perfect ambiance for emotional calming and healing. They are used worldwide for yoga, meditation, and spiritual healing by energy healers, spirituality practitioners, and people looking to experience a beautiful daily resonance. The sound and vibrations promote a relaxed state perfect for deep meditation, creative thinking, and intuitive messages.

This Miniature Zen Garden is a great meditation tool. It is a little slice of tranquility right on your desk that can help you relax and calm your mind. Express your creativity while increasing your focus and mindfulness. It comes with a zen rake, sand pen, brush, incense holder, miniature plant, miniature fish, sand, and river rocks that all nestle into a nice wooden base.

Aromatherapy’s benefits are well-known as is lavender’s calming effect. Add a Lavender Eye Mask to your meditation game and let the light lavender scent help you relax. It is perfect to use when you are doing breathing exercises and guided meditations. It blocks out the light and limits distractions.

Acupressure releases endorphins that block pain, and helps relax the muscles in your back, neck, and feet. When you pair this Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set with your meditation routine, you will have the most relaxing meditation practice possible.

Create a relaxing atmosphere for your meditation time in any space with the Sky Lite. It projects a field of drifting blue stars against a transforming nebula cloud with easy-to-use controls that let you cycle through light effects, adjust the brightness, or start and stop the rotating motion of the nebula. Get lost in the tranquility of the stars.

The sound of the Zenergy Solo Chime calms and refocuses your mind. It is an effective way to start a meditation or yoga practice. Pair it with one of the best meditation apps to focus your practice. The vibration can help balance your energy so you can enjoy good physical, mental and spiritual health.

If you are too distracted by whether or not you are doing this whole meditation thing right, take out the guesswork and put your worries to rest with the Muse Brain Sensing Headband. It makes meditation easy by giving you real-time feedback on your mind and body to help you recognize calm and stay in the meditation zone. Immersive soundscapes respond in real-time to your brain activity, heart rate, body movements, and breathing to cue you to find your mind-body connection. This feedback guides your wandering mind to a focused and calm state.