Calm vs Headspace: which one should you pick?
Two mindfulness & meditation tools, side by side. We compare pricing, features, ratings, and target users so you don't have to read two separate reviews.
Calm
Mindfulness & Meditation
Meditation, sleep stories, and music for stress relief.
Headspace
Mindfulness & Meditation
Meditation, sleep, and mindfulness for stress and focus.
Quick verdict: Headspace wins for users wanting our editor's pick
Headspace carries our Recommended badge.
Calm
Headspace
Pricing
Freemium
Pricing
Freemium
Category
Mindfulness & Meditation
Category
Mindfulness & Meditation
Platform
ios, android, web
Platform
ios, android
Best for
Meditation, sleep stories, and music for stress relief.
Best for
Meditation, sleep, and mindfulness for stress and focus.
Calm features
- Daily Calm: 10-minute daily meditation on fresh themes
- Guided meditation sessionsBoth
- Guided meditations for stress relief
- 100+ Sleep Stories narrated by celebrity voices
- Breathing exercises for relaxation
- Sleep stories for better rest
- Guided breathing exercises and sleep meditations
- Relaxing music tracks
- Breathing exercises for calm
- Nature soundscapes and exclusive sleep music
- Personalized content recommendations
- Relaxing music for focus
- Mood check-ins, gratitude journal, streaks tracking
- Offline access to content
- Daily mindfulness reminders
- Daily calm reminders
- Progress trackingBoth
Headspace features
- Guided meditation courses
- Sleep music and white noise
- Guided meditation sessionsBoth
- Sleep Stories and soundscapes
- Sleep content and stories
- Mindfulness exercises for daily life
- Move Mode
- Mental health coaching sessions
- Mindfulness exercises
- Focus music
- Stress reduction techniques
- Personalized content with Ebb AI
- SOS sessions
- Workplace mental health programs
- Focus enhancement tools
- Group meditation
- Online therapy services
- Personalized practice recommendations
- Progress trackingBoth
Use cases side by side
Calm
- •Reduce daily stress
- •Practice mindfulness
- •Improve sleep quality
- •Follow guided breathing
- •Build meditation habit
- •Practice mindful breathing
- •Relax with music
Headspace
- •A complete beginner downloads Headspace and starts the "Basics" course, co mpleting one 10-minute guided meditation per day. Over two weeks, they learn foundational breathing and body-scan techniques and notice reduced morning anxiety.
- •Reduce daily stress
- •Enhance focus and attention
- •A user with chronic insomnia selects a 45-minute Sleep Story narrated by a calming voice, follows a 5-minute wind-down breathing exercise, and falls asleep naturally as part of a healthier bedtime routine.
- •Improve sleep quality
- •Build meditation habit
- •An office worker feeling overwhelmed before a presentation steps into a qu iet room, opens an SOS session, and completes a 3-minute "SOS Calm" meditation. Their heart rate slows and they return to the meeting with clearer focus.
- •Manage anxiety
- •Practice mindfulness
- •Support workplace mental health
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