Calm vs Headspace (+7 Pros of each)
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In this detailed article, we have compared two highly popular meditation apps, Calm and Headspace. Both Calm and Headspace are meditation apps which offer free resources and even more through subscriptions.
Calm vs Headspace
Calm and Headspace are both great meditation apps which can be used by even beginners to reduce stress levels and anxiety levels. The main features of these meditation apps, along with their prices, their introductory offers, etc. have been mentioned in the table below.
| Feature | Calm | Headspace |
| Cost | $14.99 per month, $69.99 per year, $399.99 for lifetime | $12.99 per month,$69.99 per year |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days minimum |
| Best suited for | People who already know how to meditate | People who are beginners to meditation |
| Types of services offered | Sleep meditations,Guided meditations,Instructional videos on stretching,Visually pleasing videos and scenes | Sleep stories,Music lists for sleep,Inspirational stories,Easy-to-follow exercises |
Calm’s Meditation App
Calm as a meditation app was launched in 2012 as an app to help people meditate and relax through easy guided meditations. In this meditation app, the person can find not only guided meditations but even sleep stories and relaxation exercises.
Advantages of Calm
Calm brings a number of advantages to its users, such as,
Great ease of use
The best thing about using Calm is that the app is very easy to use. The app holds a very simple user-interface and this can make the app easy to use for even those who are new to tech or are not so tech-savvy.
Variety of activities
Calm not only offers activities and exercises for meditation, but many other activities as well. For instance, this meditation app offers sleep stories narrated by celebs and even has a ton of health videos which can help users improve their agility and flexibility.
Multi-day programs
The app can not only be used for exercises for instant relief, but even for those who want to reach a certain goal. This can be accomplished through the great variety of multi-day programs which Calm offers for its users.
Recordings by celebrities
One of the main plus points of Calm is the various sleep stories which have been narrated by well-known celebrities like Idris Elba, LeBron James, Kate Winslet, Tom Hiddleston, Kelly Rowland and others.
Push notifications and reminders
Calm as a meditation app also reminds the user to keep practicing the exercises and activities. This is done through the means of push notifications. These push notifications can also be customized to fit the user’s needs.
Library of music
The Calm meditation app also offers a large library of relaxing music. The music can be found in the sleep stories section of the app which has compositions by Johannes Brahms, Sigu Ros as well as Moby.
Unique user profile
In Calm, the person can also store their unique data in their user profile for more data and information. They can then share their user profile with their friends and others to understand their statistics and data.
Disadvantages of Calm
While Calm offers numerous advantages for its users, there are also a number of disadvantages or cons in this meditation app. Some of the disadvantages of Calm have been shared as follows,
- The main disadvantage of Calm is that it is not a free resource and the user will need to shell out quite a bit of an amount to use all the features here
- Calm is not exactly designed for complete beginners to meditation. And therefore, those who are fully new to this relaxation technique may not like the app as much
- Another disadvantage of the Calm app is that the user cannot search for their preferred meditation by the categories of theme or length
Headspace’s Meditation App
Headspace is an English-America company which was launched in 2010 to help users meditate and relax. This meditation app mostly uses mindfulness as the base to instruct its users in the practice of meditation.
Advantages of Headspace
Headspace offers a number of great advantages and benefits to its users. The main advantages of this meditation app are:
Headspace is great for complete beginners
The best thing about Headspace is that this meditation app can be used by those who don’t know anything about meditation and mindfulness. When compared to other meditation apps, Headspace can be used by novices as well as meditation experts.
It can be used by kids as well
Another fantastic thing about Headspace is that this meditation app can be used by children as well. Apart from adults, there are numerous simple guided meditations and relaxation vides which are specifically created for children.
It has both long and short meditations
Those who have a lot of time on their hands can make use of the lengthy meditations in this app. However, this meditation app can also be useful for those who are too busy and don’t have much time on their hands since it boasts numerous shorter formats.
The user interface is easy to use
The interface of Headspace has also been kept very simple and is easy to navigate. The user can also easily search for their preferred meditation or activity through the search bar or simply navigate across the different categories.
Headspace offers push notifications as well
Similar to other meditation apps, Headspace offers a number of push notifications to remind the user about their activities on the app. These push notifications can also be customized to suit the personal needs of the user.
It can be used through the app or the website
Headspace can be used through the app but can also be explored through the website. Both the versions are similarly great and offer more avenues for the user to enjoy the platform. The user can thus meditate anytime and anywhere through the website.
It highly makes use of gamification
Headspace also makes use of gamification for meditation. The gamification means that the user will be motivated and encouraged to complete the guided meditations through the means of rewards and reinforcements.
Disadvantages of Headspace
Just as it has its share of advantages and strengths, Headspace also has a number of disadvantages which users have experienced. Some of these disadvantages are described below:
- Headspace has been created keeping in mind complete beginners to meditation. And therefore, those who are already experts at meditation may not like this meditation app
- There is a paid version as well as a free version of Headspace. However, the free version of Headspace has very few tools and resources and this can seem like a complete letdown for those who are opting for this version
- This meditation app also offers a free trial to encourage users to get a taste. At the same time, the free trial of Headspace requires the user to enter their credit card information and this may not be liked by all
Winner: Calm vs Headspace
Both Calm and Headspace are indeed fantastic choices for anyone who is trying to make meditation a regular practice in their daily lives. But both of these meditation apps have particularities which can make users pick one above the other.
Calm as a meditation app can be highly useful for anyone who is already experienced at meditation and wants some support to continue their practice. Calm also offers many great sleep stories narrated by celebrities which can be a great part of sleep hygiene.
Headspace is great for anyone who is new to meditation and relaxation. In Headspace, not only adults, but even children will be able to find great relaxation activities. Apart from these, there are plenty of choices when it comes to a variety of guided meditations.
Between Calm and Headspace, the latter offers more economical value and can also be of great help to both novices and experts at meditation. Headspace also wins this battle since it caters very well for beginners to meditation through simple and lively videos.
Conclusion
In this detailed article, we have compared two highly popular meditation apps, Calm and Headspace. Apart from their prices and their main features, we have also discussed their weaknesses and given you a verdict as to which is the better option.
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