Best Headspace alternatives for iPhone in 2026
Headspace costs $12.99 a month or $69.99 a year on the US App Store (3 November 2026), with Headspace Plus at $94.99. It offers 500+ guided meditations, sleep content and, for more support, therapists, coaches and an AI companion, and it is in English only.
To pay nothing, the Healthy Minds Program and Smiling Mind list no in-app purchases at all. Balance builds a guided meditation for you each day. Drop is simpler: breathing sessions from 2 to 20 minutes with nature sounds, a one-time purchase, and 33 languages. Waking Up and Open cost more than Headspace and go deeper into meditation theory and breathwork. For the Calm side of the question, reviewland compares Calm alternatives.
At a glance
| App | Price (US) | What it offers, per its listing | Languages | App Store privacy label | Version (date) | Rating (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Minds Program by Humin | No purchases listed | Meditations and lessons | 1 | Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You | 9.0.0 (28 Oct 2026) | 4.9 (9,244 ratings) |
| Smiling Mind: Mental Wellbeing | No purchases listed | Meditations and lessons, adults and children | 1 | Data Linked to You | 8.0.3 (28 Oct 2026) | 4.8 (4,950 ratings) |
| Balance: Meditation & Sleep | Yearly $39.99 to $69.99; $11.99 listed | Personalized guided meditations | 1 | Data Used to Track You; Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You | 1.213.0 (22 Oct 2026) | 4.9 (120,758 ratings) |
| Sleep Sounds & Focus: Drop | Pro $4.99 a month; lifetime $24.99 or $49.99 (offer $9.99) | Breathing sessions and nature sounds | 33 | Data Not Linked to You | 2.14 (30 Oct 2026) | 4.4 (12 ratings) |
| Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom | Monthly $19.99; yearly $149.99 to $199.99; family $229.99 | Course, daily meditations, theory | 1 | Data Linked to You | 3.28.0 (27 Oct 2026) | 4.9 (42,734 ratings) |
| Open: Breathwork + Meditation | Monthly $19.99; yearly $149.99 | Breathwork, meditation, movement | 1 | Data Linked to You | 26.44 (2 Nov 2026) | 4.9 (17,972 ratings) |
Prices are in-app purchases listed on each US App Store page on 3 November 2026; pages list only some. All are free to download. Headspace for comparison: $12.99 a month, $69.99 a year. Ratings are that day's App Store average and count.
1. Healthy Minds Program by Humin
Best for: a full meditation program with lessons, for free.
- Meditations and podcast-style lessons on focus, stress and relationships.
- Developed with neuroscientist Richard Davidson and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, per its listing.
- No in-app purchases listed.
Limits: English only, and its privacy label lists Data Linked to You.
2. Smiling Mind: Mental Wellbeing
Best for: families: 700+ free practices, with collections for children aged 5 to 12.
- 700+ lessons, practices and meditations in 50+ collections.
- Children's collections for ages 5 to 12 and adult collections from beginner up.
- No in-app purchases listed.
Limits: English only, and its privacy label lists Data Linked to You.
3. Balance: Meditation & Sleep
Best for: a daily guided meditation built from your answers, closest to Headspace's courses.
- Each day it asks about your goals and assembles a guided meditation from thousands of audio files.
- 10-day plans that teach the basics; short Singles for any moment; sleep meditations and sounds.
- Yearly plans from $39.99 to $69.99 listed.
Limits: English only, and its privacy label includes Data Used to Track You.
4. Sleep Sounds & Focus: Drop
Best for: short breathing breaks and nature sounds, paid once, in your language.
- Breathing sessions of 2, 5, 10 and 20 minutes with a visual guide; a garden grows as you practice.
- Nature sounds: campfire and forest free; rain, dewdrops and ocean with Pro.
- Works offline, no ads, home screen widgets; in 33 languages.
Limits: only 12 US ratings, and it is not a library of voice-guided courses like Headspace's.
5. Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom
Best for: going deeper, with a 28-day course and theory sessions led by Sam Harris.
- A 28-day introductory course and daily meditations with Sam Harris.
- A large library of theory sessions, courses and conversations; a meditation timer; CarPlay.
- Family plan listed at $229.99 a year.
Limits: English only, and it costs more than Headspace ($19.99 a month, $149.99 to $199.99 a year).
6. Open: Breathwork + Meditation
Best for: breathwork classes next to meditation and movement.
- Breathwork, meditation and movement classes designed by experts, per its listing.
- Also teaches in person at its studio in Los Angeles.
- Updated on 2 November 2026.
Limits: English only, a large download (322 MB), and $19.99 a month or $149.99 a year.
Who should use what
- A full free program: Healthy Minds Program.
- Free, with children's collections: Smiling Mind.
- Guided meditations made for you each day: Balance.
- Short breathing breaks, paid once, in 33 languages: Drop.
- Meditation with theory: Waking Up.
- Breathwork: Open.
Use cases
- Leaving a Headspace subscription for a free app.
- A two-minute break between meetings.
- Meditating in a language other than English.
How we checked
On 3 November 2026 we searched the US App Store for «headspace», «meditation», «guided meditation», «breathing exercise» and «mindfulness», and read Headspace's and each app's US App Store page and Apple's lookup data. We left out the apps reviewland already compares as Calm alternatives. We tested nothing.
These are wellbeing apps, not medical treatment.
Prices change often. Check inside each app before paying.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Headspace?
Yes. The Healthy Minds Program and Smiling Mind list no in-app purchases. Drop is free to download, and its listing marks three of its nature sounds as Pro.
Which Headspace alternative has no subscription?
Drop sells a lifetime purchase ($24.99 or $49.99, sometimes offered at $9.99). Healthy Minds and Smiling Mind need no payment at all.
Which is most like Headspace?
Balance, with daily guided meditations and 10-day plans. Waking Up has a 28-day course but costs more.
Are these apps in languages other than English?
Of the six, only Drop is, in 33 languages. The others, like Headspace, list English only on the US App Store.
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Sources
- Headspace (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id493145008 (3 November 2026)
- Healthy Minds Program (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1326310617 (3 November 2026)
- Smiling Mind (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id560442518 (3 November 2026)
- Balance (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1361356590 (3 November 2026)
- Drop (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1462269642 (3 November 2026)
- Waking Up (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1307736395 (3 November 2026)
- Open (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1482725254 (3 November 2026)