Headspace VS Insight Timer

Compare Headspace VS Insight Timer and see what are their differences

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Headspace

Meditation made simple. Brilliant things happen in calm minds.

Insight Timer

Support your meditation practice through a massive community powered app.

Landing page //
2023-10-02

Landing page //
2023-09-28

Headspace

Website: headspace.com
Release Date: 2010 January
Startup details
Country: United States
State: California
City: Santa Monica
Founder(s): Andy Puddicombe
Employees: 250 - 499

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Insight Timer

Website: insighttimer.com
Release Date: -

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Headspace features and specs

User-Friendly Interface
Headspace offers a clean, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for beginners and experienced users alike.
Wide Range of Programs
Includes various meditation courses, from stress management and sleep improvement to focused meditation sessions, catering to diverse needs.
High-Quality Content
Provides professionally produced audio and video sessions, led by experienced meditation teachers, ensuring high quality and effective guidance.
Regular Updates
New content is frequently added, keeping the app fresh and engaging for users over long periods.
Guided Meditations
Offers a variety of guided meditations that help users stay on track and develop their practice step-by-step.
Offline Access
Allows users to download sessions to use offline, providing flexibility for those without constant internet access.

Possible disadvantages of Headspace

Cost
Subscription-based service which might be expensive for some users, despite offering a free trial period.
Limited Free Content
The free version of Headspace has very limited content, requiring a subscription to access the full library.
Repetitiveness
Some users may find the content repetitive after extended use, possibly leading to diminished engagement.
Requires Commitment
Meditation, to be effective, requires regular practice which might be a commitment that some users find difficult to maintain.
Generic Approach
Some advanced users may find the guidance too generic and not tailored enough to specific meditation traditions or advanced practices.

Insight Timer features and specs

Diverse Meditation Library
Insight Timer offers a vast array of meditations, music tracks, and talks from various teachers and traditions. This diversity gives users a wide range of choices to find what resonates best with them.
User Community
The app features a robust community aspect, allowing users to join groups, participate in discussions, and even see how many people are meditating in real time. This can foster a sense of belonging and mutual support.
Customizable Timer
Insight Timer provides a highly customizable meditation timer that includes background sound options, interval bells, and ambient audio. This can enhance the meditation experience according to individual preferences.
Free Content
A significant amount of content on Insight Timer is available for free, making meditation accessible to a broader audience without a financial commitment.
Expert Teachers
The app features a wide array of expert teachers who offer high-quality, professional guidance on various aspects of meditation and mindfulness.
Regular Updates
The platform is regularly updated with new meditations, music tracks, and courses, ensuring that users have access to fresh and current content.

Possible disadvantages of Insight Timer

Premium Subscription Cost
While much of the content is free, some advanced features and courses require a premium subscription, which may be a drawback for users unwilling or unable to pay.
Interface Complexity
For new users, the app's wide array of features and content can be somewhat overwhelming and may require time to navigate effectively.
Inconsistent Content Quality
Given the wide range of teachers and user-generated content, the quality of the meditations and talks can be inconsistent, which may lead to a less reliable user experience.
Mobile App Only
While highly functional on mobile devices, the lack of a fully-featured desktop version can be a limitation for users who prefer meditating or accessing content on a larger screen.
Notification Overload
Some users might find the frequency of notifications and community alerts disruptive or overwhelming, detracting from a more peaceful and focused meditation experience.
Technical Issues
Some users report occasional technical glitches such as app crashes, slow loading times, or issues with playback, which can interrupt the meditation experience.

Headspace videos

+ Add

Headspace Review: What I Really Think of the App

Insight Timer videos

+ Add

Best Meditation App: Insight Timer Review (goodbye, stress!)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Headspace and Insight Timer)

Insight Timer

Health And Fitness

85 85%

Health And Fitness

15% 15

Meditation

82 82%

Meditation

18% 18

Sleep

79 79%

Sleep

21% 21

iPhone

100 100%

iPhone

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Headspace and Insight Timer. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Headspace and Insight Timer

We tried Headspace for a month and were overwhelmingly impressed with its offerings. We could choose exercises from four different categories—Meditation, Sleep, Stress, and Mindfulness—and with the hundreds available, we never ran out of options. We liked that as soon as we signed up, we could fill out symptom trackers for our stress and anxiety, and the app followed up a...

Source: www.verywellmind.com

10 Best Headspace Alternatives

Unlike Headspace, most of Insight Timer’s content is free, meaning you don’t need a premium subscription to start meditating. Additionally, Headspace is geared toward beginner meditators, with a 30-minute limit on most sessions. Insight Timer is ideal for practitioners of all levels, from beginner to advanced. Meditation practices range from five-minute introductory sessions...

Source: insighttimer.com

Eight Meditation Apps That Are Cheaper (and Better) Than Headspace and Calm

Waking Up takes the elements of Buddhism, Stoicism, and mindfulness meditation to create a 28-day long course. All you have to do is spend 10 or so minutes on the practice every day. The $99/year membership is not cheaper than Headspace, but if you’re trying to explore the mindfulness meditation space, you can try out the 28-day beginner’s course—you can use the program for...

Source: lifehacker.com

The 20 Best Health and Fitness Apps of 2023

Headspace is another leading meditation and mindfulness app. It focuses on helping individuals reduce stress, improve focus, and cultivate a sense of calm through guided meditation sessions.

Source: www.geeksmint.com

12 best mindfulness apps to help you keep calm during a crisis

Headspace was one of the first meditation apps and remains one of the best-known on the market. Following its launch in 2010, it has accrued more than 65 million members across 190 countries – and it’s not hard to see why. The app is a great choice if you want to learn the essentials of meditation and mindfulness, with hundreds of guided meditations on subjects including...

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Insight Timer Reviews

The 7 Best Meditation Apps of 2024

Insight Timer offers more than 150,000 free meditations—that’s a big deal, since one of the biggest complaints about other meditation apps is their lack of free content. When we tried Insight Timer, the sheer number of free options blew us away. The library allowed us to filter by need (e.g., stress, sleep, self-esteem); time, from five to 30 or more minutes; and specific...

Source: www.verywellmind.com

10 Best Headspace Alternatives

If you’re on the hunt for a free alternative to Headspace, Insight Timer checks pretty much every box. In fact, Insight Timer users spend more time on the app than any of the other meditation apps combined — meaning you’re most likely to develop a simple daily meditation habit with Insight Timer.

Source: insighttimer.com

Eight Meditation Apps That Are Cheaper (and Better) Than Headspace and Calm

Insight Timer is a community-based mindfulness meditation app and website. In an app like Headspace, you essentially have access to one or two meditation teachers. On Insight Timer, there are thousands of meditation teachers to choose from. You can even enroll in communities that practice mindfulness and meditation together.

Source: lifehacker.com

12 best mindfulness apps to help you keep calm during a crisis

Insight Timer is more of a social network for meditators. As well as a world map showing you how many people are meditating at any one time, it allows you to see who is nearby and to invite friends to join in with you. There are also community groups where you are encouraged to join meet-ups throughout the UK, or discuss anything from poetry to Hinduism.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The Best Meditation Apps of 2020

More meditation is practiced on Insight Timer than anywhere else, and the app has 10 or more free guided meditations added every day. Browse thousands of meditations to begin building a simple daily habit, jump into discussion groups and community features, and use the music tracks and ambient sounds to calm your mind and promote sleep.

Source: www.healthline.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Insight Timer should be more popular than Headspace. It has been mentiond 61 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Headspace mentions (17)

How is the McNair unit?
This is a list of resources that provide mental health education, as well as strategies and tools to manage mental health. • Anxiety BC: http://anxietybc.ca • BIPOC Mental Health: https://www.ubcpactra.ca/bipoc-and-lgbtq-mental-health- Supports/ • Centre for Clinical Interventions: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking- After-Yourself • First Nations Mental Health:... Source: over 1 year ago
Transference of awareness from the periphery to the centre
Meditating on headspace.com offers real acceleration, easy techniques,. Source: over 1 year ago
Smiling through the financial problems in this unbearable capitalist world ✨
Check out the headspace.com app I found it real helpful to make my mind a kinder place. Source: almost 2 years ago
I naturally LD every night. AMA
I think practicing mantra work and meditation and mindful exercise -- will help you touch this experience with ease in waking and in dreams. I enjoyed the headspace.com app. The advanced courses are great. Also learning and studying a religion. Source: almost 2 years ago
Something I've thought about
i'm here for you, meditation helps the mind, don't let your thoughts boss you around, you are the awareness behind them, check out headspace.com helped me with my thoughts, take care! Source: almost 2 years ago

Insight Timer mentions (61)

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night brain going full speed ramble about nothingness, then get irritated because you can't go back to sleep!???
I use Insight-Timer. It's a great app. The Yoga Nidra helps me focus my mind on the " right here, right now" by focusing my attention on my breath and physical sensations I feel in different parts of my body. I usually fall asleep before the end of the meditation (about 10-15 minutes) and sometimes my wife tells me I'm out in less than 2 minutes. Https://insighttimer.com or check the app store. Source: over 1 year ago
Any suggestion?
Insight Timer is free and has literally thousands of meditations, music, sounds, etc. It's fun to poke around and find a style/person that's helpful. I found that I like guided meditations with background music so I can turn off the rest of my brain. When you feel a migraine come on or even have a worry about one happening you can pop on a track and get yourself out of that negative feedback loop. Wishing you... Source: over 1 year ago
How is the McNair unit?
This is a list of resources that provide mental health education, as well as strategies and tools to manage mental health. • Anxiety BC: http://anxietybc.ca • BIPOC Mental Health: https://www.ubcpactra.ca/bipoc-and-lgbtq-mental-health- Supports/ • Centre for Clinical Interventions: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking- After-Yourself • First Nations Mental Health:... Source: over 1 year ago
i never accepted or dealt with it, and now i’m having an identity crisis.
What can you do for yourself tonight to make today more manageable? Can you manage a small snack, a glass of water, a cup of tea? What helps you feel more in control of the space you're in in your apartment? Would it feel safer to block your door with something heavy? What feels comforting right now? Do you have a favorite blanket to wrap yourself in, a favorite stuffed animal, or even a comfort movie or show? How... Source: over 1 year ago
I don't know if anyone here has experience with this, but how do you get into a deep trance for shapeshifting? I have no fire, no music, no drums, no furs, and really nothing at all that might help (I read that it helps)
I’d recommend checking out Insight Timer and looking for tracks that say things like “shamanic drumming” or “Theta waves.” Explore different types of music as you do all kinds of different journeys to practice your skills. You’re not going to achieve deep trance until you’ve put in a lot of work…so start the work with what you have where you are! Source: over 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Headspace and Insight Timer, you can also consider the following products

Calm - Calm.com can help you reduce stress and increase calm.

Simple Habit - Our mission is to empower humans to stress less, achieve more, and live better. Meditate today!

Synctuition Meditation Program - Synctuition Meditation Program is a world’s most leading meditation app that comes with brand new 3D sounds that enhance the quality of sleep significantly.

Medito - 100% Free Meditation App that will improve your Mental wellbeing with the help of Guided Meditations, Breathing Exercises, Mindfulness Practices, Relaxing Sounds, and more.

Pacifica - Stress and anxiety relief through beautiful CBT tools

Smiling Mind - Promotes mindfulness and meditation for young people

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