Calm vs Headspace in 2026: Prices, Sleep, Anxiety and Who Each Suits

Calm and Headspace have shaped what most people picture when they hear "meditation app". Both are polished, both cost about the same for a year, and both have millions of ratings. They are not the same app, though. Calm leans towards sleep and atmosphere; Headspace leans towards teaching. Choosing well comes down to the problem you want to solve at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday.

Below we compare them on the things that matter in daily use, using only what each company states on its official App Store listing and help centre (checked 31 October 2026). At the end we introduce a third option, CalmDepth, for people who want both halves plus a friend to talk to.

The short answer

Prices side by side

All figures from the US App Store in app purchase lists on 31 October 2026. When a listing shows two prices for the same plan, that usually reflects regional, promotional or older tiers; the price on the paywall you see is the one that counts. Headspace's help centre also lists a separate mental health coaching subscription at $99.99 a month.

What it means: for a year, the two are effectively the same price. Headspace is the cheaper monthly option.

Sleep: Calm's home ground

Calm's listing highlights "100+ exclusive Sleep Stories", read by well known voices such as Matthew McConaughey, Stephen Fry and Bob Ross, plus sleep sounds, soundscapes and sleep music. Sleep sessions can be saved to Apple Health. If you love the idea of a familiar voice reading you a dreamy story, Calm does this better than anyone.

Headspace's listing names sleepcasts among its sleep tools: long, slowly unfolding audio scenes that many people enjoy because they are deliberately less eventful than a story.

Verdict: Calm for sleep stories, Headspace for sleepcast fans. If what keeps you up is waking at 3 a.m., look for short, low key audio made for the middle of the night (our guide to falling back asleep explains why length matters).

Learning to meditate: Headspace's home ground

Headspace lists "over 500+ guided meditations" and is well known for its teaching style: a clear course structure and a friendly, practical tone. For a complete beginner who wants someone to explain what to do with a wandering mind, it is a fine classroom.

Calm also offers beginner programs, set inside a broader library you browse by mood and topic.

Verdict: Headspace for structure. Our meditation for beginners guide has a free seven day plan that works with any app.

Anxiety and hard days

Both apps offer meditations for stress and anxiety. Headspace goes further into support: its listing mentions Ebb, "your empathetic AI companion", and licensed therapists. Calm focuses on self guided programs, breathing exercises and calming audio.

Research suggests this kind of practice can genuinely help. A 2014 review in JAMA Internal Medicine pooled 47 randomised trials with 3,515 participants and found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programs improve anxiety. That is a meaningful effect, not a cure, and it applies to regular practice in any good app. Our page on meditation for anxiety goes deeper.

Languages, families and the details

A third option: CalmDepth

Many people who compare Calm and Headspace actually want a bit of both: Calm's nights and Headspace's guidance, plus something neither app is built around, a friend who listens when the day was hard. That is exactly why we built CalmDepth.

• Nights, fully covered. 21 Bedtime with Sleepy worlds of about 45 minutes, from a Kyoto back lane in the rain to a sleeper train through the pines; 21 Back to sleep tracks of about 10 minutes for 3 a.m.; 15 Sleep Music pieces; 2,055 sounds you can mix in up to eight layers; and a gentle morning report from Apple Health or Health Connect.
• Guidance without homework. Your CalmDepth day is one calm path: a five minute Daily Lantern with Lumi, a ten minute chapter, Bedtime and Sleep Music. Eight journeys, such as Calm Stress and Anxiety (21 days), add a 10 minute CalmTalk, a reflection question and Calmy to talk it through.
• Calmy, a friend who listens. Calmy is the AI friend in CalmDepth. Calmy remembers only what you choose, brings in Breezy for a breath or Melo for a sound mix, and keeps local support lines one tap away, free, always.
• For the whole family. Sprout's Garden has 18 bedtime stories in two lengths for ages three to nine, and one family plan covers six people.
• Six app languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. Guided sessions are voiced in English first.

CalmDepth costs $69.99 a year after a 7 day free trial (US launch price), the same as Headspace's annual plan and Calm's lower annual tier. It is arriving soon on iPhone and Android; you can join the waitlist on our home page. For the wider field, see our comparison of the best meditation and sleep apps.

How to decide

1. Write down the one moment you most want help with: falling asleep, the 3 a.m. wake up, a racing mind before work, or learning the basics.
2. Try the free trial of the app that fits that moment and use it at that moment, not at a random time of day.
3. After a week, ask one question: did I look forward to opening it?

Five people, five picks

These are illustrative profiles to help you see yourself, not testimonials.

Before you start a trial

• Set a reminder two days before the trial ends.
• Check which plan the trial converts to. On Headspace, the help centre explains a 14 day trial leads to the annual plan and a 7 day trial to the monthly one.
• Use it at your real problem time. A sleep app tested at lunchtime tells you little.
• Try the free options too. Our guide to free meditation apps shows what you get without paying.
• Sleep stories or sleepcasts? If you are unsure which suits you, read sleep stories for adults first.

FAQ

Is Calm or Headspace better for sleep?

Calm has the edge on sleep stories, with more than 100 exclusive stories and famous narrators. Headspace's sleepcasts suit people who prefer slow, low plot audio. CalmDepth covers both bedtime and the middle of the night, with Bedtime with Sleepy and Back to sleep.

Is Calm or Headspace better for anxiety?

Both have anxiety content. Headspace also offers Ebb, an AI companion, and therapy as a separate service. Research on mindfulness programs shows moderate benefits for anxiety with regular practice, whichever app you use.

Which is cheaper, Calm or Headspace?

Headspace lists $12.99 a month and $69.99 a year. Calm lists $14.99 and $16.99 monthly tiers and $69.99 and $79.99 annual tiers (US App Store, 31 October 2026).

Can I use Calm or Headspace in other languages?

Calm's App Store listing shows English and nine more languages. Headspace's listing shows English; check its help centre for other language options.

Is there an app that combines Calm style sleep content with Headspace style guidance?

That is the gap CalmDepth was built for: sleep content, a guided daily path, journeys and Calmy, the AI friend, in one app.

Sources

1. Calm on the US App Store
2. Headspace on the US App Store
3. Headspace Help Center: How do I purchase a subscription
4. Headspace Help Center: mental health coaching price
5. Goyal M et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being. JAMA Intern Med 2014