If you're looking to meditate or improve your well-being, you may have come across Calm. The app has many positive features, such as a library of guided meditations, breathing exercises to help manage stress, sleep stories, and even calming music. But there are also several problems with Calm that may mean you've come away disappointed and start searching for an alternative calming app.
Fortunately, there are similar apps that provide various techniques to help you relax, de-stress and improve your well-being. Many of these apps cover identical ground, while others offer something different or are more focused on a single area of well-being.
For example, the Pzizz app focuses on getting you to sleep quickly and effectively while making sure you wake up feeling energized. We use psychoacoustic principles backed by science to create unique soundscapes that are proven to help you relax and fall asleep. Pzizz is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play for a free trial.
Calm is an app that helps you manage stress, anxiety, and sleep. It includes guided meditations, breathing programs, stretching exercises, and sleep stories with calming music and visuals. The app focuses on de-stressing, relaxing, and taking care of your mental health. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular relaxation apps for iPhone and Android users.
With the app's helpful tracking tools, you can keep track of your progress and create personalized plans tailored to your needs — whether that is a quick relief in moments of stress or long-term strategies for managing daily life without feeling overwhelmed.
Some of the main features of Calm include the following:
One of the main issues with Calm is that many people may find the cost of subscription plans just too much. This can be an issue for those looking to get the most out of the app, as many of its more advanced features are only available if you pay a premium. This creates a two-tier system that some meditation practitioners disagree with, as it restricts access to those who cannot afford the cost.
Another problem is that while it offers a range of features and tools, they may not be suitable for everyone. Meditation and mindfulness practices can vary greatly depending on individual needs. While Calm offers a range of options, it may not be able to cater to all. Along a similar theme, many find a lack of customization options with Calm. This can be limiting for those looking to get the most out of their practice as they may not be able to tailor their experience to suit them precisely.
Alongside a lack of flexibility, Calm may also lack focus. In attempting to cover so many bases, Calm doesn't stand out in any single one. For example, if you're trying to get better sleep or focus, you'd be better served using Pzizz. Similarly, if you're looking to develop your meditation practice, a variety of more comprehensive apps are available.
Unlike Calm, Pzizz exclusively focuses on ways to help you relax, unwind and get a good night's sleep. Our app utilizes sound effects, narration, and soothing music to create an environment of calming relaxation for users. Pzizz has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, improve sleeping patterns, and help you get the most out of your day.
With its customizable settings and variety of calming Dreamscapes, Pzizz is the perfect tool for anyone looking to reduce stress and relax in their home. Whether you're looking for a way to unwind after a long workday or drift off into a peaceful sleep, Pzizz can help you reach your goals.
Pzizz offers three different modules to help its users relax and focus:
No matter what type of relaxation or focus boost you're looking for, Pzizz sure has something to help you. Download a free trial today and start finding your way to a more peaceful, relaxed life. Pzizz is available via the App Store and on Google Play.
Mesmerize is an innovative meditation app designed to help you achieve the benefits of consistent meditation. Compared to popular apps like Calm or Headspace, Mesmerize stands out due to its extensive collection of soothing music tracks and visuals.
These entrancing visuals greatly help reduce stress and anxiety while improving overall well-being. Mesmerize is the perfect app for anyone seeking greater relaxation and inner peace. Available for download on the App Store and Google Play.
Headspace works as an alternative to Calm for those looking for a more comprehensive approach to meditation and mindfulness. With its guided meditations, personalized programs, and trackers, Headspace is designed to help you build the best practices into your life to achieve optimal well-being.
The app provides users with hundreds of exercises tailored to whatever they may be going through at the time. From managing stress and improving relationships to helping you break bad habits and live a healthier lifestyle, Headspace is designed to give users the best tools for reaching their goals. It also offers custom meditations for different moments throughout your day, such as when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
Buddhify was created to help people feel calm and relaxed no matter where they are or their current state of mind. The app is designed to be used anywhere, anytime, and requires no prior experience. There are meditations for any situation, from traveling to eating or even when you're online.
Users can choose their meditation length depending on their needs, with sessions ranging from 3-40 minutes. Buddhify also offers a solo timer feature for more experienced meditators who want guided peace while practicing mindfulness. A bonus to the app is that it features content designed for kids so the entire family can benefit from Buddhify's calming effects.
Relax Melodies allow users to easily create personalized sound mixes for improved sleep. Featuring a diverse selection of calming sounds and melodies, these can be combined and adjusted in volume to suit the user’s needs.
The app offers a variety of sounds and melodies to create a unique atmosphere. Relax Melodies has something for everyone, from natural sounds like rain, thunder, waves, and birdsong to synthetic mixes like ambient pads and beats. You can also choose from four different brainwave frequencies to help you reach other states of sleep. Plus, the app features “Community Melodies” driven by the best mixes shared in the community.
Insight Timer offers guided meditations and talks led by world-renowned experts. It also provides hundreds of music tracks from artists all around the globe. With Insight Timer, users can learn to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, sleep more deeply, and boost happiness with just a few taps.
This app helps users quickly and easily access thousands of guided meditations filtered by topics such as stress, anxiety, sleep, and relationships. With the app's flexible timer, users can select meditations from two minutes up to an hour, depending on their available time. Users can also find and follow their favorite teachers like Tara Branch, Mark Williams, and Jack Kornfield. Finally, they can listen to music tracks for relaxation or background noise when studying or working.
Nature Sounds offers dozens of soothing sounds divided into collections like rain, river, forest, bird, wave, insect, and animal sounds. Each of these sounds is accompanied by a relaxing wallpaper, and the user has the option to change timers and alarms, allowing you to perfectly align the duration of the sound with your sleep or nap.
Alongside the sounds of nature, Nature Sounds also includes white noise generators and the ability to use the sounds as your ringtones, letting you bring a little extra relaxation into your day. With these soundscapes, users can achieve a peaceful calm that can help with relaxation and sleep.
The Meditation App provides users with over 400 guided meditations and courses from experts worldwide to help them feel more relaxed, mindful, and balanced. The app also includes sleep stories to help users drift off into a peaceful slumber. There are reminders, daily notifications, personalized user statistics, and Apple Watch integration so users can stay up-to-date while on the go.
With options ranging from three to ninety-nine minutes, you can choose between silent or guided meditations, bell sounds, a guided introduction, and different background soundtracks like forest, rain, or waves. Best of all, the app allows users to save their favorite sessions for easy access later. This makes The Meditation App a good choice for those who want to customize their individualized meditation practice.
Sleep Cycle offers similar features to Calm, such as sleep tracking, relaxation music, and guided meditation. The app also tracks your sleep cycles and helps you wake up feeling rested, with the aim of helping users get better quality sleep night after night.
With its simple yet powerful design, Sleep Cycle allows you to monitor your sleeping patterns, track any changes, and adjust your bedtime accordingly. Not only can this help you fall asleep faster and more efficiently, but it can also help improve the quality of your rest overall. Additionally, Sleep Cycle includes several helpful features, such as playlists explicitly tailored to lull you into a restful sleep and ambient sounds to help you relax.
Journey LIVE is the last alternative to Calm on our list. It offers interactive classes on topics such as reducing anxiety, finding balance, managing stress, skillful communication, mindful leadership, and empathy.
With Journey LIVE, you can participate in live group classes run by expert teachers or access on-demand classes whenever you need them. Whether looking for a way to manage stress better or increase your overall well-being, Journey is a decent alternative to Calm.
There are many alternative apps to Calm that can help with relaxation, meditation, and mental well-being. There is an app to cover almost anything you can think of, but the one app which is scientifically proven and works to lull you into a deep all-night sleep is Pzizz.
If you’re looking for relaxing soundscapes and an alternative to Calm, give us a try! Pzizz is available via the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Whether you find value in Calm depends on your own needs and preferences. If you're looking for an app that can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve mindfulness, Calm may be worth the money. However, some experts think it is a jack of all trades and master of none, with other apps offering more value when focused on a particular issue.
Some apps, like our own Pzizz, are backed by scientific principles and have ongoing research poured into their development. This is not true for all apps, so it's essential to research before investing in one.
With Calm more focused on meditation and mindfulness, you will want to turn to a dedicated sleep aid. The Pzizz app is ideal for this and includes calming Dreamscapes to aid with getting to sleep. Pzizz uses psychoacoustic principles to create unique soundtracks for each sleep session.