We have all heard that being mindful is good for health. What does being mindful mean exactly? It means to be self-aware of your feelings, thoughts, emotions and accept the present moment without judgment.

Although it may sound very easy, a lot of people struggle with this. That is why there are so many software developers working on various mindfulness apps to help everyone. But not all those apps are ideal.

That is why we are here with our recommendations of the top 10 mindfulness apps for everyone. Have a look.

Benefits of Being Mindful

Now you may ask, “Why to be mindful?” Isn’t physical exercise good enough? You should know that good health does not refer to only a healthy body. It also refers to a healthy mind. The mind cannot be brought to a healthy state with physical exercise alone.

Being mindful is like fitness for your brain. And why be mindful? That is because of all the benefits it offers. Take a look.

• Improved Physical Health

Although being mindful is an exercise for our mental health and wellbeing, it also has a lot of positive physical health effects. Those effects are not easy to ignore. Being mindful can reduce the chance of heart disease, reduce blood pressure, and improve sleep. Also, it can deal with chronic pain and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties.

All this leads to a healthier body that is less prone to disease.

• Reduce Stress

Practicing mindfulness will significantly reduce your stress. Stress is something that we have to deal with daily in this busy life. If we don’t keep our stress level in check, it can upset us in so many ways.

It is scientifically proven that being mindful can reduce stress. 

• Better Emotional Control

Being mindful opens your mind to new and calmer ideas. It helps you deal with your surroundings, situations, and relationships with a mature and relaxed outlook. This brings self-awareness and self-control and helps you be rational and reasonable instead of reactive and emotional. 

Having better emotional control over yourself is an excellent goal, and breathwork can help you achieve it. People tend to make bad decisions and feel unhappy when they are overly stressed or emotional. From small daily details to important life decisions, having self-control is crucial and makes life easier to manage. 

• Satisfaction in Life

We all want satisfaction and happiness. Mindfulness helps us appreciate what we have and feel gratitude. Even when our situations aren’t ideal, there is always something to feel happy about, and mindfulness helps us focus on those things and accept our situation with an open mind.

Why use Mindfulness mobile apps rather than a course?

You may ask yourself whether using mindfulness mobile apps will be a better idea than attending a course on mindfulness. Well, both have their positive aspects. We think that mindfulness mobile apps are a great first step and introduction to mindfulness. 

If you enroll in a course, you will have to attend it regularly on a fixed schedule. And if it is not a remote course, then you will have to go to the location where the course is being held, which means more loss of time in transportation. That is a big commitment.

But take a mobile app for example, which digitalizes the course in the form of an interactive app. You can do your sessions at home, and you have the flexibility of choosing when you want to do them. Also, apps are likely to be more economical than a course fee.

You can investigate the idea of mindfulness with an app that is low cost and low time commitment. If you realize that mindfulness is something you want to cultivate and pursue, then some books and a course might be your next steps on your mindfulness journey. 

If you are worried about the success rate of the app, then don’t be. Research on mindfulness apps for adults has proven how successful they are.

So yes, we think that mindfulness mobile apps are a great option for you to start learning mindfulness!

Best Mindfulness Apps

There are many mindfulness apps available for smartphones and other devices. Their overwhelming popularity is what makes the market keep growing. But not all of them can be good, right? So here are our suggestions for the top 5 mindfulness apps for smartphones and other devices.

1. Best Mindfulness Apps: Calm

Calm is one of the original mindfulness and meditation apps, and it is one of the most loved and most popular. Many of its mindfulness sessions are narrated by celebrities you will recognize. It has recordings to help guide you in mindfulness, meditation, relaxation, and more. It even has a robust selection of bedtime stories to help you drift off to a restful night’s sleep. 

The app has so much to choose from. You can even choose which language you’d like to hear the content in as well. There’s English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and some Asian languages, too. 

Calm offers a 7-day free trial. Then it is billed at $69.99 annually, but you can cancel at any time. Or, for power users, you can choose to pay a one-time fee of $399.99 and have access to the app for life.

Pros:

• Developed by world-renowned professionals
• Expert guidance
• So much content!

Cons:

• The free version has limited offerings
• The annual price is billed up front

2. Best Mindfulness Apps: Headspace

Headspace is a very unique app in the genre of mindfulness. It is also among the most loved and most popular. Its mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world.

The app was developed by Andy Puddicombe, a student who cut his Sports Science studies short so he could become a Buddhist monk and study meditation all over the world. Headspace offers guided meditations, animations, courses, and videos. 

Headspace offers a free trial of seven days for you to take its free Basics Course. After that, it’s time to subscribe, at $12.99 per month after the free trial. 

Pros:

• Developed by world-renowned professionals
• Free lessons available
• Relaxing tracks

Cons:

• The free version has limited offerings
• The relaxing animation may appear too slow in some scenarios

3. Best Mindfulness Apps: Stop Breathe & Think

Stop Breathe & Think is a unique mindfulness app. It has over 400 activities for you to try. You can find the best medication for you in this app.

There are many positive mindfulness app reviews about this app. It has even won many awards for its unique design in digitizing mindfulness.

The best part about this app is that it can help your entire family learn mindfulness together.

The app is available for free. You can unlock its premium content by paying $9.99 per month.

Pros:

• 400+ activities to explore
• Award-winning mindfulness sessions
• Comes with a lot of free content to explore

Cons:

• It is not totally available for free
• Have to pay $9.99 per month for all 400+ contents

4. Take A Break!

Take A Break! is a free-to-use mindfulness exercise app. It offers only 15 small mindfulness medications.

There are no paid premium contents to unlock. Regardless, the meditations available in this app are proven very effective.

Pros:

• Free for everyone
• Supports in android, IOS, and Windows

Cons:

• Limited offerings in comparison to other mindfulness apps
• The interface is a little outdated

5. Mindful Meditation

Developed by Stoked Skills LLC, this app connects to your Amazon Alexa device. Out of all the Alexa apps, we think this one is the best mindful meditation app on the market. It is clear and direct and offers solid mindfulness training.

Unfortunately, this app is available only for Alexa. A smartphone version of this app is yet to be launched.

Pros:

• Supports Amazon Alexa
• Clear and direct with meditation commands
• Free to enable on Alexa

Cons:

• No smartphone app is developed yet
• Does not cooperate on other voice assistant devices other than Alexa

FAQ

Does Mindfulness apps work?

Yes. Research has proven that mindfulness apps are very effective. However, not all apps can provide the best result. That’s why it’s important to try the apps with their free trial period, and decide which app is right for you. 

Can I trust free mindfulness apps for guided meditation?

In comparison with paid mindfulness apps, the validity of free apps is questionable. But you can try them to get the gist of mindfulness meditation, as well as try free trials of the paid apps.

What should be present in a reliable mindfulness app?

A reliable/valid mindfulness app should have guided sessions designed by professionals. It should have a good variety of sessions and recordings, including guided meditations, mindfulness instruction, stories, articles, and music. Further, you should feel comfortable with the activities the app provides. 

Conclusion

Thanks for checking out our mindfulness app reviews. All these apps have different programs for you to enjoy. Some are focused on the music end while others are focused on the diversity of their sessions. Some are free and others require payment.

We are sure that you will find your desired mindfulness apps from our list.

You can also read: Best Mindfulness Audiobooks for Everyone