3 Meditation Apps Compared: Do They Actually Work

The reason I started meditating is kind of pathetic

Overtime got heavy and I stopped sleeping well. Lying down, my brain would loop through tomorrow's to-do list. I developed a habit of waking at 3 AM to check Slack. Too scared to see a doctor, too experienced to know that drinking makes the next day worse.

So I tried meditation. I'd seen studies saying it helps with sleep. (Actually I just got baited by a YouTube thumbnail.)

Headspace: 2 weeks

First up, Headspace. Paid plan is about $50/year. Started with the free trial.

Good stuff: the guided voice is calm. It's in English, and I actually preferred that. Hearing "breathe deeply" in Korean feels a bit cringe to me, but in English it's just... sound. The beginner program is a 10-day course, so the barrier to entry was low.

Not great: 10-minute sessions felt long for me. Around minute 5, I start thinking "when does this end?" And the English guide is both a pro and con. On exhausted days, processing English itself takes energy.

Sleep effect: first 3 days, I definitely fell asleep faster. From day 4, the effect faded. Still woke up at 3 AM.

Calm: another 2 weeks

Calm is about $57/year. More expensive than Headspace. Tried it mainly for the sleep stories feature, which is supposedly popular.

Sleep stories are genuinely good. A soothing voice tells a gentle narrative and you drift off listening. But one problem -- I got curious about the plot and tried staying awake to hear the ending, which kept me up. (Entirely defeating the purpose.)

Meditation sessions have more flexibility than Headspace. You can pick 3, 5, or 10 minutes. Five was perfect for me. But the guide quality felt slightly better on Headspace.

Mabo: tried a Korean app too

Mabo is a Korean meditation app. Has a decent amount of free content. Premium is about $6/month.

Korean-language guides mean instructions register instantly. With English apps, hearing "notice the sensation" takes about 0.5 seconds to mentally translate. Korean, you can follow along immediately.

But the UI is a bit lacking. Design isn't as polished as the foreign apps. (I don't know why design matters in a meditation app, but you open prettier apps more often. Can't ignore that.)

Content volume is smaller compared to Headspace or Calm. After two weeks, things started feeling repetitive.

So did it actually work

Let me be honest. Meditation apps didn't solve my sleep problems. I still wake up at 3 AM. Time to fall asleep decreased "somewhat." (From an average of 35 minutes to 22. Measured by a sleep tracking app, so not exactly precise.)

But there was an unexpected benefit. After meditating, I feel clear-headed for about 10 minutes. Doing it before leaving for work seems to boost my morning focus. I say "seems to" because it could be placebo.

What am I using now

All three free trials expired and I didn't pay for any of them. Instead I search "5 minute meditation" on YouTube and use free videos. No structured program like the apps offer, but I decided paying $50/year for a single 5-minute session wasn't necessary.

If you're willing to pay, I'd recommend Headspace. Best guide quality. If you prefer your native language and you're Korean, Mabo works. Calm is great if you only want sleep stories, but $57/year just for that feels steep.

I'm still meditating though. No dramatic effects, but "better than nothing." That's enough, isn't it.