Comparison

The Mandala App vs Mindgem

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Mandala App

This app combines Buddhist wisdom and modern psychology to help users manage stress, anxiety, and improve relationships. It offers guided meditations, expert talks, and community features to foster peace, meaning, and joy in daily life.

Highlights
  • Guided meditations
  • Expert talks and conversations
  • Stress and anxiety management
  • Mindset and emotion regulation
  • Community discussions
  • Goal setting and intention monitoring
Features
Read full description

The Mandala app brings together Buddhist wisdom and meditation techniques with the latest insights of psychology and neuroscience to handle the challenges and complexities of modern life.   In contemporary terms, our suffering may take the form of excessive stress at work, breakdown of relationships, and a pervasive sense of anxiety and confusion about the world we live in. Much of these sufferings arise from excessive competitiveness, our desire in the form of attachment to material things, to status, and to fame, as well as distorted beliefs about what makes us truly happy. So the Buddha’s insight that transforming the way we view ourselves and the world around us is key to our happiness remains potent even today.   From changing our basic Mindset and the very way in which we see ourselves to regulating our emotions, the Mandala App enables us to create greater synergy between our day-to-day life and our values and deeper aspirations.   The App offers a series of engaging talks and conversations with experts on a wide variety of topics, such as managing stress, dealing with adversity, developing greater resilience, cultivating empathy and compassion, creating healthy relationships, and many more. These topics are explored to help find greater peace, meaning and joy in our lives.   Our panel of experts include Dr, Thupten Jinpa, Daniel Goleman, Kelly McGonigal and others.   The App also offers step-by-step guided meditations aimed at quieting the mind, learning to focus, and developing mindful awareness. Starting from basic meditation practice, the App guides us through more advanced levels and also offers meditations for specific purposes.   The Mandala app allows you to connect with other subscribers in your region, as well as engage with others in discussions around every topic. It also lets you set and monitor your intentions to help you focus on outcomes. The Digital Bead in the app helps you meditate while commuting or walking.   Being part of the Mandala community you are choosing to live your life consciously and with purpose. Once again, welcome to Mandala.   Subscription Plan: The Mandala App – Download from the store is free. On download, introduction to The Mandala App and 30 – 40 secs preview of most of the content is available free. (Includes video lectures by Thupten Jinpa, conversations with global expert, introduction to meditation, guided meditations, talk on ‘Buddha the Psychologist’, events and publications).   Subscription -  Annual Subscription at US$ 24.99 (or equivalent).  Half yearly Subscription at US$ 13.49 (or equivalent).  Quarterly Subscription at US$ 6.99 (or equivalent).    The subscription entitles the subscriber access to all the content of The Mandala App including video, audio and text and all updates (new content) published during the subscription period.   To access interactive features like My Community, Open Forum, My Intentions, Digital Beads and My Library, you need to create your profile in the app after subscribing. Your payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew 24 hours before end of the current period, and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. When the user cancels a subscription, iTunes does not offer a refund for the current billing cycle. Instead, it allows the user to have access to the cancelled subscription until the end of the current billing cycle, at which time it terminates the subscription. Terms of use: http://mandalaapp.org/terms-conditions/ Privacy policy: http://mandalaapp.org/privacy-policy/

About

Mindgem

Engage in guided meditation sessions led by experienced Buddhist monks. Connect with a supportive community focused on sharing wisdom and personal growth.

Highlights
  • Guided meditation sessions
  • Led by Buddhist monks
  • Community forum
  • Wisdom sharing
  • Personal growth focus
Features
Read full description

Download MindGem today! Meditate with renowned Buddhist monks and be a part of a community built on a foundation of scaling wisdom to learn more visit www.mindgem.org

Screenshots

The Mandala App4 screens
Mindgem4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mindgem at 4.9 against The Mandala App's 4.3. Mindgem also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (88% vs 74%). The Mandala App's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Mandala App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months. Mindgem asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mindgem holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of The Mandala App's written reviews are positive against 88% of Mindgem's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Mandala App ships an update every 2 weeks, Mindgem every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Mandala App versus Mindgem: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Mandala AppMindgem
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (29 ratings)4.9 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.9% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIndustory PTE LTDGEORGIA MEDITATION CIRCLE INC

Customer experience

The Mandala App

All ratings29 ratings
Positive79.3%
Neutral3.4%
Negative17.2%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive73.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.1%

Mindgem

All ratings24 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

The Mandala App

Subscriptions3
  • Mandala 3 Months Subscription$6.993 Months
  • Mandala 6 Months Subscription$13.496 Months
  • Mandala Annual Subscription$24.991 Year
None

Mindgem

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Mandala App free?
The Mandala App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mindgem free?
Mindgem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Mandala App or Mindgem?
Mindgem is rated higher. The Mandala App averages 4.3 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Mindgem averages 4.9 from 24 ratings.
Do The Mandala App or Mindgem have ads?
Mindgem shows ads; The Mandala App does not.
Which is updated more often, The Mandala App or Mindgem?
The Mandala App ships an update every 2 weeks, and Mindgem every 4 months. Most recently, The Mandala App was updated on October 24, 2026 and Mindgem on October 24, 2026.

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