Waking Up vs Enlightn
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Waking Up
This app offers a comprehensive guide to meditation and wisdom, blending practice with theory. It features guided meditations, introductory courses, and reflections to enhance clarity, sleep, and overall well-being. Explore diverse contemplative traditions and modern science for a transformative mental practice.
- 28-day introductory meditation course
- Daily guided meditations with Sam Harris
- Short reflections and daily quotes
- Sleep meditations and talks
- Customizable meditation timer
- Extensive library of meditations and theory sessions
- Community forum for discussions
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Recognized as a 2025 Pick by NYT Wirecutter Featured as a 2026 pick for the App Store “App of the Day” Thousands worldwide call Waking Up life changing. Whether you want better sleep, more clarity, or deeper meditation, Waking Up is your complete guide. Testimonials “Waking Up has led to my most consistent meditation practice. Family and staff also use it because it’s such a powerful tool.” —Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist “Waking Up is a critical part of my daily practice. It’s my go-to for presence, peace, and well-being.” —Rich Roll, athlete & author “If you’ve had trouble getting into meditation, this app is your answer!” —Susan Cain, best-selling author What’s Inside - Introductory Course—a transformative 28-day program, for both beginners and experienced meditators - Daily Meditations—regular guided sessions with Sam Harris - Daily Quotes—a spark of insight each day - Daily Wisdom—brief lessons that shift perspective - Moment—short reflections when you need them most - Sleep—talks and meditations to help you rest - Meditation Timer—customize your own sessions - A vast library of meditations, theory sessions, life courses, conversations, and Q&As - Community—connect with members to discuss meditation, philosophy, psychedelics, and more - CarPlay—listen to select sessions and conversations while you drive. Why Waking Up Stands Out Unlike conventional meditation apps, Waking Up blends practice with theory—so you not only learn to meditate but also understand how it transforms your mind. It’s meditation, science, and timeless wisdom in one place. Topics & Techniques Our library combines contemplative traditions with modern science, offering tools for both practice and understanding. Techniques include mindfulness (Vipassana), Loving-Kindness, body scans, yoga nidra, and nondual awareness practices from Dzogchen, Zen, and Advaita Vedanta. Topics span neuroscience, psychology, Stoicism, ethics, psychedelics, productivity, and happiness. Content & Teachers Created by neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris, Waking Up features leading voices in meditation, philosophy, and psychology. - Practice—Vipassana, Zen, Dzogchen, Advaita Vedanta (Joseph Goldstein, Diana Winston, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Richard Lang) - Theory—the philosophy and science of consciousness, ethics, and well-being (Alan Watts, Charlotte Joko Beck, Joan Tollifson, James Low, Douglas Harding) - Life—mindfulness in relationships, productivity, Stoicism, and more (David Whyte, Oliver Burkeman, Matthew Walker, Amanda Knox, Donald Robertson, Bob Waldinger) - Conversations—Sam Harris with Yuval Noah Harari, Michael Pollan, Morgan Housel, Roland Griffiths, Cal Newport, Shinzen Young - Q&As—Sam Harris with Joseph Goldstein, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Jack Kornfield, Loch Kelly And many more subjects and teachers. Created by Sam Harris Neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris built Waking Up as the resource he wished he’d had when he began meditating 30 years ago. Every practice, course, and teacher is chosen for its power to change lives. Free for Anyone Who Can’t Afford It We never want money to be the reason someone can’t benefit from our app. To learn about our scholarship program, reach out to support@wakingup.com. Subscriptions renew unless auto-renew is disabled 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage in Apple account settings. Payment charged to your Apple account. Terms: https://wakingup.com/terms-of-service/ Privacy: https://wakingup.com/privacy-policy/ Satisfaction guarantee: Email support@wakingup.com for a full refund.
Enlightn
This app offers tools and resources to improve mental well-being, based on CDC and Kaiser Permanente studies. It includes assessments for adverse and positive childhood experiences, mood tracking, stress management programs, and mindfulness techniques.
- ACE Assessment for childhood experiences
- PCE Assessment for positive childhood experiences
- Happiness Tracker for mood
- Stress management programs
- SOS techniques for immediate support
- Mindfulness and relaxation fundamentals
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Enlightn™ offers a suite of tools and resources designed to improve your mental well-being, developed by Dr. Vincent J. Felitti and Dr. Brian Alman using groundbreaking Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente studies. The solution includes the ACE Assessment, which helps you understand the long-term impact of adverse childhood experiences on your health. Key Features: • ACE Assessment: Developed by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente, this assessment helps you understand the impact of adverse childhood experiences. • PCE Assessment: Evaluate your positive childhood experiences. • Happiness Tracker: Track your feelings and uncover what influences your mood. • Less Stress Now Program: Master stress and boost your well-being with our expert techniques and wellness practices. • Monitor Stress levels: Track your stress, identify key impacts, and follow your progress. • SOS Techniques: Get support when needed to help you feel better and track your emotions and stress levels. • One-on-One Sessions: Schedule exclusive sessions with Dr. Brian Alman for top-performance employees. • Fundamentals: Unlock the fundamentals and commit to becoming a master in areas like workplace wellness, work-life balance, mental fitness, stress management, relationships, communication, relaxation, and mindfulness. Earn badges as you conquer them! • Proven Solution: Access clinically validated content and solutions that have been effective for decades. True Sage’s app, Enlightn™, is the latest digitized addition to the True Sage wellness system. True Sage is known for its innovative, personalized approach to stress management. We inspire, motivate, teach, support, and follow up in real-time to reduce stress, increase productivity, and save money otherwise spent on stress-related days off, doctor visits, coping mechanisms, and other temporary symptom-based solutions. Enhance your mental well-being with scientifically-backed methods and personalized support. Download Enlightn™ now!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Waking Up at 4.9 against Enlightn's 3.0. Waking Up also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 50%) and ads (none vs shown). Enlightn's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Waking Up sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Enlightn asks for nothing beyond the download.
Waking Up holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waking Up has 43K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Waking Up's written reviews are positive against 50% of Enlightn's.
Waking Up ships an update fortnightly, Enlightn every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Waking Up | Enlightn |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (43K ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.7% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 43K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #54 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Waking Up Course, LLC | EMG of Rochester, Inc. |
Customer experience
Waking Up
Enlightn
Bugs and requests
Waking Up
Reported bugs
2 issues- Audio won't play unless screen is on and app is open
- Unexpected data usage
Requested features
3 requests- Weekly charts showing meditation progress
- Housekeeping meditation
- More conversations with women
Enlightn
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Waking Up
- Premium Subscription$19.991 Month
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Month
- 3 Months Subscription$59.993 Months
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- Premium Subscription$149.991 Year
- Waking Up Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$149.991 Year
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$149.991 Year
- Family Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$229.001 Year
- Family Yearly Subscription$229.991 Year
Enlightn
No in-app purchases









