Healthy Minds Program by Humin vs Pause to be Present
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Healthy Minds Program by Humin
This app offers science-backed meditation and mindfulness practices to improve focus, reduce stress, and enhance social connections. It features guided lessons and assessments based on neuroscientific research, designed to fit into busy lifestyles.
- Science-backed meditation practices
- Guided lessons on focus and stress reduction
- Neuroscientific well-being framework
- Active meditation for busy lives
- Mobile mental and emotional well-being assessments
- Integration with Apple Health
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• 2024 Pick: Best Meditation App by Healthline, The New York Times Wirecutter, Vogue, and Sports Illustrated Well-being is a skill that can be learned. We’re here to guide you along the way. Backed by four decades of research from world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson and the team at Humin (formerly Healthy Minds Innovations) & the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, the Healthy Minds Program trains your mind through meditation and podcast-style lessons to develop skills for gaining focus, reducing stress, and maintaining positive social connections. Research with the Healthy Minds App showed that just 5 minutes a day of practice leads to a 28% reduction in stress, an 18% reduction in anxiety, a 24% reduction in depression, and a 13% increase in social connection. Featuring our scientific Awareness, Connection, Insight, and Purpose, Well-being Framework, the Healthy Minds Program is a holistic, all-encompassing meditation app that offers the best of both guided meditations and opportunities to learn. You’ll learn simple skills to enhance personal well-being, build healthy relationships, and improve communication, performance, and creativity. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– What makes us unique? Developed from Science: While many meditation apps can claim the scientific benefits of meditation, our practices are developed directly from neuroscientific research. You’ll also hear from the world’s foremost neuroscientists about neuroplasticity and how to train your mind. Made for Busy Lives: Our app features active meditation practices that fit into your busy lifestyle. Don’t have time to sit for 20 minutes? Put on an active practice and train your mind while you fold the laundry. Guided by Measurement: Thanks to our pioneering scientific research, the Healthy Minds Program offers the first mobile mental and emotional well-being assessments. Learn about your current level of well-being and contribute to cutting-edge research on the science of well-being. Our app also integrates with Apple Health to track your mindful minutes. Goes Beyond Mindfulness: Our guided path offers step-by-step instructions for becoming more present in the moment and developing a sense of purpose, meaning, and connection in life. Driven by Mission and Supported by Donation: The Healthy Minds Program is made possible by our donors, who support our vision of a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world. Unlike other apps that require a subscription, the Healthy Minds Program is available by donation, driven by a mission to translate science into tools to cultivate and measure well-being. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– Read the End User License Agreement and Terms of Use here: https://hminnovations.org/terms-of-use Read our Privacy Policy here: https://hminnovations.org/privacy-policy
Pause to be Present
This app offers a virtual meditation studio for all levels, featuring live classes and an on-demand library of themed meditations. It provides mindfulness tools from expert instructors to help reduce stress, improve sleep, and enhance mental well-being.
- Virtual meditation studio
- Daily live classes
- On-demand video library
- Expert instructors
- Mindfulness tools
- Online community
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Feel like life is moving too fast? Want to learn how to slow down, relax, and quiet that busy mind? We have created a virtual space just for you! Pause to be Present is your virtual meditation studio, perfect for all levels, from beginners to experienced meditators! Join our online community where we gather virtually every day to feel the power of group meditation, learn easy and accessible mindfulness tools from expert instructors, and connect inward to ourselves and to each other. Enjoy our daily LIVE classes or our incredible ON-DEMAND video library of themed meditations to feel the power of the pause! Our unique classes and expert teachers take ancient wisdom and apply it to modern life to help you lower stress, improve sleep, increase productivity, find greater happiness, navigate life’s obstacles, and so much more. It just takes a few minutes a day to boost your health and mental well-being! We can show you how. Download the Pause to be Present App today to join our virtual meditation studio and enjoy a free trial week! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ What people are saying about Pause to be Present: “Pause has become an integral part of my life. I often bookend my day with the live virtual meditations since it gives my day structure and intention. I look forward to seeing my online community of friends who I have developed a true bond with. Every now and then, I just need a grounding, so I love being able to go to the On-Demand library of themed meditations which helps bring me comfort. It is a tremendous resource that I am thankful to have as part of the Pause membership!” Cindy M. “To say that practicing with this community has been helpful is a gross understatement. As I think back, I joined only with the expectation that I knew that meditation would be helpful to me. I had no idea that the power of community meditation even existed - and to watch that awareness grow has been such a rich experience for me. And in the last few months I've paid particular attention to those first ten minutes, knowing that there are life lessons for me to learn and be reminded of. So... thank you all - for your talent, your time, your kindness, and your candor - as well as your sense of humor! You have created such a special experience and community, and I'm honored to be part of it.” Lynn S. “While I have meditated on and off for years, your leadership and group meditations led by your gifted teachers has been way more powerful for me than any single meditation I’ve done alone. What truly speaks to me are the topics you introduce during the first 10 minutes which provides a real connection to what I’m experiencing and the clutter in my mind or heart. This singular focus has guided my stillness in a whole new way. I’m deeply grateful for this journey. I’m becoming way more conscious, aware, and still.” Nancy F.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Pause to be Present at none against Healthy Minds Program by Humin's shown. Pause to be Present also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Healthy Minds Program by Humin's advantage is ratings volume (8.5K vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Healthy Minds Program by Humin against 5.0 for Pause to be Present. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Healthy Minds Program by Humin has 8.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of Healthy Minds Program by Humin's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pause to be Present's.
Healthy Minds Program by Humin ships an update every 3 weeks, Pause to be Present every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Healthy Minds Program by Humin | Pause to be Present |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (8.5K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 95.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8.5K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 121 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc. | Sutra Fitness, Inc. |
Customer experience
Healthy Minds Program by Humin
Pause to be Present
Bugs and requests
Healthy Minds Program by Humin
Reported bugs
2 issues- Progress not always saved correctly
- Connectivity issues causing data loss
Requested features
3 requests- Offline mode for meditations
- Ability to bookmark favorite sessions
- More personalization options
Pause to be Present
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Healthy Minds Program by Humin
No in-app purchases
Pause to be Present
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Healthy Minds Program by Humin free?
Is Pause to be Present free?
Which has better reviews, Healthy Minds Program by Humin or Pause to be Present?
Do Healthy Minds Program by Humin or Pause to be Present have ads?
Which is updated more often, Healthy Minds Program by Humin or Pause to be Present?
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