# Insomnia Coach vs UCLA Mindful

The clearest difference is rating: UCLA Mindful at 4.5 against Insomnia Coach's 3.7. UCLA Mindful also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). Insomnia Coach's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UCLA Mindful holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 89 and 176 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Insomnia Coach's written reviews are positive against 77% of UCLA Mindful's.

Insomnia Coach ships an update every 9 months, UCLA Mindful every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Insomnia Coach | UCLA Mindful |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (89 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insomnia-coach/id1341944736/reviews) | **[4.5 (176 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ucla-mindful/id1459128935/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 89 | **176** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **76.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 35 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)](https://appshunter.io/developer/430646305) | [UCLA Health](https://appshunter.io/developer/646973492) |

## What reviewers say

### Insomnia Coach

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insomnia-coach/id1341944736)

This app offers a guided training plan and interactive tools based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i). It provides personalized feedback and tips to help users track and improve their sleep patterns. Designed for daily use over five weeks, it aims to help users regain healthy sleep habits.

**Highlights:** Guided weekly training plan, Personalized sleep coach feedback, Interactive sleep diary, 17 sleep improvement tools, Scientifically-based approach

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✅ Effective CBT-i program
- 💰 Free to use
- 💡 Helpful explanations
- 📈 Tracks sleep patterns
- 🧘 Guided relaxation

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Struggles with irregular sleep
- 😵 Makes insomnia worse
- 📱 Bright white background
- 🎧 No wireless headphone support
- 🔄 Inability to edit entries

**Reported bugs**

- Sleep diary errors (negative hours)
- Progress tab not reflecting data
- App won't download
- Audio not playing through headphones
- Sleep diary calculation errors

**Requested features**

- Dark mode feature
- Wireless headphone compatibility
- Ability to edit past diary entries
- Sync between devices
- More sleep stories and anxiety resources


### UCLA Mindful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ucla-mindful/id1459128935)

Practice mindfulness meditation with guided sessions and educational content from UCLA Health. Learn to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate positive emotions through regular practice. Explore various meditation types, informative videos, and weekly recordings to enhance your well-being.

**Highlights:** Guided basic meditations, Wellness meditations for health conditions, Informative videos on mindfulness, Weekly live/virtual meditation recordings, Talks on mindfulness topics, Customizable meditation timer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 Free and accessible resource
- 🧘‍♀️ High-quality guided meditations
- 🗣️ Calming and comforting narrator voices (Diana Winston)
- 👍 Simple, easy to use, and navigate
- 🌍 Multiple languages offered

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗣️ Presenter talks too much during meditations
- 🔌 Requires a good internet connection (streaming)
- 🔄 No offline access
- 📱 App doesn't rotate on iPad in landscape mode
- 🔊 Loud ding at the end of some tracks

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Loop repeat did not replay when screen is locked
- 🐛 Audio stops when iPhone screen locks/turns off
- 🐛 Back button disappears on search podcast tab
- 🐛 Search in previous podcast is slow to respond
- 🐛 Custom timer doesn't work as intended

**Requested features**

- Offline access/downloadable sessions
- More voice diversity (ethnicity and gender)
- Add to Apple Health for tracking mindful minutes
- Improve pausing points for Vietnamese meditations
- Remove the ding at the end of tracks


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Insomnia Coach free?

Insomnia Coach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is UCLA Mindful free?

UCLA Mindful is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Insomnia Coach or UCLA Mindful?

UCLA Mindful is rated higher. Insomnia Coach averages 3.7 out of 5 from 89 ratings, while UCLA Mindful averages 4.5 from 176 ratings.

### Do Insomnia Coach or UCLA Mindful have ads?

Neither Insomnia Coach nor UCLA Mindful shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Insomnia Coach or UCLA Mindful?

Insomnia Coach ships an update every 9 months, and UCLA Mindful every 3 months. Most recently, Insomnia Coach was updated on October 25, 2026 and UCLA Mindful on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*