Comparison

Elephant Journal vs Sounds True

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

Head to head
About

Elephant Journal

Explore mindful living through articles, videos, and podcasts on topics like meditation, relationships, and environmental tips. Engage with content, support authors, and join discussions to foster a sense of community and personal growth.

Highlights
  • Daily Front Page updates
  • Browse articles by topic
  • Comment and share content
  • Heart articles to boost scores
  • Follow favorite writers
  • Receive notifications
Features
Read full description

From Meditation to Relationships, Family to Environmental Tips, Yoga and Meditation to Travel and Recipes—we cover all the issues and topics that matter with a sense of humor and journalistic integrity—cutting through fads and making fun of spiritual materialism. Our app is simple: it’s not here to clutter your life, but to help open it up. Most apps we enjoy fill the gaps in our lives—whether in line or in a waiting room, or at a restaurant waiting for a friend or colleague to return. Elephant offers space and inspiration within this busyness, enabling us to return to our basic goodness with knowledge and empathy. Every day, check our Front Page for uplifted discussions and new articles, videos and podcasts. Then, your reading, hearting, sharing, and commenting directly increase the article's score, helping that author “win,” get paid by our mindful community, and get featured on our Front Page. FRONT PAGE: A clear scrollable display of our community’s favorite articles, timely issues, and editor’s picks. Scroll ’til you find something that inspires you. TOPICS: Browse articles by category (Yoga, Family, Green, Politics, Recipes…), bookmark those you love, and snooze the ones you don’t. NOTIFICATIONS: See if someone replies to your comment, get alerts from writers who you follow, and find our best new articles. SEARCH: Find that article or subject you’re curious about, and see other trending searches HEART: Tap the “heart” icon on your favorite articles to boost their score to help the issue get featured on our Front Page and increase the author’s chances of winning our weekly Ecosystem payout. COMMENT: Join the uplifted discussions happening on each story to increase the article’s score and create mindful community. SHARE: Share your favorite articles with your network, directly from the app. SUBSCRIBE: You can read two articles free, every day—if you want to read unlimited articles, and see fewer ads, you can subscribe for $3/month (billed annually at $36/year). You can cancel your renewal at any time from the Account Settings of your device at least 24 hours before your renewal date. Questions? Feedback? Confused? Contact our Support at: elephantjournal.com/support We respect your Privacy: elephantjournal.com/privacy Elephant’s Terms of Service: elephantjournal.com/terms-of-service/

About

Sounds True

Access a vast library of online courses, audio programs, and exclusive content from world-renowned experts in mindfulness, healing, and personal growth. Connect with a global community, join live events, and explore a variety of wellness practices to support your journey inward.

Highlights
  • Access purchased courses and audio programs
  • Sounds True One membership content
  • Live Q&As and interviews with experts
  • Global community for connection and discussion
  • Immersive virtual retreats
  • Weekly group meditations
  • Variety of wellness practices
Features
Read full description

The Sounds True app is home to your entire Sounds True experience, from the online courses and audio programs you've purchased to the Sounds True One membership, including original series, guided practices, and live events with hundreds of world-renowned experts in mindfulness, healing, and personal growth. YOUR SOUNDS TRUE LIBRARY Access the online courses and audio programs you've purchased from Sounds True's 41 years of publishing — all in one place, available on-demand, on any device. SOUNDS TRUE ONE MEMBERSHIP Sounds True One is a global membership community committed to growth, healing, and connection, with unique learning opportunities from the world's most celebrated wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, including Caroline Myss, Pema Chödrön, Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, Adyashanti, Peter Levine, Gabor Maté, Richard C. Schwartz, and many more. Membership includes: ● Wisdom from World-Renowned Experts — Learn from leading voices in well-being, mindfulness, and personal growth. ● Exclusive Live Q&As & Interviews — Engage directly with sought-after teachers through interactive conversations and events. ● A Global Community — Share reflections, ask questions, and connect with members worldwide through live meditations and practice groups. ● Immersive Virtual Retreats — Join live, transformative retreats to cultivate self-awareness and growth. ● Weekly Group Meditations — Enhance your practice with meditations led by beloved Sounds True teachers and authors. ● A Variety of Wellness Practices — Explore meditation, mindful movement, qi gong and other techniques to support your well-being. ● Monthly Guided Experiences — A new theme each month to support your spiritual growth and self-discovery. ● Exclusive Original Series — Dive into our award-winning programs like Mystics Today, In the Flow, and Being with You. ● Special Member Discounts* — Get 20% off Sounds True online courses, plus exclusive event and course invitations. In just a few minutes a day, Sounds True can help you feel more connected to yourself and the world around you. Download today and continue your journey inward. - ▷ Already a Member? Sign-In to access your subscription. ▷ New? Subscribe in the app to get instant access. Sounds True offers auto-renewing subscriptions. You'll receive unlimited access to content on all your devices. Payment is charged to your account at confirmation of purchase. Pricing varies by location and is confirmed prior to purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period, or the trial period (when offered). Cancel anytime in Account Settings. For more information see our: Terms of Use: https://product.soundstrue.com/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://product.soundstrue.com/privacy-policy/ Customer Support: membership@soundstrue.com

Screenshots

Elephant Journal4 screens
Sounds True4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Elephant Journal at 84% against Sounds True's 26%. Elephant Journal also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (14K vs 1.2K). Sounds True's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Elephant Journal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Sounds True sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Elephant Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elephant Journal has 14K ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Elephant Journal's written reviews are positive against 26% of Sounds True's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elephant Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, Sounds True every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Elephant Journal versus Sounds True: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElephant JournalSounds True
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (14K ratings) — better4.6 (1.2K ratings)
Positive reviews83.7% of reviews — better25.7% of reviews
Number of ratings14K — better1.2K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB71 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperElephant JournalSounds True

Customer experience

Elephant Journal

All ratings14,205 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive83.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative13.3%

Sounds True

All ratings1,225 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive25.7%
Neutral12.4%
Negative61.9%

User reviews

Elephant Journal

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nice app
  • 🙏 Insightful and inspiring content
  • 📚 Diverse range of topics
  • 🤗 Thoughtful and engaging articles
  • 💡 Valuable resource for personal growth

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Restrictive reading limits
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Issues with cancelling subscription
  • 🤔 Sudden change in content quality

Sounds True

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 High-quality content
  • 💡 Variety of teachings and programs
  • 👍 Inspiring community

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
  • 🔋 Audio stops playing when screen locks
  • 👎 Poor customer support and technical issues
  • 🤯 Confusing navigation and app design

Bugs and requests

Elephant Journal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription cancellation button not working
  • Articles not loading properly
  • Inconsistent reading limits

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Implement a 'read later' feature
  • Improve navigation and article tracking
  • Increase free article limits

Sounds True

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to access purchased courses
  • App freezes and becomes unresponsive
  • Inconsistent login and password issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search functionality to easily find content
  • Allow background audio playback when app is closed
  • Improve offline access to purchased content
  • Provide better integration between app and website

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Elephant Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Elephant Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Elephant Subscription$35.991 Year
One-time2
  • Article Boost$2.99
  • Big Article Boost$9.99
4 purchases

Sounds True

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly All Access$19.991 Month
  • Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$179.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly All Access$189.001 Year

Questions

Is Elephant Journal free?
Elephant Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sounds True free?
Sounds True is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Elephant Journal or Sounds True?
Elephant Journal is rated higher. Elephant Journal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Sounds True averages 4.6 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Elephant Journal or Sounds True have ads?
Neither Elephant Journal nor Sounds True shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Elephant Journal or Sounds True?
Elephant Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sounds True every 2 months. Most recently, Elephant Journal was updated on November 1, 2026 and Sounds True on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons