# Insight Timer vs Meditation Studio

The clearest difference is update cadence: Insight Timer at weekly against Meditation Studio's monthly. Insight Timer also leads on ratings volume (449K vs 9K) and chart position (#15 vs unranked). Meditation Studio's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Insight Timer sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Meditation Studio sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Insight Timer against 4.8 for Meditation Studio. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 449K ratings behind it against 9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Insight Timer's written reviews are positive against 79% of Meditation Studio's.

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, Meditation Studio monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Insight Timer | Meditation Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (449K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insight-timer-meditate-sleep/id337472899/reviews)** | [4.8 (9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meditation-studio/id1066018502/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **449K** | 9K |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **79.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 232 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Insight Network Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/983080487) | [InteraXon](https://appshunter.io/developer/849841173) |

## What reviewers say

### Insight Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insight-timer-meditate-sleep/id337472899)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #94 Top Free · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

Access a vast library of guided meditations, breathwork, sleep stories, and yoga practices from world-renowned teachers. Build healthy routines, reduce stress, and improve sleep with daily new free content and a customizable meditation timer.

**Highlights:** Thousands of guided meditations, Breathwork and breathing exercises, Sleep meditations and sounds, Yoga, Pilates, and movement, Customizable meditation timer, Progress tracking and statistics, Community groups

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Insight Premium Meditation | $9.99 | per month |
| Insight Premium Meditation | $59.99 | per year |
| Insight Premium Meditation | $59.99 | per year |
| MemberPlus Family | $89.99 | per year |
| Teacher Donation (XS) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Live Event Ticket | $3.49 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (S) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (M) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (L) | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💤 Great for sleep and relaxation
- 🌍 Diverse range of teachers and content
- 🕰️ Customizable timer with bells/chimes
- 🆓 Generous free content
- 🧠 Helps with anxiety, stress, and mental health

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Overly commercialized with constant upselling
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with mandatory account creation
- 🔀 Confusing and cluttered user interface
- 🐛 Bugs, crashes, and technical issues
- 🔒 Paywall blocking access to core features

**Reported bugs**

- Timer frequently pausing or shutting down during use
- Inconsistent tracking of meditation streaks and progress
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inability to leave reviews for meditations

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort/filter bookmarked meditations
- Option to disable opening quotes and mood check-ins
- Improved offline functionality and caching
- More customization options for the timer
- Better community features and social integration


### Meditation Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meditation-studio/id1066018502)

Reduce stress, ease anxiety, and improve sleep with guided meditations on various topics. Explore collections tailored for specific needs like health, happiness, and kindness, or create your own unguided sessions. Features expert teachers and progress tracking.

**Highlights:** Guided meditations on diverse topics, Customizable unguided meditations, Collections for specific life areas, Courses for deeper practice, Expert meditation teachers, Progress tracking and scheduling, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Meditation Studio Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Meditation Studio Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Meditation Studio Quarterly | $17.99 | per 3 months |
| Meditation Studio Yearly | $23.99 | per year |
| Meditation Studio - Yearly | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Variety of meditation options
- 🕰️ Short meditations for busy schedules
- 🎨 Customizable background sounds
- 💻 Offline access to meditations
- 🧘‍♀️ Helpful for anxiety, sleep, and relaxation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- 🔒 Locked content after subscription change
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Lack of search/sort functionality
- 🔊 Meditations too fast-paced

**Reported bugs**

- Meditations not playing after download
- Inability to access content on multiple devices
- Incompatibility issues with iPad landscape mode

**Requested features**

- Playlist feature to play multiple meditations in a row
- More long-form (30+ minute) meditation options
- Ability to customize meditations (e.g. add own background music)
- Integration with fitness trackers or Apple Health
- Dark mode or night theme


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Insight Timer free?

Insight Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Meditation Studio free?

Meditation Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Insight Timer or Meditation Studio?

Insight Timer is rated higher. Insight Timer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 449K ratings, while Meditation Studio averages 4.8 from 9K ratings.

### Do Insight Timer or Meditation Studio have ads?

Neither Insight Timer nor Meditation Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Insight Timer or Meditation Studio?

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, and Meditation Studio monthly. Most recently, Insight Timer was updated on November 11, 2026 and Meditation Studio on November 3, 2026.

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