Insight Timer vs The MiCBT Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Insight Timer
This app offers a vast library of guided meditations, breathwork exercises, sleep stories, and movement practices from leading wellness experts. It helps users reduce stress, improve sleep, and build healthier routines with daily new content and community features.
- Thousands of guided meditations
- Breathwork and breathing exercises
- Sleep meditations and sounds
- Yoga, Pilates, and movement practices
- Customizable meditation timer
- Community groups and features
- Progress tracking and stats
Read full descriptionHide full description
The world’s most popular wellness app. * Apps of the Year Winner - TIME magazine and Women's Health * * More time is spent on Insight Timer than on all other wellbeing apps combined * * Happiest App in the World - Tristan Harris * Explore meditation, breathwork, sleep, yoga, Pilates, mindfulness, music, and more, with guidance from the world’s leading wellness teachers, meditation experts, neuroscientists, psychologists, and instructors. Join millions using Insight Timer to sleep better, reduce stress and anxiety, find focus, build healthy routines, move, stretch, and make more time for everyday wellbeing. With 100+ new free guided practices added daily, Insight Timer offers something for every part of your wellness journey. Whether you’re new to meditation or building a broader self-care routine, discover practices for mind and body that fit your day. FREE FEATURES: Thousands of guided meditations and mindfulness practices Breathwork and breathing exercises for relaxation, focus, and stress relief Yoga, Pilates, stretching, and movement practices Sleep meditations, sleep music, white noise, and ambient sounds Short meditation practices for mornings, evenings, and moments throughout your day The world’s most popular meditation Timer Follow your favorite teachers Community groups and features Stats and milestones for tracking your progress Integration with Apple Health Mindful Minutes Browse popular wellness topics, including: Sleep and deep rest Insomnia and better sleep Anxiety and stress relief Recovery & Addiction Support Trauma support ADHD and focus Mornings and daily routines Self-care and relaxation Mindfulness and meditation Breathwork Yoga Pilates Movement and stretching Manifesting and personal growth Self-love and compassion And much more. Explore content for every part of your day and life, including dedicated experiences for women and parents, as well as challenges and courses to support your routine. Learn from leading teachers, experts, and musicians, including: Tara Brach, Ph.D, founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington Mark Williams, Emeritus Professor at Oxford University Jack Kornfield, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein Gil Fronsdal, Ph.D., at Stanford University Sadhguru Mooji Moby Sarah Blondin, Mary Maddux, Ajahn Achalo, Melissa Ambrosini, Bodhipaksa, Jonathan Lehmann, Jennifer Piercy, Bethany Auriel-Hagan, Kate James and many more. Explore practices and techniques, including: Secular Mindfulness Buddhist Mindfulness Zen Insight Meditation Vipassana MBSR Walking Meditation Breathing Meditation Kundalini Yoga Breathwork and breathing exercises Pilates Movement and exercise And many more. Join community groups for: Beginners Poetry Atheism Christianity Hinduism Transcendental Meditation And many more. PAID FEATURE - INSIGHT PREMIUM MEDITATION We have one optional in-app subscription. * Insight Courses * Listen offline (download guided meditations to your device) * Advanced Player (Repeat mode, Fast forward and Rewind, Pick-up where you left off) * High-Quality audio The subscription is available annually for US$59.99/year, or monthly for US$9.99/month. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account upon purchase confirmation and will automatically renew at the end of each term unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings, but refunds will not be provided for unused portions of the term. Prices and currency will vary by location. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription, where applicable. The subscription will renew at the same cost. If you have questions, visit: https://help.insighttimer.com Privacy Policy - https://insighttimer.com/legal/privacy-policy Terms and Conditions - https://insighttimer.com/legal/terms-of-service
The MiCBT Guide
This app guides you through a comprehensive Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy program. It combines mindfulness techniques with evidence-based strategies to enhance mental well-being, improve self-confidence, and cultivate inner calm. Features include guided meditations, customizable timers, progress trackers, and practice diaries.
- Guided mindfulness meditations
- Customizable meditation timers
- Progress trackers
- Practice diary
- Evidence-based assessment tools
- Smart notifications
- Goal setting
Read full descriptionHide full description
The MiCBT Guide is designed to assist you through the entire Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy program (MiCBT). It is an evidence-based therapy that combines mindfulness techniques with cognitive-behavioural strategies researched and supported by clinical psychologists worldwide since 2004. The app provides a comprehensive approach to mental health and personal growth for you to develop, enhance and maintain your overall well-being. The MiCBT Guide provides all you need to improve self-confidence, enhance relationships, and cultivate inner calm and compassion for yourself and others. GUIDED MEDITATIONS One of the key features of the MiCBT Guide is the inclusion of the complete set of guided mindfulness meditation techniques traditionally used in one of the distinguished Burmese Vipassana traditions. These time-honoured methods help reduce suffering through the gain of profound wisdom. CUSTOMISED TIMERS Customised timers for meditation allow you to personalise your meditation sessions according to your preferences by setting the duration and intervals that suit you best. This feature helps you establish a meditation practice that fits your preference in the long term when you may prefer practising in silence. PROGRESS TRACKERS Another important feature of the MiCBT Guide is the inclusion of progress trackers designed to help you monitor your progress and see how your well-being is improving over time. PRACTICE DIARY Another useful aspect of the MiCBT Guide is the practice diary, which enables you to track your mindfulness practice over time. This tool helps you stay motivated and engaged in your journey towards better mental health. EVIDENCE-BASED TOOLS The app is equipped with evidence-based tools and measures, such as the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Mindfulness-based Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES-R), Equanimity Scale-16 (ES-16), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). These automated measures produce excellent graphs to show reduced symptoms and improved abilities, such as emotion regulation, decreased avoidance and improved communication skills. They are industry-standard measurements that help you pinpoint areas for improvement and track how well you are managing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. By understanding your patterns, you can make positive adjustments to support your overall well-being. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Smart notifications are another helpful feature of the MiCBT Guide. They remind you of your meditation sessions and encourage you to stay consistent in your mindfulness practice. This function helps you stay on track with your goals and establish a regular meditation routine. GOAL SETTING Goal setting is integrated into the app to help you set specific, achievable goals for your well-being and keep track of how you’re doing. By setting clear targets and checking your progress, you can stay on track and motivated in your personal growth journey. WEEKLY READINGS Weekly readings provide ongoing support and inspiration during the program, providing you with a valuable psycho-educational resource to deepen your understanding of mindfulness practice and enhance insight into your thoughts and emotions. The audio option for the weekly readings is a convenient feature for people who don’t have time to read, as well as for those who have difficulty reading. VIDEO SUPPORT Video support from Dr. Bruno Cayoun, the creator of MiCBT, provides motivation and expert guidance on mindfulness and cognitive-behavioural techniques. With Dr. Cayoun's expertise and insight, you can enhance your practice and deepen your understanding of the principles behind MiCBT. We offer three subscription options to access the full MiCBT Guide: Monthly, 6-Monthly, and Yearly. Subscription will be renewed within 24 hours before the end of each period at the rate of your selected plan. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Insight Timer at 70% against The MiCBT Guide's 0%. Insight Timer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). 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
Both are free to download. Insight Timer sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and The MiCBT Guide sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Insight Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 449K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Insight Timer's written reviews are positive against 0% of The MiCBT Guide's.
Insight Timer ships an update weekly, The MiCBT Guide every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Insight Timer | The MiCBT Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (449K ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 449K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #15 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 231 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Insight Network Inc | The MiCBT Institute Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
Insight Timer
The MiCBT Guide
Bugs and requests
Insight Timer
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
The MiCBT Guide
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Insight Timer
- Insight Premium Meditation$9.991 Month
- Insight Premium Meditation7 Days trial2 variants$59.991 Year
- Insight Premium Meditation1 Month trial$59.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- MemberPlus Family7 Days trial$89.991 Year
- Teacher Donation (XS)$1.99
- Meditation Course: Single Use$4.99
- Teacher Donation (S)$4.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Live Event Ticket$13.99
- Meditation Course: Multi Use$19.99
- Truth Anxiety course – Own$19.99
- Teacher Donation (M)$19.99
- Teacher Donation (L)$49.99
- Teacher Donation (XL)$99.99
The MiCBT Guide
- 1 Month Plan$8.991 Month
- 6 Months Plan$24.996 Months
- 12 Months Plan$44.991 Year









