# Insight Timer vs Pocket Meditation Timer

The clearest difference is rating: Insight Timer at 4.9 against Pocket Meditation Timer's 4.4. Insight Timer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). Pocket Meditation Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and review sentiment (79% vs 70%). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Insight Timer sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Pocket Meditation Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Insight Timer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 449K ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Insight Timer's written reviews are positive against 79% of Pocket Meditation Timer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, Pocket Meditation Timer every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Insight Timer | Pocket Meditation Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (449K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insight-timer-meditate-sleep/id337472899/reviews)** | [4.4 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-meditation-timer/id515571863/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **449K** | 1.5K |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **79.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 231 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Insight Network Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/983080487) | [倩 赵](https://appshunter.io/developer/376557917) |

## What reviewers say

### Insight Timer

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

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #95 Top Free · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| 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 |
| Meditation Course: Single Use | $4.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (S) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Live Event Ticket | $13.99 | one-time |
| Meditation Course: Multi Use | $19.99 | one-time |
| Truth Anxiety course – Own | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (M) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (L) | $49.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (XL) | $99.99 | 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


### Pocket Meditation Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-meditation-timer/id515571863)

This app helps users focus on their meditation practice without worrying about time. It offers customizable timers with unique sounds, background options, and reminders to support mindfulness and stress reduction.

**Highlights:** Customizable meditation schedules, Prepare, interval, and cool down timers, Unique sound options for each section, Shake to change background images, Unlimited practice reminders, Password protection

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🕰️ Customizable timer options
- 🔔 Pleasant chime sounds
- 🧘‍♀️ Helpful for meditation practice
- 📊 Syncs with Health app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Disruptive ads with sound
- 🔇 Ads ruin meditation experience
- 🔁 Can't save multiple timer settings
- 🔋 Battery drain issues

**Reported bugs**

- Timer issues (minutes counting as seconds, not working properly)
- App freezing or crashing

**Requested features**

- Option to pay for ad-free version
- Ability to save multiple timer presets
- Background ambient sounds during meditation
- Interval chimes at custom time points


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Insight Timer free?

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

### Is Pocket Meditation Timer free?

Pocket Meditation Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Insight Timer is rated higher. Insight Timer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 449K ratings, while Pocket Meditation Timer averages 4.4 from 1.5K ratings.

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

Pocket Meditation Timer shows ads; Insight Timer does not.

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

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, and Pocket Meditation Timer every 7 months. Most recently, Insight Timer was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pocket Meditation Timer on October 29, 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.*