Comparison

Insight Timer vs Guide

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

Head to head
About

Insight Timer

Access thousands of guided meditations, music tracks, and talks from world-renowned experts to calm your mind, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep. Daily new content is added, catering to both beginners and experienced practitioners.

Highlights
  • Thousands of guided meditations
  • Music tracks and ambient sounds
  • Meditation timer
  • Community discussion groups
  • Progress tracking
  • Offline listening (premium)
Features
Read full description

* Apps of the Year Winner - TIME magazine and Womens Health * * More time is spent meditating on Insight Timer than all other meditation apps * * Happiest App in the World - Tristan Harris * The number 1 free meditation app. Guided meditations and talks led by the world's top meditation and mindfulness experts, neuroscientists, psychologists and teachers from Stanford, Harvard, the University of Oxford and more. Music tracks from world-renowned artists. Join millions learning to meditate on Insight Timer to help calm the mind, reduce anxiety, manage stress, sleep deeply and improve happiness. With 80+ new free guided meditations added daily, more meditation is practiced on Insight Timer than anywhere else. Great for both beginners and experienced practitioners. FREE FEATURES: * Thousands of guided meditations * Select by time for short meditations when on the go, helping you to build a simple daily habit * Thousands of music tracks and ambient sounds to calm the mind, focus, sleep better and relax * The world's most popular meditation Timer * Follow your favourite teachers * Thousands of discussion groups and community features * Stats and milestones for tracking your progress * Integration with Apple Health Mindful Minutes Browse popular topics including: * Sleep deeply * Dealing with Anxiety and Reducing Stress * Getting through Recovery and Addictions * Self-love and Compassion * Focus and Concentration * Leadership * Better Relationships * Loving-Kindness * And much more.. Join leading meditation teachers and musicians including: * Tara Brach, Ph.D, founder of Insight Meditation Community of Washington * Mark Williams, Emeritus Professor at Oxford University * Jack Kornfield, Dartmouth, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society alongside fellow Insight Timer teachers Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein of Columbia * Gil Fronsdal, Ph.D. at Stanford University * Ram Das aka Dr Richard Alpert, Doctorate at Stanford and Harvard University teacher * Sadhguru, Indian yogi, founder of non-profit Isha Foundation * Mooji, disciple of Papaji, and devotee of the master Ramana Maharshi * Moby, international recording artist, DJ, record producer, singer, songwriter * As well as Sarah Blondin, Mary Maddux, Ajahn Achalo, Melissa Ambrosini, Bodhipaksa, Jonathan Lehmann, Jennifer Piercy, Bethany Auriel-Hagan, Kate James and many more.. Practice the following meditation types: * Secular Mindfulness * Buddhist Mindfulness * Zen * Insight Meditation * Vipassana * MBSR * Walking Meditation * Breathing Meditation * Kundalini Yoga * Metta * Advaita Vedanta * 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 through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase, and will automatically renew at the end of each term unless auto-renew 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 any questions, please reach out to us over here: https://help.insighttimer.com Privacy Policy - https://insighttimer.com/legal/privacy-policy Terms and Conditions - https://insighttimer.com/legal/terms-of-service

About

Guide

This app offers personalized meditation sessions to help reduce stress, improve sleep, and enhance overall well-being. Its AI learns from your feedback to adapt and provide more effective guidance over time. Explore a diverse library of tailored sessions for a calmer lifestyle.

Highlights
  • Customized meditation sessions
  • AI learning and adaptation
  • Diverse meditation library
  • Stress and anxiety relief
  • Sleep improvement
  • Personalized guidance
Read full description

Welcome to Guide, your personalized meditation app designed to help you find peace, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. Whether you're dealing with anxiety, trouble sleeping, or just need a moment of calm, Guide Meditation is here to support you every step of the way. Key Features Customized Meditations: Guide offers a wide range of sessions catered to your specific needs. Whether you need help with anxiety, sleep, relaxation, or stress relief, our app provides personalized guidance to help you achieve your goals. Learning and Adapting: Our AI algorithm learns from your feedback and usage patterns, continuously improving and adapting to provide more effective meditations. The more you use Guide, the better it becomes at addressing your unique needs. Diverse Meditation Library: Explore a rich library of meditation sessions that are customized to your profile, and easily refer back to your favorites. Download Guide today and start your journey to a healthier, calmer, and more balanced lifestyle. Discover the benefits of personalized meditation and experience the positive impact it can have on your mental and emotional well-being.

Screenshots

Insight Timer4 screens
Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Guide at none against Insight Timer's 14. Insight Timer's advantage is ratings volume (447K vs 11) and chart position (#16 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Insight Timer sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Insight Timer against 5.0 for Guide. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 447K ratings behind it against 11, 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 75% of Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, Guide every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Insight Timer versus Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInsight TimerGuide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (447K ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings447K — better11
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#16 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size232 MB141 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperInsight Network IncMagi, Incorporated

Customer experience

Insight Timer

All ratings446,870 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews2,820 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative23.0%

Guide

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

Guide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Insight Timer

Subscriptions4
  • 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 more
  • MemberPlus Family7 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time8
  • Teacher Donation (XS)$1.99
  • Meditation Course: Single Use$4.99
  • Teacher Donation (S)$4.99
Show 5 more
  • 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
None

Guide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Insight Timer free?
Insight Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Guide free?
Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Insight Timer or Guide?
Guide is rated higher. Insight Timer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 447K ratings, while Guide averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Insight Timer or Guide have ads?
Neither Insight Timer nor Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Insight Timer or Guide?
Insight Timer ships an update weekly, and Guide every 4 days. Most recently, Insight Timer was updated on September 26, 2026 and Guide on August 13, 2026.

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