Comparison

Insight Timer vs DreamFlow

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

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

About

DreamFlow

This app uses Cognitive Shuffling to calm your mind and ease you into restful sleep. It offers personalized voices, background sounds, and multi-language support to reduce stress and anxiety.

Highlights
  • Cognitive Shuffling technique
  • Personalized voices in 7 languages
  • 6 calming background sounds
  • Siri integration for easy start
  • Stress and anxiety reduction
Features
Read full description

DreamFlow - Your Guide to Restful Sleep Dreams Made Easy. DreamFlow is incredibly easy to use—simply set your preferences and ask Siri, "Help me sleep." The app will automatically start with your predefined settings, allowing you to sit back, relax, and let your dreams flow. Using the powerful Cognitive Shuffling technique, DreamFlow helps calm your mind, easing you into restful sleep. By stimulating both the right and left hemispheres of your brain, the app quiets intrusive thoughts and alleviates anxiety, ensuring you drift off peacefully. Key Features: Easy Setup: Just set your preferences, create a shortcut, and use Siri to start your sleep session. Relax, and let DreamFlow do the rest. Cognitive Shuffling Method: Combat racing thoughts with a proven technique that promotes relaxation and sleep. Personalized Voices: Choose from a variety of voices in 7 languages, including premium voices for a soothing, customizable experience. Background Sounds: Select from 6 calming sounds, with adjustable volume levels to create your perfect sleep environment. Multi-language Support: DreamFlow speaks your language—available in 7 different languages for a tailored experience. Relax & Unwind: The calming combination of words and sounds helps reduce stress and anxiety, guiding you to sleep effortlessly. Whether you're dealing with sleepless nights or need help unwinding, DreamFlow provides the perfect solution for a peaceful mind and a restful sleep. Download now and let DreamFlow help you drift into a better night's sleep! End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Insight Timer4 screens
DreamFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Insight Timer at weekly against DreamFlow's every 6 weeks. Insight Timer also leads on ratings volume (448K vs 3) and chart position (#17 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and DreamFlow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 DreamFlow. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 448K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, DreamFlow every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Insight Timer versus DreamFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInsight TimerDreamFlow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (448K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings448K — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#17 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size232 MB19 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperInsight Network IncLeonardo Carnevale

Customer experience

Insight Timer

All ratings447,855 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews2,916 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral7.1%
Negative23.0%

DreamFlow

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

DreamFlow

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
3 purchases

DreamFlow

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Access7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium Access (1 Year)1 Month trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Access$1.99

Questions

Is Insight Timer free?
Insight Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DreamFlow free?
DreamFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Insight Timer or DreamFlow?
DreamFlow is rated higher. Insight Timer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 448K ratings, while DreamFlow averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Insight Timer or DreamFlow have ads?
Neither Insight Timer nor DreamFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Insight Timer or DreamFlow?
Insight Timer ships an update weekly, and DreamFlow every 6 weeks. Most recently, Insight Timer was updated on October 19, 2026 and DreamFlow on September 23, 2026.

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