Comparison

Insight Timer vs bliss by Gurudev

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

bliss by Gurudev

Experience ancient Vedic meditation practices with guided sessions, sacred sounds, and calming music. Track your progress, set reminders, and explore curated collections for a deeper mind-body connection. Suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

Highlights
  • Guided Meditations
  • Sacred Sounds (mantras & chants)
  • Meditative Wisdom
  • Meditation Timer & Tracker
  • Curated Collections & Playlists
  • Heart Rate & Mood Tracker
  • Progress Stats & Challenges
Features
Read full description

Meditation has ancient roots – and so does bliss. Authentic, deeply profound, and rooted in Vedic principles of meditation that millions of people have benefitted from for thousands of years, bliss brings together meditation, sacred sounds, music, breathwork, and wisdom to support your inner journey. At the heart of bliss is renowned humanitarian and spiritual teacher Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a thought leader in yoga and meditation who has guided millions of people around the world toward effortless meditation and deeper self-awareness. If you’re new to meditation, you’ll find simple yet profound practices starting from just six minutes, along with routines, goals, and reminders to help you build a consistent practice. For seasoned meditators, explore 300+ Guided Meditations, Sacred Sounds, Vedic chants and mantras, meditation music, breathwork, binaural beats, and powerful tools to deepen your practice. Set challenges, reach milestones, earn trophies, and track your meditation journey with in-depth stats. bliss offers curated collections and playlists to take the guesswork out of meditation, so you can simply close your eyes and practice according to your mood, feeling, or time of day. Explore the Wisdom Library from Gurudev, featuring videos, transcripts, and timeless insights to help you learn, reflect, and grow. You can also Ask Gurudev, connect with others through Circles, join live events, and discover new ways to bring meditation into your everyday life. Discover, explore, immerse, and unwind with bliss - where ancient wisdom meets modern technology, right in the palm of your hand. WHAT’S INCLUDED: • Guided Meditations • Sacred Sounds – Vedic mantras and chants • Breathwork • Binaural Beats • Meditation Music • Meditation Timer & Tracker • Wisdom Library from Gurudev – videos and transcripts • Ask Gurudev • Mudra Meditations • Curated Collections – based on mood, desire, and time of day • Playlists – handpicked so you can just hit play • Circles – create or join communities and practice together • Live Events • Routines – build a consistent meditation practice • Personalized Reminders – set your own notifications • Mood Tracker – track how you feel before and after meditation • In-depth Stats – track your progress and consistency • Challenges – set milestones and stay on track • Trophies – unlock achievements as you progress • Meditation Community – connect, communicate, motivate, and meditate together • Wisdom Quotes – discover and share inspiring insights • Heart Rate Monitor • Location – see the places where you’ve meditated on a map • Surprises – leave post-meditation tokens of love for your friends Terms and Conditions https://www.sattva.life/terms Privacy Policy https://www.sattva.life/privacy-policy Disclaimer https://www.sattva.life/disclaimer.html

Screenshots

Insight Timer4 screens
bliss by Gurudev4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Insight Timer at weekly against bliss by Gurudev's monthly. Insight Timer also leads on ratings volume (447K vs 13K) and chart position (#15 vs unranked). bliss by Gurudev's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 70%). 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 bliss by Gurudev sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. 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 4.8 for bliss by Gurudev. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insight Timer has 447K ratings behind it against 13K, 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 84% of bliss by Gurudev's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, bliss by Gurudev monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Insight Timer versus bliss by Gurudev: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInsight Timerbliss by Gurudev
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (447K ratings) — better4.8 (13K ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews83.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings447K — better13K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#15 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size243 MB314 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperInsight Network IncShankara Multimedia Services

Customer experience

Insight Timer

All ratings446,623 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews2,819 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative23.1%

bliss by Gurudev

All ratings12,686 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews356 reviews
Positive83.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.1%

User reviews

Insight Timer

From 447K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💤 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

Room to improve

  • 🤖 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

bliss by Gurudev

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🧘‍♀️ Excellent guided meditations
  • 🎶 Beautiful chants and music
  • 📈 Helpful progress tracking
  • 🙏 Authentic spiritual content
  • 🆓 Generous free content

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Excessive paywalled content
  • 🔍 Lack of transparency on pricing
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • 🤔 Confusing navigation in recent updates

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

bliss by Gurudev

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Meditation timer not working as expected
  • Crashes when accessing downloaded content
  • Inconsistent syncing of meditation progress

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline mode for downloaded content
  • More customization options for meditation sessions
  • Integration with third-party fitness trackers
  • Better customer support and feedback channels

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
13 purchases

bliss by Gurudev

Subscriptions5
  • Sattva Daily Meditation$1.997 Days
  • Sattva Digital$5.991 Month
  • Sattva Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Sattva Yearly Subscription$49.991 Year
  • Sattva Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time8
  • Om - Guided Meditation$0.99
  • Presets$1.99
  • Relax and rejuvenate with sri sri - Guided Meditation$1.99
Show 5 more
  • Calm your mind - Guided Meditation$1.99
  • Happiness with sri sri - Guided Meditation$1.99
  • Relax and let go with sri sri - Guided Meditation$1.99
  • Patanjali Yoga Sutras$7.99
  • Wisdom Library$7.99

Questions

Is Insight Timer free?
Insight Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is bliss by Gurudev free?
bliss by Gurudev is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Insight Timer or bliss by Gurudev?
Insight Timer is rated higher. Insight Timer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 447K ratings, while bliss by Gurudev averages 4.8 from 13K ratings.
Do Insight Timer or bliss by Gurudev have ads?
Neither Insight Timer nor bliss by Gurudev shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Insight Timer or bliss by Gurudev?
Insight Timer ships an update weekly, and bliss by Gurudev monthly. Most recently, Insight Timer was updated on September 24, 2026 and bliss by Gurudev on September 23, 2026.

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