# Insight Timer vs bliss by Gurudev

The clearest difference is update cadence: Insight Timer at weekly against bliss by Gurudev's monthly. Insight Timer also leads on ratings volume (449K 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.

Both are free to download. Insight Timer sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and bliss by Gurudev sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 449K 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.

Insight Timer ships an update weekly, bliss by Gurudev monthly. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Insight Timer | bliss by Gurudev |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (449K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insight-timer-meditate-sleep/id337472899/reviews)** | [4.8 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bliss-by-gurudev/id930904592/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **449K** | 13K |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **84.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 232 MB | 353 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Insight Network Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/983080487) | [Shankara Multimedia Services](https://appshunter.io/developer/1351552503) |

## What reviewers say

### Insight Timer

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

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #106 Top Free · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

Access a vast library of guided meditations, breathwork, sleep stories, and yoga practices from world-renowned teachers. Build healthy routines, reduce stress, and improve sleep with daily new free content and a customizable meditation timer.

**Highlights:** Thousands of guided meditations, Breathwork and breathing exercises, Sleep meditations and sounds, Yoga, Pilates, and movement, Customizable meditation timer, Progress tracking and statistics, Community groups

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| 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 |
| Live Event Ticket | $3.49 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (S) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (M) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Teacher Donation (L) | $49.99 | 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


### bliss by Gurudev

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bliss-by-gurudev/id930904592)

This app offers a comprehensive approach to meditation, integrating ancient Vedic principles with modern technology. It provides guided sessions, breathwork, sacred sounds, and wisdom from a renowned spiritual teacher to support your inner journey and self-awareness.

**Highlights:** Guided Meditations, Breathwork exercises, Sacred Sounds & Vedic chants, Wisdom Library, Meditation Tracker & Stats, Community Circles, Live Events

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sattva Digital | $5.99 | per month |
| Sattva Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Sattva Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Sattva Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Om - Guided Meditation | $0.99 | one-time |
| Relax and rejuvenate with sri sri - Guided Meditation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Calm your mind - Guided Meditation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Happiness with sri sri - Guided Meditation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Relax and let go with sri sri - Guided Meditation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Patanjali Yoga Sutras | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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 449K 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 November 8, 2026 and bliss by Gurudev on November 8, 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.*