Comparison

The Mindfulness App vs UCLA Mindful

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

Head to head
About

The Mindfulness App

Access over 500 guided meditations, sleep stories, and courses from global experts. Customize silent or guided sessions with various background sounds and durations. Track your progress and integrate with Apple Health and Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • 500+ guided meditations and courses
  • Sleep stories for relaxation
  • Customizable silent or guided sessions
  • Multiple background sounds
  • Personalized user statistics
  • Apple Health and Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

With over 500 guided meditations, sleep stories and courses from experts around the world, we have options for every mood, time of the day and for everyone from beginners to experienced. • Guided meditations and courses of different topics in over 10 different languages. • Sleep Stories for a gentle closing of the day. • Reminders to help you remember to meditate. • Daily Notices to keep you mindful throughout the day. • Personalized user statistics. • The Mindfulness App saves your meditation sessions to your Apple Health App. • Apple Watch Integration. If you find that you enjoy a silent meditation, or simply want to include a personalized meditation into your practice, you can pick and choose between: • 3-99 minute meditations. • Option of silent or guided. • Inclusion of bells and a guided introduction. • Different background sounds such as forest, rain, waves and more. • Possibility to save your favorites for quick access. As a new user, you have the option to take advantage of our Free Trial that allows you to test the app and access all premium content for a full seven days. Included in our Premium Subscription: • Unlimited access to all meditations and courses in over 20 different topics. • Make meditations and course sessions available offline. • Regularly updated content allows you to discover new favorite meditations and teachers. For those that wish to have access to our premium version, we offer auto-renewable subscription: • $79.99 per year These prices are for US customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. We’re here to help you find what meets your needs and make meditation work for your daily life to improve your inner well-being. We want to be a part of your mindfulness journey, making it possible to meditate wherever you may be! Read the terms and conditions here: https://themindfulnessapp.com/terms-of-service Read the privacy policy here: https://themindfulnessapp.com/privacy-policy

About

UCLA Mindful

Practice mindfulness meditation with guided sessions and educational content from UCLA Health. Learn to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate positive emotions through regular practice. Explore various meditation types, informative videos, and weekly recordings to enhance your well-being.

Highlights
  • Guided basic meditations
  • Wellness meditations for health conditions
  • Informative videos on mindfulness
  • Weekly live/virtual meditation recordings
  • Talks on mindfulness topics
  • Customizable meditation timer
Features
Read full description

With this easy-to-use app, you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, anytime with the guidance of UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center of UCLA Health. Scientific research shows mindfulness can help manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, and cultivate positive emotions. Mindfulness is paying attention to our present moment experiences with openness and curiosity and a willingness to be with our experience. Through regular practice, taught through this app, you can develop a meditation practice and learn to bring more mindfulness into your daily life. This app offers: • Basic Meditations for getting started in multiple languages. Languages include Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mixteco, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, American Sign Language • Wellness Meditations for people suffering from challenging health conditions • Informative videos exploring how to get started, supportive meditation postures, and the science of mindfulness • Weekly recordings from our live and virtual drop-in meditations -- a 30-minute meditation on different themes you can search for and bookmark • Talks on mindfulness-related topics • A timer to meditate on your own • A list of our current events and classes that you can add to your calendar UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center of UCLA Health, is dedicated to advancing mindfulness education to promote individual and cultural well-being and resilience world-wide. Our mission is to provide innovative, evidence-based mindfulness programs that empower individuals and institutions to manage stress, enhance health, and cultivate inner and outer peace. Through educational programs, we strive to inspire transformative growth and contribute to a culture of compassion and wellness for all. Due to UCLA Mindful’s mission of radical accessibility, this app is entirely free to use. Disclaimer: These meditations are for educational purposes and are not clinical treatments.

Screenshots

The Mindfulness App4 screens
UCLA Mindful4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UCLA Mindful at none against The Mindfulness App's 13. The Mindfulness App's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 176). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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. The Mindfulness App sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. UCLA Mindful asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Mindfulness App holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Mindfulness App has 7.6K ratings behind it against 176, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 76% and 77% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Mindfulness App ships an update fortnightly, UCLA Mindful every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
The Mindfulness App versus UCLA Mindful: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Mindfulness AppUCLA Mindful
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (7.6K ratings) — better4.5 (176 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews76.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K — better176
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReflective Technologies ApSUCLA Health

Customer experience

The Mindfulness App

All ratings7,564 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews669 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral6.4%
Negative17.3%

UCLA Mindful

All ratings176 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral0.6%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative18.3%

Bugs and requests

The Mindfulness App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

UCLA Mindful

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 🐛 Loop repeat did not replay when screen is locked
  • 🐛 Audio stops when iPhone screen locks/turns off
  • 🐛 Back button disappears on search podcast tab
  • 🐛 Search in previous podcast is slow to respond
  • 🐛 Custom timer doesn't work as intended
Show 1 more
  • 🐛 Meditations won't load (show 0 time)

Requested features

6 requests
  • Offline access/downloadable sessions
  • More voice diversity (ethnicity and gender)
  • Add to Apple Health for tracking mindful minutes
  • Improve pausing points for Vietnamese meditations
  • Remove the ding at the end of tracks
Show 1 more
  • Wider selection of UCLA courses/Diana Winston meditations

In-app purchases

12 purchases

The Mindfulness App

Subscriptions12
  • Stress Relief with Mindfulness$2.991 Month
  • Sleep Better$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • 1 Month Premium$9.991 Month
  • Premium Library7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • 1 Year Premium1 Year trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual Membership7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • 1 Year Premium1 Month trial$59.991 Year
  • Premium Full Access1 Year trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual Membership1 Year trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Annual Membership7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Annual Membership1 Year trial$99.991 Year
None

UCLA Mindful

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Mindfulness App free?
The Mindfulness App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UCLA Mindful free?
UCLA Mindful is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Mindfulness App or UCLA Mindful?
The Mindfulness App is rated higher. The Mindfulness App averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while UCLA Mindful averages 4.5 from 176 ratings.
Do The Mindfulness App or UCLA Mindful have ads?
Neither The Mindfulness App nor UCLA Mindful shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Mindfulness App or UCLA Mindful?
The Mindfulness App ships an update fortnightly, and UCLA Mindful every 3 months. Most recently, The Mindfulness App was updated on October 24, 2026 and UCLA Mindful on October 25, 2026.

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