Comparison

Calm vs KickIn

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

Head to head
About

Calm

This app offers guided meditations, sleep stories, music, and breathing exercises to help users reduce stress, anxiety, and improve sleep. It caters to all experience levels, integrating mindfulness into daily routines for enhanced mental well-being.

Highlights
  • Guided meditations
  • Sleep Stories
  • Breathwork exercises
  • Relaxing music
  • Stretching exercises
  • Mindfulness programs
Features
Read full description

Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. Find anxiety relief, stress relief, and better sleep through breathing exercises, sleep sounds, deep sleep music, and mindfulness programs for insomnia, beginner meditation, and beyond. Downloaded by 180 million people worldwide. Fall asleep faster with Sleep Stories, bedtime stories for adults narrated by Matthew McConaughey, Stephen Fry, P\!nk, Bob Ross, and more. Only on Calm. Manage stress, relieve anxiety, improve your sleep cycle, and refocus your attention. Apple App of the Year. Apple Editors' Choice. Happiest App in the World (Center for Humane Technology). 3M+ five-star reviews. Recommended by top psychologists, therapists, and mental health experts. SLEEP STORIES — ONLY ON CALM * Drift off to Matthew McConaughey's Wonder — a dreamy journey through the mysteries of the universe * Travel through the village of Provence with master storyteller Stephen Fry in Blue Gold * Fall asleep to the soothing brush strokes of beloved painter Bob Ross in Happy Little Zzzs * Tackle insomnia with 100+ exclusive Sleep Stories, new content added every month MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS * Beginner meditation to advanced practice — guided sessions for every experience level * Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt, Daily Jay with Jay Shetty, Daily Trip with Jeff Warren * Mindfulness topics: deep sleep, anxiety relief, stress relief, focus, breaking habits, self-care, personal growth, and more * 7- and 21-day mindfulness programs to build a lasting practice ANXIETY RELIEF & RELAXATION * Breathing exercises and breathwork to ease anxiety, stress, and insomnia * Bilateral stimulation music and neuroacoustic sounds for nervous system regulation and somatic relaxation * Guided breathwork for stress relief, anxiety relief, and deep calm * Stress management and self-healing through Dailies: programs for social anxiety, personal growth, and mood balance * Mindful movement and stretching with Daily Move SLEEP SOUNDS, MUSIC & SOUNDSCAPES * Calming music, nature sounds, and sleep sounds: ocean waves, heavy rain, campfire, and more * Exclusive focus and sleep music from top artists * Full soundscapes and sleep sounds to help you relax, meditate, and sleep soundly ALSO FEATURING * Daily Streaks & Mindful Minutes — emotion and mental health tracker * Calm saves your meditation and sleep sessions to your Apple Health app. Mental health is health. Calm is for anyone looking to improve their sleep, manage stress, and address everyday anxiety. Meditation novice or seasoned expert. Take a deep breath and find your Calm. Calm is free to download and use. There are never any ads and some of the programs and features are free forever. Some content is only available through an optional paid subscription. Be sure to check out our Apple Watch app to quick-start breathing exercises and track your meditations. Calm offers an auto-renewing subscription to provide you with unlimited access to the Calm Collection while you maintain an active subscription. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes Account when you confirm the initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of the renewal will be identified. You may manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. Read more about our terms and conditions here: Terms of service: https://www.calm.com/terms Privacy policy: https://www.calm.com/privacy

About

KickIn

This app streamlines the check-in process for martial arts students. It allows students to quickly find their name and confirm their attendance with a few taps, making class entry efficient for everyone.

Highlights
  • Simple A-Z student navigation
  • Large, easy-to-read buttons
  • Customizable studio branding
  • Secure studio login
  • Reliable class check-in
Features
Read full description

KickIn makes student check-in simple for martial arts studios. Students can check themselves in with just a few taps - find their name alphabetically and confirm. FEATURES: • Simple A-Z navigation • Large, easy-to-read buttons • Custom studio branding • Secure studio login • Works reliably every class Studio owners log in once, then students handle check-in themselves.

Screenshots

Calm4 screens
KickIn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KickIn at none against Calm's 12. KickIn also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Calm's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 weeks) and ratings volume (2M vs 1). On price 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. Calm sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. KickIn asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KickIn holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calm has 2M ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calm ships an update every 4 days, KickIn every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Calm versus KickIn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalmKickIn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2M ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings2M — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size171 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalm.comSeema Sharma

Customer experience

Calm

All ratings1,986,354 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews4,070 reviews
Positive63.7%
Neutral7.6%
Negative28.8%

KickIn

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Calm

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Playback issues with audio and video
  • Difficulty cancelling subscription

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add repeat button for sleep stories
  • Separate kids and adult content
  • Allow creating custom playlists
  • Improve search and navigation
  • Add more diverse narrator voices
Show 1 more
  • Provide text-based instructions for techniques

KickIn

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Calm

Subscriptions8
  • Calm Subscription$14.991 Month
  • Calm Premium$14.991 Month
  • Calm Premium$16.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Calm Premium$29.991 Month
  • Calm Premium$69.991 Year
  • Calm Premium7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
  • Calm Premium7 Days trial3 variants$79.991 Year
  • Calm Premium$79.991 Year
None

KickIn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Calm free?
Calm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is KickIn free?
KickIn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Calm or KickIn?
KickIn is rated higher. Calm averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2M ratings, while KickIn averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Calm or KickIn have ads?
Calm shows ads; KickIn does not.
Which is updated more often, Calm or KickIn?
Calm ships an update every 4 days, and KickIn every 4 weeks. Most recently, Calm was updated on October 18, 2026 and KickIn on October 10, 2026.

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