# Calm vs KickIn

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.

Both are free to download. Calm sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. KickIn asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calm | KickIn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kickin/id6780361799/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2M** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 63.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#6** | — |
| Size | 171 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Calm.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/571800813) | [Seema Sharma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1848287509) |

## What reviewers say

### Calm

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calm/id571800810)

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #47 Top Free · Health & Fitness, #131 Top Grossing (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calm Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $16.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $29.99 | per month |
| Calm Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Calm Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Calm Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Calm Premium | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💤 Helpful for sleep
- 🧘‍♀️ Effective for meditation and relaxation
- 🎨 Variety of content (sleep stories, meditations, music)
- 🙏 Positive impact on mental health
- 🤗 Soothing narrators

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Limited free content
- 🕰️ Difficulty finding specific content
- 🔁 Repetitive sleep stories
- 🙃 Accessibility issues for disabled users

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Add repeat button for sleep stories
- Separate kids and adult content
- Allow creating custom playlists
- Improve search and navigation
- Add more diverse narrator voices


### KickIn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kickin/id6780361799)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*