App-solutely! Calm vs. Headspace: Best Meditation App for a Calm Mind and ADHD
Comparing Calm and Headspace: Meditation Apps for Inner Peace and ADHD Relief
This is the first post of a regular series focused on reviewing and providing my insights on different apps ability to reduce and manage ADHD, anxiety & depression symptoms. Every other week, I will spend 7 days prior reviewing and scoring new apps using a subjective 1-5 point system. The criteria & things to note:
User Interface: Is the app easy to navigate? Is the aesthetic simple, pleasing and not overwhelming?
Effectiveness: How well does the app help in managing my ADHD, anxiety or depression symptoms?
Features: What features does the app offer? Are they unique or better than the other app?
Value for money: What free or paid options are there? What is the difference and is it good value for the cost?
TL;DR = Too Long, Didn’t Read
The amount of ⭐s I use to score apps is subjective. What works for me may not work for you!
I am reviewing this as a 29 year old male ADHD-addled iPhone user, but it will be applicable to Android users too. The benefits for you? You’ll gain valuable insights into which apps could be your ally, and which ones you may want to pass on! Let’s dive in…
I’ve found managing conditions like ADHD, anxiety, and depression can be a formidable challenge. I’ve used meditation and mindfulness apps on-and-off since my early 20s, and generally find them useful in the mornings to set the day right, and in high pressure situations where symptoms are rife. I use them to sleep too! I’ve also had trouble sticking to the exercises regularly, which in itself is a symptom of ADHD (habit forming difficulties, I’m looking at you).
Two giants in the meditation app industry are Headspace and Calm. For todays post, I am reviewing these in the context of ADHD and anxiety, but not my depression. This is because I’ve felt pretty content recently, so whilst the quality of the content will suffer, my mental health has not. This is down to an increase of Squashies consumption.
He’s starting to go off on a tangent I hear you say! He’s lost his mind on the first post you say!
🙂.
I digress. The question lingers for you reader: which app should I download?
TL;DR (for those who need a quick summary)
User Interface:
Headspace: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Both apps offer similar quality ADHD friendly interfaces. Easy to follow and not too crowded, which I like, as using the interwebz these days exhausts me with its pop ups.
Effectiveness
Headspace: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐₁/₂
Headspace narration is paced slowly and infrequent, which caters to my listening style better due to less distractions. I often felt tangible clarity post exercise.
Calm has a more intense narration, sometimes with affirmations, which didn’t resonate or alleviate anxiety / inattentiveness that much due to the distraction.
Features
Headspace: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Headspace has a useful ‘SOS’ exercise feature that helped alleviate my ADHD and anxiety symptoms in crisis moments e.g. “I’ve got a work presentation! I’ve forgotten my keys! I have existential dread!”
Calm offers goal curated series and a dedicated ADHD Support Series features which laser focused onto some of my symptoms, helping reframe my perceived ‘weaknesses’ as strengths.
Value for Money (UK app version)
Headspace: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Headspace is £9.99 per month / £49.99 per annum, great value for money considering the features and effectiveness.
Calm is £9.99 per month / £39.99 per annum (or £23.99 with 40% sign up discount), again, great value for money considering the features and effectiveness. If you don’t mind the different narrating style, the annual subscription is a bargain.
The monthly fee is literally cheaper than a cocktail in London.
Overall
Headspace: 17/20 ⭐
Calm: 17.5/20 ⭐
Not much between them. It’s horses for courses at this stage. Neeeigghhhh
They are both useful in different situations. 🙂
Which app I’d use for my ADHD / anxiety symptoms:
Reducing rejection sensitivity: Calm
Reducing sound sensitivity: Headspace
Getting overwhelmed: Calm
Concentrating on a task / project: Headspace
Improving time-keeping & forgetfulness: No preference
Racing mind before bed: Headspace
The Deep Dive (for the details people)
Introducing…
🚀 Headspace: The Mindfulness Maverick
Headspace, sculpted by the wisdom of Andy Puddicombe, offers a sanctuary for mindfulness and meditation aficionados. It boasts a treasure trove of guided meditation sessions, sleep-inducing soundscapes, and mindfulness exercises catering to diverse needs. Headspace provides single or course exercises, with the courses focused on building skill in a particular area e.g. Managing Anxiety. Singles are aimed towards crisis moments or taking a break in the day.
🌅 Calm: Your Gateway to Serenity
Calm, the tranquil virtuoso, enchants users with immersive visuals and guided meditations. It lulls stress to sleep with soothing stories, breathing exercises, and calming harmonies, striving to be your trusted ally in managing life’s tempests. Like Headspace, Calm also uses the single and course system for its exercises.
….
Now the GOOD STUFF!
📊 Scores & Insights: A Deep Dive
UI
Headspace: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Headspace
Has a ‘Start your day’ meditation framework in the ‘Today’ tab, which takes you through short exercises that are clearly marked through morning, afternoon, and night. I found this menu option useful as structure increases the chance of me actually doing the meditation
Simple graphics and photos next to each exercise helped engage my brain
Calm
A little more ad-hoc, with 5 different meditations you can randomize in the ‘Home’ tab, however, the exercises themselves are not as thematically congruent as Headspace
More realistic images next to exercises
Both apps
Allow you to easily view history, minutes meditated, streaks and total sessions in the ‘Profile’ tab, which is useful to reflect on your accomplishments in a nice visual format. If, like me, you forgot your successes quite a lot, this can help with building your confidence
From a UI perspective, there was no winner for me. Both apps incorporate engaging visuals, easy to navigate / simple interfaces and trackable progress.
Effectiveness
Headspace: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐₁/₂
Headspace
There is a selection of narrators you can choose for each exercise. I found having the option to choose helpful, depending on my preference in the moment e.g. Andy is calming, whereas another narrator may be more energizing
Exercises have a more 'hands off’ approach, with commentary and guidance in the course kept minimal, but at just the right frequency. This was a differentiator for me vs Calm, as I can get irritated by distractions and voices when trying to meditate
Headspace is highly effective in reducing symptoms in times of need in its singles. The courses are a little harder to stick to, but after completing one on ‘Managing Anxiety’, I felt an improved sense of space and calm prior to going down an anxiety rabbit hole
Calm
Different exercises have different narrators, but I couldn’t select from an option of narrators when about to click play (that I could find anyway). This means less flexibility if you’d prefer to listen to a voice you prefer depending on your mood
Commentary is at a higher frequency than that of Headspace, and at a faster pace. This didn’t work as well for me as I suffer cognitively with too many sounds, and need a slower pace when meditating. I’m a sensitive soul
The scene volume option is useful if you need a grounding white noise to go along with the meditation. I found this useful when in an ADHD ‘SOS’ situation
Sometimes affirmations were at the end of exercises. These do not resonate with me, as I am more of a visualizer, and I’ve never connected with affirmations
The ADHD Support Series is a difference maker. The narrator is a meditation teacher that goes through strengths and symptoms - he also has ADHD. This resonated strongly, and I felt heard. The actual exercise goes through things like creativity, urges to move and sensitivity - having someone talk about the strength of these symptoms was refreshing and empowering, albeit the narration was still too frequent for me
Both apps
Options to select shorter or longer versions of the same exercise, which is useful when on the go with headphones in
Features
Headspace: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Headspace
Boasts mood categories you can select in the ‘Explore’ tab, which then refine and list the meditation types for the mood you select e.g. if you are sad, select ‘Sad’ at the top, and you’ll get a course to help you acknowledge and accept the sadness
Once you select a course, it auto-tracks your progress. I found this provides a pleasing dopamine reward once a green tick appears post exercise. The exercise structure and content is a great feature, but having to type a mood or goal can feel a little ad-hoc and too much effort to find what you need (as opposed to pre-defined goals in Calm)
For single exercises, it provides you with total minutes meditated (13,141 for me!) and your current run streak (admittedly 1, because I forgot yesterday). Again, the tracking of progress is a nice motivator to use habitually
‘SOS’ exercises have been a game-changer for me. If I feel overwhelmed, frustrated or can’t sleep, there are emergency exercises that can alleviate symptoms. I find this feature a differentiator as they are easy to find. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used the ‘Racing Mind’ SOS exercise when trying to sleep!
Calm
With courses, you can select from a menu option of ‘goals’ which then auto-curates singles and courses for you to complete. I found this more useful over Headspace as it reduces complexity and makes it easier to make a decision by selecting pre-defined goals e.g. Improve Focus
New & Noteworthy section has a mix of sleep stories, bespoke content like People Pleasing meditations, and albums of soundscapes to soothe the mind
Also has SOS options, but these are a little harder to find as I had to type ‘SOS’ in to get to the exercises. This can be a barrier if too many steps exhausts you
Background scene volume can be adjusted in Calm, which is useful depending on your sensory sensitivity
Both apps
Singles and courses tailored for specific situations or goals, with categories that can be selected at the top to curate meditation exercises
Long-form music options and soundscapes are available - however I didn’t find these particularly useful due to my hectic workload and being time-poor. These could be useful if you have the time and patience to sit still, or want to laser focus on a task for 30-45 mins
UK Price Value via App
Headspace: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Calm: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Headspace
The free version is quite restricted to basic exercises
The paid option is £9.99 per month, which I find excellent value for money when you look at the UI, features and effectiveness of the app. For context, the average price of a pint in London is £5.90! So 2 of these is well worth it. 😉
There is a £49.99 annual option as well, which saves you £69.89 if you pay in one go as opposed to monthly. Using the pint ratio method, the annual fee translates to approx. 8.47 pints.
Calm
The free version is even more restrictive than Headspace, with free content not immediately available on the homepage
The paid version is also £9.99 per month. However, it does have a 40% offer option when you download and sign up via the Calm app. The annual subscription is normally £39.99, which is £10.00 cheaper than the annual Headspace, and with the discount it’s £23.99, which is £26.00 cheaper!
Both apps
Free tiers with restricted access
Paid tiers: You can do a free 7-day trial period, so I recommend trying before you buy. Both have the same monthly price, but Calm is cheaper if you get annual. Albeit, I signed up to Headspace years ago, whereas I’ve had Calm in the last few weeks for this review, so I may be missing a Headspace discount as a new user. In terms of value for money, despite being more expensive, Headspace still wins for me due to its narration pacing, ‘SOS’ exercises and on par features vs Calm. However there is not much in it! You may find Calm a perfect alternative if you’d prefer to opt for a cheaper yearly option, and you don’t mind (or prefer) the narration pacing.
Overall
Headspace (17/20) ⭐
Calm (17.5/20) ⭐
It’s barely a hairs breadth between them! I don’t want to recommend one app over another, because I feel both have differentiators that can be more or less useful for individuals depending on their mind-set and needs. Therefore, I’ll jot some thoughts down on which apps best suited my ADHD symptoms…
Preferences for my ADHD symptoms:
Reducing rejection sensitivity: Calm. The ADHD Support Series is the key difference here, with an ADHD meditation coach narrating each course. Specifically, they talk about and ask questions on multiple ADHD symptoms, which reframed some of my thinking e.g. my heightened sensitivity is empathy, and I can harness this when communicating in relationships and work calls by actively listening and picking up on how people feel
Reducing sound sensitivity: Headspace. The narration pacing works for me, with a more hands off approach to the spoken guidance on the courses
Getting overwhelmed: Calm. The ability to select your desired goal which produces curated content specific to it, reduces feeling overwhelmed when looking at the app
Concentration: Headspace. Again, the narration style helps me focus on the actual exercise more, and I found that I had heightened clarity after ‘SOS’ exercises
Improving time-keeping & forgetfulness: No preference. You can listen to both at home or on the go with or without headphones, and both have shorter and longer versions of exercises to go through if you’re tight for time. They also both provide reminder options each day if you need.
Racing mind before bed: Headspace. The ‘SOS’ exercises are absolutely perfect for calming my brain down and getting me in a relaxed state to sleep. I’ve used them 100s of times.
And that brings us to the end. These are my just thoughts! Have you had a different experience? Anything I’ve missed? What apps / criteria do you want me to review next time? Do you want me to do something differently? Leave a comment or reply via email!
Stay tuned for the next App-solutely! review on 26th September! 📆
*Disclaimer: this review is based on my own personal experience as someone who has had ADHD, anxiety & depression for 15 years. I was diagnosed with ADHD last May, and since then I’ve been using Headspace and Calm sporadically, and in depth for the last 7 days. Please make your own judgement on how well these apps work for you, as I am not a professional, but a 29 year-old man who wants to make sense of his muddled mind!*
Wow, this is seriously comprehensive! Bravo! 👏