In our fast-paced and technology-driven world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find moments of peace and calm. And if you’re someone who often experiences anxiety or moments of unrest, the challenge becomes even more significant. Amongst this chaos, apps like Calm seem like a beacon of hope, promising to help users stress less and live better. But how many of these claims are really true? Find out with us in our unbiased Calm app review after trying and testing out the app personally.
What is Calm App?
Calm is an app to promote sleep, meditation, and relaxation. With its vast repository of guided meditations, sleep stories, masterclasses, relaxing sounds, and music, it can cater to a variety of needs. It boasts a celebrity-rich portfolio with narration for stories from the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Harry Styles, LeBron James, Cillian Murphy, Jonathan Bailey, and Stephen Fry and meditation classes from renowned practitioners like Jay Shetty.
The app is available for iOS and Android and on the web, too. It has a freemium model, where you can access some content for free, but to unlock the full repository of its offerings, you need to become a paying subscriber.
Calm App Review
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to access | Limited free version |
| Sheer volume of content | Initially, the abundance of choices can be overwhelming |
| Narrators have soothing voices | It can be daunting to find your way around the app initially |
| Science-backed, well-produced content | Background noises can be annoying for some |
After trying out the Calm app, here are my two cents on the app.
Not Much for You Unless You Pay
While the Calm app is easy to access on multiple platforms (and you can also access limited content for free), it might not inspire a frequent visit from everyone who tries it, especially the free users. The reason? Most of the content is locked behind a paywall. For an app that’s meant to help “calm” users, running into this wall can be rather frustrating. Unless you’re willing to pay for the content, there are plenty of better ways to get your dose of guided meditations and sleep stories out there.
But if you do pay, the app can prove to be a wonderful experience. Of course, it does have its pros and cons, much like everything else out there, and can also run into occasional glitches which can be annoying to fix, but still, the overall experience remains positive. The huge roster of talented narrators and meditation leaders that the Calm app boasts is only a cherry on the top.
Something for everyone with Huge Content Library
While some people can find the huge library of content initially overwhelming, it’s also the app’s biggest strength. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re an adult or a kid, whether you have decided to commit plenty of time to the practice (with 30-minute sessions), are in a hurry (sure you can give it 90 seconds?), or are somewhere in between (with 10-minute sessions). You can find guided meditations, sleep stories, songs, daily calms, soundscapes, movement sessions, among other things. Stories for kids are some of the users’ most favorite.
The gamut of available meditations caters to everyone; there are meditations for sleep, anxiety, stress, work, beginners, etc. It also has additional tools like mood check-ins, breathing exercises, and activities to help you be more mindful. The app can prove to be a great aid in helping you build a habit of meditation. Long-term practice of meditation can have a significant positive impact on your life and even strengthen your brain.
The App is Built to Help You
The creators of the app have put a lot of thought into how every inch of the app is meant to help you. As soon as you open the app, you’re greeted with their mantra, “Take a deep breath”, which is more than just a marketing gimmick. In a fast-paced world where we often forget to take a breath, the reminder is always helpful.
Background scenes and noises also work wonderfully for most people; a pluviophile like me especially loves the variety of scenes with rain that calms me.
It’s also easy to navigate the app, once you spend a few minutes with it. Yes, the home page can feel somewhat chaotic, but the menu bar at the bottom makes it easier to explore the app and discover different content.
It also encourages you to meditate with notifications and the Calm Reset notifications throughout the day can also prove helpful.
Final Thoughts
To sum up the Calm app review? It is a great app that can be extremely helpful in building a meditation habit or help you relax and go to sleep if you’re not a particularly great sleeper. However the cost of the app can turn out to be a disappointment for most users. However, if the budget is not a problem, then the Calm app would make a great addition to your arsenal.