Our phones are a gateway to everything these days, and even meditation hasn’t escaped this shift. Meditation apps are booming, and Calm is one of the apps leading this caravan of mental well-being apps in the app stores. But its popularity often comes with a question in tow, “Is Calm App Free to Use?” The answer is a bit more nuanced than a simple black-and-white Yes or No. So, let’s explore this shade of grey when concerns this sleep and meditation app, shall we?
Can You Use the Calm App For Free?
Yes, you can install and use the Calm app for free from the App Store or Play Store. The app follows a freemium model, where some limited features of the app are available for free, but the rest of the content is locked. To unlock it, you need to shell out money for a subscription.
You can get access to some of these features for free:
- Some Timed Meditations. While the full Calm library boasts a huge collection of timed meditations, you can only access a few beginner timed meditations for free to get a taste of whether the app might be the right choice for you.
- Day 1 session of their multi-day programs like the 7-days of Focus or 21-days of Sleep programs.
- One breathing exercise
- One Sleep Story titled ‘Blue Gold’, narrated by Stephen Fry.
- Free background scenes.
- One free song titled ‘At the Mercy of the Waves’.
Other than that, you can access many resources for free from this Calm page.
To access the rest of the content, like their daily calms, a huge library of timed meditations from prominent teachers like Jay Shetty, Calm Masterclasses, the complete collection of sleep stories, some from the likes of Matthew McConaughey, an entire music collection, etc., you have to buy the Calm subscription.
How much does Calm App Cost?
The Calm app costs around $49.99 when billed annually, or $399.99 for a lifetime subscription; these prices can go slightly up or down depending on your region. You can also get a 7-day free trial that gives you access to the entire Calm app for free.
You can also get a monthly subscription for about $14.99 (varies depending on your region), but you won’t get the 7-day free trial with it.
If you did take the free trial, you need to cancel the free trial in time (otherwise, you’ll be charged for the yearly subscription), and subscribe to the monthly subscription separately from the app.
Is Calm app worth it?
There’s no denying that the price of the subscription for the Calm app is on the steeper side when compared to other similar apps. But it depends on your personal preference. Many users love the app because of everything it offers, while others find the price excessive. If you want to make meditation a regular habit, the Calm app subscription might be a worthy investment for you.
You can take the free-trial to see if you like the app. There are also cheaper alternatives, like Headspace, or free apps like Medito or 1 Giant Mind, that you can check out.
FAQs
Is Calm app free for Kaiser members?
Yes, if you are a Kaiser Permanente member, you should be able to access all the premium content of the Calm app for free, along with some other apps like Headspace Care and myStrength.
You can navigate to www.kp.org/selfcareapps and log in with your Kaiser Permanente account to find out your eligibility. After logging in, click on Calm. You’ll automatically be redirected to sign up for the app if you are eligible for a free account.
Is Calm app free for NHS Staff?
Not anymore. The National Health Service (NHS), UK staff has been given access to a number of wellbeing apps for their mental health, including Headspace, Unmind, Sleepio, Daylight, and SilverCloud. But Calm is not one of them anymore. NHS Staff could access the Calm app for free (after getting approval) around COVID-19, but that’s no longer the case. However, they can access the free content of the app, just like everyone else.
Is Calm app free for Nurses?
Unfortunately, the Calm app is not free for nurses, neither does the app have any ongoing promotions for nurses that gets the subscription at a discounted price. The only healthcare members who can access the app for free are Kaiser Permanente members, as outlined above.
Is Calm app free for Teachers?
Yes. Under the Calm Schools initiative the app has started for schools and mental well-being of teachers and kids, any teacher for a K-12 classroom anywhere in the world can access the entire Calm library (including Calm kids) for free. All you have to do is fill out this form and you will be given access to the app within a few days.
Is Calm app free for Students?
Sadly, no. Calm app is not free for students to use. The app had a promotional offer going on previously where students could get a discount for the subscription, but that offer has now expired.
If you’re a student who would like to improve your mental well-being, you can share the details of the Calm Schools initiative with your teacher. They can then start a meditation program for you at school using the abundant resources that the app offers for teachers.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, our in-depth article has covered everything you wanted to know about whether the Calm app is free to use. As stated above, you can use a limited version of the app for free, which is great for casual users who are just dipping their toes into meditation and want to try out the apps’ interface and some functionality before committing to a subscription.