Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Balance vs Calm

Balance 4.9★ · Free + IAP 85
Winner Balance
Calm 4.8★ · Free + IAP 70

Balance is generally preferred for its guided, personalized meditation approach and effective sleep aids, while Calm offers a wider variety of content but struggles with user experience and customer support.

Full reviews: Balance · Calm

Balance excels with its personalized meditation plans and highly effective sleep content, though some users note a lack of new content over time. Calm offers a broad range of meditations and sleep stories but faces criticism for its busy interface, paywalls, and poor customer service.

Head to head

Features and Content Variety edge: BalanceR1R2R6R9
Balance Balance users appreciate the personalized plans, guided meditations, and effective sleep sounds, with many finding it superior to other apps for learning meditation and managing stress R25R29. However, a significant number of long-term users express disappointment with the lack of new content and updates to existing plans, leading to a stagnant experience over time R1R2R6R9.
Calm Calm offers a wide variety of content, including sleep stories, music, and daily meditations, with specific narrators like Harry Styles and Matthew McConaughey being popular for sleep . Some users, however, find the selection of sleep stories annoying or mediocre and note a lack of specific sound effects like rain hitting a rooftop . There are also complaints about content repetition .
Ease of Use and Interface edge: BalanceR8R23R25R29
Balance Balance is praised for its clear, informative, and easy-to-follow guidance, making it great for beginners and those seeking structured meditation R8R25R29R32. Users appreciate the non-overwhelming variety and the ability to choose between male and female narrators . Some minor suggestions include adding a widget feature for ADHD users and more flexible timer options for sleep sessions R23.
Calm Calm's interface is frequently criticized for being busy, confusing, and disorganized, with too many pop-ups and notifications . Users find it difficult to navigate and personalize, especially when trying to quickly access content . The app's design is seen as the opposite of 'calm' by some .
Reliability and Performance tieR4R7R16R67
Balance Balance users report significant issues with the app stopping working, freezing during meditations, or becoming inaccessible after updates or payment R4R7R16. These problems persist even after reinstalling or updating the OS R7.
Calm Calm also has reliability issues, with users reporting glitches on day one and the timer for silent meditations not working R67.
Price and Value tieR1R2R14R17
Balance Balance offers a free trial and a lifetime membership, which many users initially find valuable R17. However, there are strong complaints that the lifetime membership provides no new content beyond the free version, making it feel pointless R1R2. Recent reviews indicate a shift where more content, including daily meditations and previously free features, are now behind a paywall, frustrating long-time free users R14R18R20R22.
Calm Calm is frequently criticized for its aggressive paywalls, with almost everything locked behind a subscription . Users feel forced to subscribe to access basic features and are disappointed by the limited free content, especially compared to earlier versions of the app . Despite this, some paying users believe it's worth the money .
Customer Support and Billing tieR4R7R10R12
Balance Balance users report significant issues with billing, including being charged after cancelling free trials or subscriptions R10R12. Contacting support for refunds or troubleshooting is described as impossible, with no clear contact details or working support routes within the app R4R7R10.
Calm Calm also faces widespread criticism for problematic subscription renewals, unauthorized charges, and a difficult, confusing cancellation process . Users are frustrated by the inability to speak to a live person, with AI systems being unhelpful and aggravating . One positive review, however, noted helpful customer service after a longer wait .
Pick Balance if

you prefer a structured, guided approach to meditation, value personalized learning, and prioritize effective sleep aids R29R53. It's also a good choice if you're a beginner looking for clear instructions and a less overwhelming experience R25R29.

Pick Calm if

you are looking for a very wide variety of content, including celebrity-narrated sleep stories and diverse meditation options, and are willing to pay for a premium subscription .

Evidence note: Both apps have strong negative feedback regarding billing and customer support, making it difficult to declare a clear winner in that dimension. Balance's recent negative reviews often focus on content becoming paid, while Calm's focus on interface and support issues.

Frequently asked

Is Balance good for beginners?
Yes, Balance is highly recommended for beginners due to its structured plans, clear instructions, and guided meditations that help users learn various techniques R25R29R32R53.
Do Balance or Calm offer free content?
Both Balance and Calm offer some free content, but users for both apps report that much of the content is behind a paywall, with Balance users noting a recent shift to more paid content R14R18R20R22.
Which app is better for sleep?
Balance is highly effective for sleep, with many users crediting it for curing insomnia and helping them fall asleep easily with its relaxing music and wind-down meditations R35R38R40R41. Calm also offers popular sleep stories and sounds that help users fall asleep .
Are there issues with subscriptions and customer service for these apps?
Yes, both Balance and Calm have significant issues with subscriptions and customer service, including unauthorized charges after cancellation, difficulty finding support, and unhelpful AI systems R4R7R10R12.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Balance 1/5 · US Lifetime membership is a pointless: The app kept offering lifetime membership. It made it seem like I would have access to meditations as they were made available. I assumed some things may be limited compared to monthly membership but I was left with the same meditations as the free version. So what was the point of paying for the membership?
  2. [R2] Balance 5/5 · US Life changing app: February 2026 Update: This app is very stagnant. I purchased the lifetime membership back in 2020, thinking that new meditations and content would be added periodically. It’s now 2026 and none of the meditation “Plans” have changed, nor have any new ones been added. Rarely a new meditation will be added to “Singles”. I don’t know why they haven’t evolved at all since launching.
  3. [R6] Balance 3/5 · US Meh: I have the lifetime membership but honestly I don’t use this much. I use the ocean sleep soundtrack some nights but nothing else. It’s kind of a stagnant app.
  4. [R9] Balance 3/5 · GB Nothing new is released: Its good but nothingnew is ever addded
  5. [R8] Balance 5/5 · US Informative and clear: It has good information.
  6. [R23] Balance 5/5 · US Want even more!😂: I love the app and have been using for years. Honestly no notes other than to add a widget feature! I have ADHD, so having a was widget to access would help lots. Maybe different ones for the categories (sleep, plans, etc). Thanks for the help, and happy 2026💕
  7. [R25] Balance 5/5 · US Wonderful resource: Love my Balance App. Allows me to easily check off my daily meditation (for emotional well being, focus and physical health) and it’s something I look forward to every day. It’s especially great for beginners uwho want to learn different kinds of meditation.
  8. [R29] Balance 5/5 · US Great for beginners and novices.: This is the structure that I needed with instructions and guidance that other apps don’t include. Easy to use and follow. So far I am in love with it!
  9. [R4] Balance 1/5 · US Contacting the App: The free trial worked, but as soon as you pay the app stops working. Not to mention it is impossible to get any support regarding anything. Not even troubleshooting. Yes, some suggestions exist. But if the app doesn’t work. You just lost all your money on nothing.
  10. [R7] Balance 1/5 · US App stopped working: Hello Balance, a few days ago all the meditations I’ve tried on Balance have stopped working. As soon as the meditation is about to start it freezes. This is very upsetting. I have an iPhone 15. I recently updated the OS version and it still didn’t help. I uninstalled and reinstalled the App and still no luck. I also tried to open the Help in the settings menu and it also isn’
  11. [R16] Balance 1/5 · GB Disappointed: I can’t access the app now after the last update, won’t let me unless I pay
  12. [R67] Calm 1/5 · US The timer for silent meditations does not work: I have been using this app for years and within the last six months it has become completely unreliable. The timer / count down function doesn’t work on the non instructed meditations. I’ve switched to just using my iPhone.
  13. [R14] Balance 2/5 · GB Nothing is free anymore: I had this app last year and it helped me so much with sleep and general intros to meditation. Have been feeling like getting back into meditating so I re-downloaded the app, only to find that nearly all the meditations and plans etc. that used to be free are now behind paywalls. There’s literally only like 3 that are free, not even the daily meditation is free which last
  14. [R17] Balance 5/5 · US Best Meditation App: I’ve used a lot of apps in the past (headspace, petit bamboos, brain Fm etc.) and this is my favorite. I’m also very grateful for the free year - I’m now on a paid subscription!
  15. [R10] Balance 1/5 · GB Charged me £65 even though I cancelled: I cancelled my Balance Mind and Meditation subscription well before the renewal date, yet the app still charged me £64.99. That is unacceptable. I then tried to contact support to request a refund and could not find clear contact details or a working support route in the app. The billing process lacks transparency and the support experience is poor. I expect
  16. [R12] Balance 1/5 · GB Cancelled renewal - payment taken anyway - careful of free trial: I tried the free trial of Balance Premium and although the app was clearly well built, I didn’t use it enough to justify renewing. I cancelled ahead of renewal date and received an e-mail saying sorry to see you cancel - but payment was taken anyway. It’s hard to believe that this company doesn’t have its subscriptions and payments
  17. [R32] Balance 4/5 · US 4 & 1/2 stars: Great app for those learning to meditate. I’ve meditated off and on for much of my life and wish the app was a bit more flexible. That said, I’ve learned several variations of meditations that I would have never tried otherwise, am I’m better for it. If I could I would give it 4.5 stars instead of 4.
  18. [R53] Balance 5/5 · US Incredible meditations: This app has a wonderful set of guided meditations, each of which are narrated beautifully. When I first got this app, I was fairly new to meditation, but through the lessons of this app has I was able to gain a much better understanding of what it means to meditate and what the improvements are that you can experience through meditation. I highly recommend this to anybody
  19. [R18] Balance 1/5 · GB No longer free access: I've been using balance for years and have utilised the free sleep meditation. I log onto the app today to find a paywall and I can no longer access the basic meditations! Really disappointed, app is now deleted!
  20. [R20] Balance 1/5 · GB No longer free access?: I’ve been using this app for a long time. Had paid access and free access. I can’t afford the subscription right now. I use this every single day and I come to use it tonight and I am completely unable to. There is an offer to subscribe for a year, which is a good offer and if I weren’t poor I would take it! But you cannot get past this. There’s no skip or decline. Very dis
  21. [R22] Balance 1/5 · GB Immovable pay wall: I’ve been using this app for as long as I can remember. The free parts of the app have been great and it’s helped me a lot. So much so that it’s become a part of my routine, and every night I listen to Ofosu. I’m trying to use it tonight as usual and I can’t get past the “get full access for less” paywall. So I guess I get full access for less or no access. Very disappointing,
  22. [R35] Balance 5/5 · US Incredible: I use this every night to go to sleep. Cured my insomnia. It’s actually so good. I recommend it to every one.
  23. [R38] Balance 5/5 · US Love this app!: I love this app! The meditation series are great and I love the sleep sounds. They are very relaxing and help me sleep. This is really a great wellness app 🥰
  24. [R40] Balance 5/5 · US 5 star review by me: Balance is a good app because first of all it has very relaxing music to go to bed my favorite is deep sleep but it also has things to help you wake up too so if your ever having trouble waking up or going to sleep then use this app
  25. [R41] Balance 5/5 · US Satisfied: I have always enjoyed this app and for a long time it was the only thing that could calm me at night and put me to sleep. If I have trouble falling asleep I can always rely on this app to put me right to sleep and it’s also my first time ever learning to meditate.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store