Traffic, health concerns, bills to pay, deadlines to meet: even in *normal times*, life can be pretty stressful. One of the most simple ways to get around everyday anxieties is meditation – a method that has been proven to reduce stress, heart rate, and even help with chronic pain. But even that practice itself can be quite stressful if you have no idea where to start, how to keep yourself focused, or if you just feel awkward about doing it. Thankfully, there is a wide array of meditation apps to help you get started or keep on track of your meditation goals. Here are some of our favorites: 

Headspace

Launched in 2012, Headspace is currently one of the most popular meditation apps out there. Under the tagline “Meditation made simple,” the app offers guided mindfulness meditation sessions for various purposes, along with adorable illustrations and a user-friendly interface. Cost: $12.99 monthly with a seven-day free trial or $69.99/year with a two-week free trial.

Calm

The name is pretty much self-explanatory: Calm wants to help you relax, be it through meditation, music, or Sleep Stories narrated by artists such as Harry Styles and Eva Green. Cost: $69.99 annual subscription with a seven-day free trial or $399.99 unique payment for the lifetime subscription. 

Sattva

This app draws from Vedic principles of meditation that have been around for millennia, featuring meditations, chants, and mantras delivered by Sanskrit scholars. From beginners to the more seasoned meditators, Sattva offers a wide array of sessions and also comes with a heart rate monitor and mood tracker. Cost: $199 for the lifetime membership.

Insight Timer

With more than 30,000 guided sessions that include specific sections for parents, kids, along with music and meditations to help with insomnia, Insight Timer is a versatile app with another extra benefit: it’s entirely free. Though you can also support the app through a $60 annual membership with a 30-day free trial. 

Aura

This one is the perfect app for those who keep saying they “don’t have time” to meditate: Aura offers a set of three-minute sessions and 30-second soothers designed to help calm your nerves under stressful situations. It also offers personalized meditations, nature sounds, stories, and music, based on the mood the user selects when opening the app. Cost: $12/month, $60/year, or $400 for lifetime membership. 

Breethe

Breethe offers daily 5-minute sessions that will help you de-stress and sleep better. It provides guided mindfulness meditations, inspirational talks, and master classes, along with music playlists, nature sounds, and bedtime readings. Cost: Free basic subscription, $399 premium lifetime membership.

Ensō

For those who are more experienced in meditation, Ensō is a minimalist app that comes with a timer that can be set for different meditation intervals – and a cute kitty that greets you at the end of each session. Cost: Free.

Smiling Mind

This meditation app was designed by psychologists and educators and offers mindfulness meditation sessions for all ages, and even programs to be used in the classroom or workplace. Smiling Mind aims to make you feel more relaxed in just 10-minutes a day. Cost: Free.

Inscape

From the New York City meditation studio by the same name, Inscape focuses on helping you reduce your stress and anxiety and sleep better. It offers music, meditations, and breathing exercises based on your goals, what time of the day you log in, and level of practice. Cost: $9.99 monthly subscription with a free one week trial.

10% Happier

Still skeptical about meditation? Then this is the app for you. Based on the book by the same name, 10% Happier lets you connect directly with experts who can answer your questions about meditation and help you get through the basics of the practice. Cost: $99 annual subscription with a seven-day free trial.