Finding ways to relax throughout the day is important for self-care. Luckily, many solutions can be found right on your smartphone. There’s been plenty of hype around apps for anxiety, but there are also many great relaxation apps that can bring you a sense of calm and comfort whenever you need it.
If you think you’d benefit from using apps to help you relax, this article breaks down our choices for the best apps in the following categories:
- Our top 5 recommendations for relaxation apps
- Best breathing apps for relaxation (6)
- Best relaxation apps for anxiety relief (6)
- Best relaxation apps for sleep and deep rest (6)
- Best guided relaxation apps to help you wind down (6)
- 6 other relaxation apps to help you destress and calm your mind
Before we deep-dive into our lists of relaxation apps, we’ll start with the best apps for meditation and relaxation overall.
If you’re looking specifically for apps promoting breathwork, check out our guide to the best deep breathing apps.
Our top 5 recommendations for relaxation apps
Let’s begin by covering the best relaxation apps in each category. These are our recommendations for the top relaxation apps:
- Best breathing apps for relaxation: Othership
- Best relaxation apps for anxiety relief: Headspace
- Best relaxation app for sleep: Pzizz
- Best guided relaxation app: Ten Percent Happier
- Best relaxing visuals app: Mesmerize
Best breathing apps for relaxation (6)
Breathwork is an incredibly powerful tool for relaxation, and there are plenty of apps that can help you practice it. Here are our recommendations for the best apps for relaxing by breathing.
1. Othership
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: 7-day and 14-day free trials; $17.99/month or $129.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: 500+ classes, inspiring soundscapes, streak & progress tracking, and a global community.
Othership is a breathwork app designed to help you connect with your body and self. It contains over 500 classes covering a wide range of breathing exercises and breathwork techniques, with something for every experience level. The app makes it easy to track your progress on your breathwork journey, and connect with a global community as you do so.
2. Aura
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $11.99/month or $59.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Personalized recommendations, thousands of tracks to choose from, CBT & hypnosis, and new content daily.
Aura is a mindfulness app that can help you improve your wellness. It's full of meditations, CBT, stories, breathwork, and more to help you fall asleep and feel better throughout the day. New content is added daily, and the app will even give you personalized recommendations.
3. Breathe2Relax
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free
Features: Detailed information on the effects of breathwork, instructions, practice exercises, and health app integration.
Breathe2Relax is a free breathing exercises app designed for stress management. The app teaches breathwork techniques using a visual guide that is easy to follow. It also includes information that teaches you about the effectiveness of breathing for stress relief.
4. 3 Minute Mindfulness
Cost: Free to start using; $6.99/month, $24.99/6 months, or $39.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: 7 Days of Mindfulness course, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and customizable reminders.
For quick mindfulness sessions, 3 Minute Mindfulness is a great option. The app is full of meditations and breathing exercises to help you feel calmer and happier in 3 minutes. It uses guided imagery to help you follow along, and even includes a course to help you master mindfulness.
5. Breathe In
Download it Now: iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $0.99/month, $5.99/year, or $15.99 to unlock all features.
Features: Breathing exercises, guided 5-minute meditations, Apple Health integration, and mindfulness quotes.
Breathe In is another breathwork app that is great for meditation and sleep. It allows you to easily practice a variety of breathing exercises that will help you relax, whatever your situation. It also tracks your progress and shares mindfulness quotes to keep you motivated.
6. Breathwrk
Download it Now: iOS
Cost: Free to start using, or $66.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Breathing exercises; audio, visual, and haptic guides; vast library; and custom reminders.
Another app for guided breathwork that will help you relax is Breathwrk. This app uses simplistic visuals to help guide you through various breathing exercises. There are many different exercises and classes available, including ones for calm, sleep, and anxiety relief.
Best relaxation apps for anxiety relief (6)
Relaxation is an important part of dealing with stress and anxiety, and there are plenty of good relaxation apps created especially for that purpose. These are the best relaxation apps for anxiety relief.
7. Headspace
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to download; $12.99/month or $69.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Guided meditations, daily meditations, breathwork courses, and health app integration.
Headspace is a popular meditation and mindfulness app that can help you relieve stress and anxiety. The app's library has hundreds of guided sessions and exercises that will help you feel relaxed in no time. There's also the Move Mode feature for releasing any tension you may be feeling, making this one of the best apps for meditation and relaxation.
8. Insight Timer
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $9.99/month or $59.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Guided meditations, select by time, follow your favorite teachers, and discussion groups & community features.
Those who want more control over how long they practice mindfulness will like Insight Timer. This mediation app allows users to set timed meditation sessions, in addition to offering a library full of guided meditations, audio, and courses. You also can track your progress to see important stats and milestones, and participate in the community.
9. Stop Breathe Think: Meditation
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $9.99/month, $58.99/year, or $249.99 lifetime to unlock all features.
Features: Breathing exercises, personalized meditation recommendations, mood tracker, and sleeping exercises.
Formerly known as MyLife Meditation, Stop Breathe Think is a mindfulness and meditation app designed to help you conquer stress and relax daily. It's full of a variety of sessions and exercises that can help you relieve anxiety and prioritize your wellness. There's also a Wind Down series that can help you fall asleep after a stressful day.
10. UCLA Mindful
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free
Features: Basic meditations, wellness meditations, informative videos, and weekly podcasts.
UCLA Mindful is a free meditation app created by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. The app contains a variety of meditations to help you learn to relax throughout the day and address any issues you might be facing. It also includes informative videos and a weekly podcast to help you master your practice.
11. Smiling Mind
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free
Features: Daily exercises, variety of programs, age categories, and progress tracking.
Smiling Mind is another free mindfulness app that's designed to help people of all ages. One of the best free apps for relaxation and sleep, it has programs designed for kids, youth, adults, and even ones for the classroom and workplace. The guided meditations are great for helping users destress, and can even help improve health and wellness.
12. Liberate
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $9.99/month or $71.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Curated library, 5-minute to 25-minute sessions, offline listening, and community features.
Liberate is a daily meditation app created by and for the Black community, but all are welcome to use it. This app is for those who could benefit from a meditation journey focused around the modern experiences of BIOPIC individuals. Their curated library features over 260 meditations and talks encouraging gratitude and mindfulness while addressing a variety of topics, including anxiety, depression, forgiveness, sleep, and joy.
Best relaxation apps for sleep and deep rest (6)
If you’re someone who struggles to fall asleep, there are plenty of relax and sleep apps you can choose from, too. Here are our recommendations for the best relaxation apps for sleep.
13. Pzizz
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to use; $9.99/month or $69.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Guided sleep & nap modules, focus sounds, variety of narrations & dreamscapes, and customizations.
For a free relaxation app for sleep, try Pzizz. The app uses beautiful soundscapes to help you fall asleep fast, take a nap, and wake up refreshed. It's great for silencing the thoughts in your mind and helping you relax at the end of the day.
14. Calm
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $14.99/month, $69.99/year, or $399.99 to unlock all features.
Features: Daily 10-minute meditations, 7-day and 21-day mindfulness programs, mindful stretching & movement, and breathing exercises.
Calm is another of the top meditation apps with the goal of helping users sleep more and stress less. Its library is full of mindfulness programs for people of all experience levels who are looking to benefit from guided meditations, Sleep Stories, breathwork, stretching, and music. The sessions all vary in length, so there's something for you whether you're in a rush or have plenty of time to relax.
15. buddhify
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: $4.99 to download; $29.99/month to unlock all features.
Features: Over 200 meditations, mindfulness exercises, sessions for beginners, and a solo timer for experienced meditators.
Another meditation app that provides users with opportunities to relax at the end of the day is buddhify. This app is full of meditations and mindfulness exercises for people of all experience levels who are looking to feel better. The guided meditations are easy to follow and can be completed anywhere, at any time. They’re especially effective if practiced before bedtime.
16. Simple Habit
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $11.99/month or $95.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Guided meditation & mindfulness sessions, daily motivation, guided sleep sessions, and health app integration.
Featured on Shark Tank, Simple Habit is a meditation app designed to help improve your sleep and your life. The app is full of guided meditations for relaxation and sleep that can help in as little as 5 minutes. It addresses daily life issues, and even allows for offline listening.
17. Breethe
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $12.99/month, $89.99/year, or $179.99 to unlock all features.
Features: Ever-growing library, guided meditations, hypnotherapy, and a personalized toolkit.
Breethe is a mediation app geared towards lowering stress and improving sleep. It includes some of the world's best mediations, music, hypnotherapy, sounds, and masterclasses to help you learn to be mindful and relax. Its library is always adding new content, and is organized to help you get the most out of its offerings throughout the day.
18. INSCAPE: Meditation & Sleep
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to access basic features; subscriptions available for $9.99/month or $58.99/year.
Features: Mindful meditations, breathing exercises, music & sounds, and personalized recommendations.
INSCAPE is another guided meditation app that serves as a relax and sleep app for iPhone and Android. The app is full of meditations, breathing exercises, music, and sounds that target your stress and anxiety. This helps you fall asleep easier, which improves your health and wellness. The app also gives you personalized recommendations you can use to meet your mindfulness goals.
Best guided relaxation apps to help you wind down (6)
Depending on your preferred method of unwinding, there are plenty more apps for meditation and relaxation you can choose from. Below are some of the best guided relaxation apps.
19. Ten Percent Happier
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $9.99/month or $99.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: 500+ meditations on a variety of topics; video meditations for learning to meditate; relaxing meditations for sleep; and bite-sized stories, wisdom, and inspiring audios.
Ten Percent Happier is a guided mindfulness app with the goal of increasing your happiness. It's full of meditations on different topics that are easy to learn and follow. It also has inspiring content you can listen to while on the go to help you along your mindfulness journey.
20. Aspire: Goals Visualization
Download it Now: iOS
Cost: 7-day free trial; $11.99/month or $59.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Basics of Visualization course, daily Morning Perspective sessions, library of courses covering wellness & more, and progress tracking.
Aspire is for those who want to use guided visualization to relax. It offers a variety of sessions based tailored to the user’s aspirations, including a course that teaches all about visualization. Its library is updated daily, and includes guided visualization sessions for beginners and those with more experience.
21. Reflectly
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to use; $9.99/month or $39.99/year to unlock all features.
Features: Daily journaling, motivational quotes and challenges, mood tracker, and personalized questions.
Reflectly is a journaling app that uses AI to help you track your thoughts and feelings on a daily basis. The app gives you daily prompts to track your mood and reflect on the day while allowing yourself to relax. The AI-technology helps the app cater the prompts to you and your goals, so you can use it to feel better while improving your life.
22. Day One Journal
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $3.99/month or $34.99/year for Premium features.
Features: Different journals for a variety of life topics, passcode or biometric security, option to upload photos & videos, and customizable templates.
If long-form journaling is more relaxing for you, opt for Day One Journal. This app uses prompts to help you journal everything that is important to you. Using this journaling app will allow you to reminisce and reflect, while helping you relax through the power of mindfulness.
23. STRETCHIT
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: 7-day free trial; $19.99/month or $159.99/year to subscribe.
Features: Personalized training recommendations, 50+ hours of video instruction, flexibility & mobility programs, and sessions for all skill levels.
STRETCHIT is a great app for those who like to stretch to relax. There are a variety of guided classes for all experience levels that will help work on flexibility, mobility, and overall feeling better. There are even stretch classes for those needing stress relief or help to fall asleep.
24. PMR - Progressive Muscle Relax
Download it Now: iOS
Cost: Free to start using; $2.99/month to unlock all features.
Features: Visual, audio, and text guides; session customizations; a variety of pleasant voices; and settings for beginners and advanced users.
If you'd like to try Progressive Muscle Relaxation to relax your body, the PMR app can help. This app uses animations with audio and text to help guide you through a full PMR session. You can also customize the settings to start with beginner exercises, and then update them as you gain more experience.
6 other relaxation apps to help you destress and calm your mind
Sometimes all you need is hypnotic visuals, soothing sounds, or a relaxing puzzle to help decompress. If you’re still exploring your options, here are some mind relaxing apps that can also bring you some relief.
25. Mesmerize
Best for: Relaxing visuals
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: 3-day free trial; $12.99/month or $49.99/year to unlock all features.
Mesmerize is a visual relaxation app that allows you to relax with the help of visual meditations. The app can guide you to relaxation using its hypnotic visuals and soothing music. It also includes sessions to help you improve your breathing.
26. Colorfy
Best for: Relaxing coloring
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to use; weekly, monthly, and yearly subscriptions available.
Those who like to color to relax will appreciate the Colorfy app. It's full of over a thousand images that can be beautifully colored right on the phone. There are plenty of color palettes to choose from, and the app even allows for experimenting with different brush patterns.
27. Brain.fm
Best for: Relaxing music
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free for the first 5 sessions; $6.99/month or $49.99/year to continue using.
Brain.fm is a great choice for those who prefer to relax with music. The app uses AI-generated music to help users work towards goals and improve their mood. It also allows for creating a personalized library and continuing to use the app offline.
28. Dark Noise
Best for: Relaxing white noise
Download it Now: iOS
Cost: $9.99
If you prefer listening to ambient noise to help you relax, try Dark Noise. This relaxing noise app contains 50 sounds designed to help you relax and calm your thoughts. It also allows you to mix your own sounds and customize various widgets within the app.
29. Breath of Light
Best for: Meditative puzzles
Download it Now: iOS
Cost: $1.99
Breath of Light is a relaxing puzzle game that can help you be mindful. The beautiful images and hypnotic soundtrack help to create a meditative experience as you work to guide energy within a garden. The app is easy to use and very calming to play over and over again.
30. I Love Hue
Best for: Relaxing puzzles
Download it Now: Android | iOS
Cost: Free to start playing; in-app purchases available.
I Love Hue is a puzzle game that helps you relax with colors. With a focus on perception over logic, the game requires you to complete levels by moving colored tiles. As one of the top relaxing puzzle apps, it currently has over 900 levels with beautiful sounds and imagery for you to play.
So, if you’re ready to download an app that will help you relax, see what people are saying about the Othership app.
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