Happier Meditation vs Headspace

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Happier Meditation

Teacher-led meditation app, formerly Ten Percent Happier, with practical courses and a free tier.

Free plan + paid

Visit Happier Meditation Happier Meditation profile

Headspace

Subscription meditation and sleep app with structured courses, sleepcasts and focus music.

Free plan + paid

Visit Headspace Headspace profile

The short answer

Happier Meditation suits beginners and sceptics who want meditation explained by well-known teachers, with practical courses and three free courses. Headspace suits beginners who want a structured, tidy app with sleepcasts, focus music and movement, plus family and student plans. The biggest difference is emphasis: Happier leans on teaching and discussion, Headspace on structured courses and a broader sleep and focus library.

Happier Meditation or Headspace: our take

Happier Meditation grew out of Dan Harris's book 10% Happier and was long known as Ten Percent Happier. Its approach is to have established meditation teachers explain how and why to practise in plain language. The library mixes guided meditations, sleep sessions, short videos and step-by-step courses on topics such as anxiety, focus, relationships and parenting, and the team runs several podcasts. A free account includes three courses, among them a beginner's course, and the full library costs $99.99/year. It runs on iPhone and Android only. It has fewer sleep stories and soundscapes than the big sleep-focused apps.

Headspace is known for structured beginner courses starting with its Basics series. Beyond meditation it has sleepcasts, sleep music and white noise, movement sessions, short daily videos and focus music, and it runs on iOS, Android and the web. The yearly plan has a 14-day free trial, a family plan covers up to 6 people for $99.99 a year, and verified students pay $9.99 a year. Headspace is now part of Sword and also sells coaching and therapy, which the app increasingly promotes. Free content is thin, its terms set a minimum age of 18 with limited exceptions, and experienced meditators may find the courses basic.

Pick Happier Meditation if you want to understand the reasoning behind practices, like hearing different teachers, or want to try meaningful free courses before paying. Pick Headspace if you want a tidy, structured path for beginners plus sleep and focus audio in one app, if you are a student, or if you want one plan to cover a household. Neither goes very deep for advanced practitioners, but Happier's teacher-led courses give a bit more room to grow.

Choose Happier Meditation if…

Beginners and sceptics who want meditation explained by teachers, not just guided audio.
Courses explain the reasoning behind each practice
Wide range of established meditation teachers

Choose Headspace if…

Beginners who want structured courses and a tidy app, and students on the cheap plan
You need Web, which Happier Meditation doesn't list
Structured beginner courses starting from Basics
Sleep, focus music and movement sessions in one app

What is Happier Meditation?

Happier Meditation is the meditation app that grew out of Dan Harris's book 10% Happier and was long known as Ten Percent Happier. It is aimed at sceptics and busy people: rather than calm music and nature sounds, it leans on well-known teachers who explain the how and why of mindfulness in plain language. The library mixes guided meditations, sleep sessions, short practice videos and step-by-step courses on topics such as anxiety, focus, relationships and mindful eating, and the team also runs several podcasts. The app also suggests sessions tailored to your goals as you use it. A free account includes three courses, including a beginner's course; a yearly subscription unlocks the full library. It runs on iPhone and Android. Compared with Headspace or Calm it has fewer sleep stories and soundscapes, but more teaching and discussion of how to fit practice into daily life.

What is Headspace?

Headspace is a subscription meditation app known for its structured, beginner-friendly courses, starting with the Basics series. The library is organised into sleep content (sleepcasts, sleep music and white noise), meditations, movement sessions, short daily videos and focus music, with a new meditation every day. The brand has grown from a meditation app into a wider mental-health service: it now also sells coaching and therapy, and its about page says Headspace is now part of Sword. For individuals the core product is still the app subscription, with a free trial on the yearly plan. A family plan covers up to six people for one yearly price, and verified students get a heavily discounted yearly rate. Its terms say the products are meant for people aged 18 and over, with limited exceptions. The trade-off: free content is thin, the app increasingly promotes services beyond meditation, and experienced meditators may find the courses basic compared with apps aimed at deeper practice.

Side by side

Attribute	Happier Meditation	Headspace
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	iOS, Android	iOS, Android, Web
Best for	Beginners and sceptics who want meditation explained by teachers, not just guided audio.	Beginners who want structured courses and a tidy app, and students on the cheap plan
Status	Active	Active