Meditation is a powerful tool to calm the mind and reduce stress. Buddhist meditation, in particular, offers techniques to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom. With the rise of technology, many meditation apps have been developed to help people practice meditation, even on-the-go. In this article, we will explore the best free Buddhist meditation apps available for Android users. These apps offer a range of guided meditations, music, and teachings to help users deepen their practice and live a more mindful life.
10 Best Free Buddhist Meditation Apps For Android
Below is a compiled list of 10 Best Free Buddhist Meditation Apps For Android for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
1. Buddha Wisdom – Buddhism Guide
The enlightening world of Buddhism can be discovered through the Buddha Wisdom app, which is perfect for those seeking to deepen their understanding of Buddhism and mindfulness. With a variety of resources such as Buddhist quotes, teachings, and meditations, the app provides a wealth of knowledge to help users cultivate inner peace, happiness, and wisdom. Breathing exercises are also offered in the app, with a variety of options such as box breathing and equal breathing to help lower stress and increase calm. The Dhammapada, which is one of the most well-read Buddhist scriptures, is also included in the app, providing users with a visual and inspiring way to gain a better understanding of Buddhism. Furthermore, the app offers access to parables and important teachings, helping users to gain peace, tranquility, and happiness in their everyday lives. And the best part is, the app is completely free, offering an opportunity to deepen your spiritual practice and live a more meaningful life with Buddha Wisdom.
2. buddhify – mindfulness meditat
Buddhify has been created to aid in bringing calmness, clarity, and kindness into one’s life. Guided meditations are offered by buddhify to help individuals reduce stress and anxiety, or even get a better night’s sleep. Mindfulness exercises are provided for different situations and locations, such as travelling, work, and sleep. The app offers over 200 meditations for various challenges, from anxiety to sleep, with lengths from 3-40 minutes. Experienced teachers are available in different styles, and there is also a solo timer for more experienced meditators. There is a low one-time cost, and no recurring subscription fee. A new Buddhify Membership is available for an optional in-app purchase, providing additional features for those who wish to further their practice. Buddhify is created by an independent family business and welcomes feedback from users to continue making the app as effective, accessible, and beautiful as possible.
3. Headspace: Mindful Meditation
Headspace is a mindfulness and meditation app that offers guided meditations, courses, and mindfulness exercises. Users can learn to relax, manage stress, find focus, and release tension in the mind and body. Personalized recommendations are provided based on what the user likes and how they’re feeling. The app caters to every experience level and lifestyle, with short and longer meditations available. Users can also add buddies and join live group meditations. Sleep sounds and meditations can help users relax and create the conditions for restful sleep. Stress relief and coping meditations are also available, along with meditations to help users find focus and build productivity. Mindful movement is also encouraged to relieve stress and release everyday tension. The app requires a subscription for full access to the library of meditations and exercises.
4. Healthy Minds Program
The Healthy Minds Program, developed by the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, offers a meditation app that trains the mind through guided meditations and podcast-style lessons. This app targets stress management, focus, and positive social connections. It features a Well-being Framework that covers skills for personal well-being, healthy relationships, communication, performance, and creativity. The app is unique because it is developed directly from neuroscientific research, making it a pioneer in offering mobile mental and emotional well-being assessments. The Healthy Minds Program is available through donations, with a mission to create a kinder and more compassionate world. Additionally, the app features team building exercises and techniques for habit formation through its Healthy Minds@Work offering.
5. Imagine Clarity
Progressive and accessible meditation and mindfulness courses are offered by Imagine Clarity’s authors through the combination of the latest neuroscientific research and 25 centuries of mind training wisdom. Step-by-step courses are available for beginners, with opportunities to delve deeper for advanced practitioners. The app provides an opportunity to revolutionize one’s vision of the world and awaken abilities of clarity and compassion. Joined by Maria João Pires, Imagine Clarity also offers contemplative discussions about music’s potential for a meaningful life and a better world. Personalized help related to practice and delightful practices for 4- to 8-year-olds are included in the monthly or yearly subscription membership, providing unlimited access to the Imagine Clarity collection. The focus is to support meaningful and altruistic lifestyles worldwide through learning programs and creative applications in collaboration with outstanding experts in meditation, creativity, and compassion.
6. Insight Timer – Meditation App
The top meditation and mindfulness experts lead Insight Timer’s guided meditations, sleep music tracks, and talks. Millions of people use the app to reduce anxiety, manage stress, and sleep deeply. There are over 100,000 free guided meditations and sleep tracks available, with 100+ new ones added daily. The app also offers customizable meditation timers, discussion groups, and tracking of progress. Insight Timer’s Sleep feature offers thousands of free music tracks, meditations, and stories to help improve sleep. The app offers courses for sleep, with popular topics including anxiety, addiction, and self-love. With an optional in-app subscription, users can access advanced features like listening offline and high-quality audio.
7. Mindfulness Coach
The practice of mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. It has been proven effective for reducing stress, improving emotional balance, and helping with anxiety and depression. Mindfulness Coach 2.0, developed by the National Center for PTSD, is a self-guided app designed to teach mindfulness. The app includes audio-guided exercises, information about mindfulness, goal-setting and tracking, and access to support and crisis resources. It is free, does not collect personal information, and does not require additional purchases.
8. Plum Village: Mindfulness App
The Plum Village practices are an invaluable support for those seeking peace, calm, and ease in today’s frantic and often stressful world. Mindfulness meditation techniques taught by a renowned Zen Buddhist Master can be used to connect deeply with the present moment, soothe anxiety, experience more joy and happiness, and taste enlightenment. The Plum Village app enables mindfulness to be brought into life and allows individuals to live each moment more deeply and create a happier future. The app is regularly updated with new guided meditations and talks, and all of the content is available for free. The app is split into four categories: meditations, talks, resources, and bells of mindfulness. The app is a digital companion on a mindfulness journey and contains invaluable resources to guide towards inner peace and freedom.
9. Smiling Mind: Meditation App
The Smiling Mind App is a free mental wellbeing tool that has been downloaded by millions of people. It offers programs that are designed to build mental fitness and resilience, reduce stress, improve relationships, and develop social and emotional skills. There are programs tailored for children, young people, adults, and families. The app features beginner meditations, programs for experienced practitioners, and meditations in Indigenous Australian languages. It also includes mental fitness skills development, mood tracking, and offline meditation downloads. Smiling Mind is a digital-led, prevention-focused mental health not-for-profit organization with a vision to create generational change. They aim to equip Australians with essential psychological skills to build their mental fitness, and help every mind thrive by providing accessible, lifelong tools to support healthy minds.
10. UCLA Mindful
Mindfulness meditation can be practiced anywhere and anytime with the help of an easy-to-use app that offers guided meditation in multiple languages. The app is designed to help manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, and cultivate positive emotions. Regular practice can help develop a meditation practice and bring more mindfulness into daily life. The app offers basic meditations, wellness meditations, informative videos, weekly podcasts, and a timer to meditate on your own. The Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) is dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and a compassionate society through mindfulness practices. The app is free to use due to MARC’s mission of radical accessibility. Disclaimer: These meditations are for educational purposes and are not clinical treatments.