Headspace vs Calm
Both are large, human-recorded meditation and sleep libraries. Headspace adds Ebb, an AI companion you can talk to; Calm uses AI mainly behind the scenes for recommendations.
Key differences
- AI you can talk to: Headspace has Ebb; Calm's consumer listing describes no chatbot (Calm Health, the employer version, has AI-guided journaling prompts).
- Price: Headspace is $69.99/year or $12.99/month on the US App Store; Calm Premium is $79.99/year or $16.99/month (lower price points also listed).
- Free use: Calm keeps some programs free forever; Headspace offers a free trial.
- Privacy: Headspace says it complies with HIPAA and GDPR and publishes AI principles; we haven't summarized Calm's policy yet.
- Extras: Headspace offers paid therapy and mental health coaching in some plans; Calm is known for Sleep Stories.
Side by side
| Headspace | Calm | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No free plan for full access; free trial offered. | Some programs and features are free forever; most content needs Calm Premium. |
| Pricing | US App Store: $12.99/month or $69.99/year (Headspace Plus also listed, e.g. $94.99/year). | US App Store: Calm Premium $79.99/year or $16.99/month (other price points such as $69.99/year and $14.99/month also listed). |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, Apple Watch |
| AI features | Ebb, an empathetic AI companion for working through thoughts; Personalized content recommendations; Ebb recommends existing Headspace content rather than generating meditations | Personalized content recommendations (described in AWS and Firemind case studies); AI-guided journaling prompts in Calm Health, the employer and health-plan version |
| Used to train AI? | unknown (not stated on the pages we checked) | unknown (not stated on the pages we checked) |
| Privacy | Says it complies with HIPAA and GDPR and encrypts data; Publishes AI principles | We haven't summarized Calm's privacy policy yet. Read it before sharing sensitive information. |
| Best for | Beginners who want structured courses plus an AI companion for reflection. | Sleep and relaxation from a big human-narrated library; AI is a minor part. |
| Last verified | Oct 16, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 |
We don't declare a winner: the right choice depends on budget, platform and how you feel about AI processing your data. All facts link to sources on each app's page.