Insight Timer Review : Can It Be Your Chosen Meditation App?
While meditation has become a part of our daily routines, there are a lot of incentives that are now popping up in the market to help us with our practice. With so many meditation apps out there in the market and amid the fierce competition, there’s one app that can be a good alternative to all those expensive ones.
Insight Timer – Meditation App. Rated “App Of The Year” by TIME Magazine and Women’s Health and “Happiest App In The World” by Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, Insight Timer is a great meditation app that is recommended for beginners.
I’ve used this app and based on my experience with this app, I’ve compiled some pros and cons, features, and everything in between that is going to help you decide if Insight Timer can be your chosen meditation app.
So, let’s begin!
Overview Of Insight Timer – Meditation App
- Available On: Android & iOS
- Price: $60/year
- Free Trial Available: Yes, a 7-day free trial
Rated as the number #1 free meditation app on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, Insight Timer is an app that has everything you need – from guided meditations to talks delivered by the world’s top psychologists and experts – in just one place and a click away. I’ve been skeptical of meditation apps.
I mean, how can an app have everything I need? Isn’t it too ludicrous to think? But against my thinking, there have been a few apps that are worth mentioning and worth trying. One of them is Insight Timer. Not only this app gave me guided meditation sessions or other courses to help me in my healing process, but the app also gave me personalized suggestions to suit my needs based on what I like and enjoy.
The best part of Insight Timer is that you are not faced with the same meditation sessions and classes every day. You get a new free guided meditation daily!
If you’re struggling with insomnia or if you’re finding it hard to focus, then don’t look any further. All your needs are met here in one app! On the app, you can browse topics such as;
- Improving Sleep
- Reducing Anxiety
- Reducing Stress
- Getting Through Addictions
- Aid For Recovery
- Self-Love And Self-Compassion
- Focus And Concentration
- Leadership Skills
- Better Relationships
- Loving-Kindness Meditation
- MBSR, and more!
Let’s take an in-depth look at how Insight Timer works and how it can help you maintain a healthy and balanced daily routine.
If you’d like to try Insight Timer, click on the links below to go to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to download the app for free.
How To Get Started With an Insight Timer?
Insight Timer is a free meditation app that can help you start and further your meditation practice depending on where you are at the moment. It’s quite easy to navigate, convenient to use, and engaging in its content. The app teaches you how to quickly manage your daily anxiety and stress as well as how to catch up on quality sleep.
You don’t need to do any extensive sign-up process. You can simply log in through your email or Google account. I chose to log in through my Gmail. Once you’re logged in, you can now access your feed.
On your homepage, you’ll see at least six buttons on the top (right below your name), Timer, Sleep, Breathe, Journal, Recent, and More.
When you click on More, you’ll see more options such as;
- Mornings
- Check-In
- Music
- Yoga
- Live
- Workplace
- Quotes
- Challenges
- Bookmark
And right below that, you have another option to “Personalize Shortcuts”. This will allow you to pick the buttons you prefer to appear on the homepage for quick access.
When you scroll down on the homepage, you’ll see another section, “Made For You”. In this section, you can access meditations personalized according to your needs. Also, you can choose the duration of each session.
For example, I chose the 20-minute guided meditation sessions where I found some useful meditation classes such as “Qigong Guided Meditation” by Elizabeth Shevi Miller. I was able to Save the session in my Library for future reference. I wasn’t able to download the session as I used the free version of Insight Timer.
This way, you can choose your preferable duration ranging from 1 minute to 30+ minutes. In 1-minute sessions, I came across this amazing talk, “Poem: Tao Te Ching – Verse 44”. Quite calming, if I can say.
Now, in the same section, when you scroll down to the end, you’ll find a “Personalize Feed” button.
When you click here, you can choose the content that you want to be displayed on your feed such as;
- Workday Suggestions
- Featured Content
- Mood Suggestions
- Daily Quote
You can pick the content you want to be displayed on the homepage. I selected all four, so I have new quotes and suggestions in my feed each morning!
Next, if you go to the “Library” tab, you can access all your bookmarked content, courses you’ve started, playlists if you have any, any challenge you’ve taken part in, live events you’ve tagged, your journal, and all the content you’ve recently played. It’s so easy to keep track of your content this way, isn’t it?
Next, if you click on the “Search” feature, you’ll see different content that you can search such as Beginner, Meditation, Breathwork, Sleep, Music, Yoga, Live Events, and Courses.
This searches for the content you need easier. You can also search for meditation sessions and talks based on your interests. The list of interests is quite long, but you can find interests such as;
- Stress & Anxiety
- Manifestation
- Parenting
- Fear
- Confidence
- Astrology
- Tarot
- Trauma
- Addiction
- Burnout
- Productivity
- Creativity
- Traditions
- Love
- Boundaries, and more!
Next, in the Community section, you can find all the live events, groups, and messages you get. You can also browse all the events happening around you. What I liked the most was the “Here Now” Section where you can see how many people are active on the app at the same time as you, all around the world.
Since I’m using the free version of Insight Timer, I have a section “Plus”, where I can see all the content available for members with subscriptions. You can unlock the premium courses with a subscription fee (varying depending on the country).
Features of Insight Timer:
So, in short, you get all these amazing features for free!
- More than 100,000 guided meditations
- Short and long-duration meditations
- Music tracks and nature sounds for calmness
- Customized timer for meditation
- Talks delivered by experts and teachers
- Hundreds of discussion and meditation groups to join
- Tracker to track your progress
- Bedtime tales
- Sleep meditations (with timer)
- Live yoga classes
For a subscription fee of $60/year, you can get access to premium content such as;
- More than 1,000 meditation courses
- Offline listening (meditation and sleep music)
- Advanced player where you can repeat, forward, and rewind
- And more!
Another amazing feature of Insight Timer is that it is suitable for Individuals and Companies. The app can offer great content for all ages – yes, even toddlers and teens! If you’re looking for meditation classes for your kids, Insight Timer can help you.
Plus, if you want to connect with like-minded people, you can join the community space where you can access live events, workshops, and mentoring sessions. All these sessions are delivered by professionals, so you’re safe!
Insight Timer also has a special segment “Insight Timer @Work” for companies who want to employ meditation and mindfulness in their work or company culture. As admins, you can invite your employees to join in through a company-special plan that will give them access to the content in the premium plan as well as a community space dedicated to workplace suggestions and meditations.
*I used the free version, so this review is based solely on the content of the free version of the Insight Timer app.
Pros And Cons
Pros:
- You get access to over 120,000 meditation courses at no cost and ad-free!
- If you’re new to meditation, then you get hundreds of free introductory meditation courses on different topics.
- You can access (and join!) free and live yoga classes within the app
- You can access and connect with groups with whom you share interests for free
- You can also join workshops on improving your meditation practice delivered by experts in the field
Cons:
- There are in-app purchases, and you can only access some of the premia content with a paid subscription
- Some of the meditation courses are of advanced level and might not be suitable for beginners
- There’s also an additional cost for joining workshops and mentoring classes
- Offline content is only available with the premium subscription
Is The Insight Timer App Free?
While the Insight Timer app is free to download from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, there are some in-app purchases that you need to be aware of. There’s a lot of free content in the app. I mean with more than 100,000 meditation sessions, there’s no shortage of free content, but if you’re looking for more such as full meditation courses, then you can opt for Member Plus – the subscription to Insight Timer.
There’s a $60-a-year subscription with a 7-day free trial. You can sign up for the trial on the Insight Timer website.
Even without the subscription, there are a lot of amazing meditation sessions, live yoga classes, and community space for you to join. The free version of the app is good for anyone who wants short-duration guided meditation sessions and just wants to try to further their meditation practice. The Member Plus subscription is for anyone who wants to establish a meditation routine or if you’re a regular meditation practitioner who wants access to more courses with offline content.
At this point, Insight Timer does not offer any discount. However, based on your region/country, you can check the discounts on the official website.
Please keep in mind that the mentoring classes and workshops on Insight Timer charge extra, despite the premium subscription. This is an additional cost that you should know about before you opt for the classes.
Can It Be Your Chosen Meditation App?
If you’re a beginner to meditation or if you’re an advanced practitioner of meditation, then you may find Insight Timer quite…insightful. Yes, pun intended. However, the app without the premium subscription might look less insightful. If you’re OK with content that’s not too deep or is not a full meditation course, then the free version of Insight Timer is a perfect choice.
But, if you’re looking for content that’s more than just a few minutes of meditation sessions, offline content, and more, then a premium subscription will be required.
Insight Timer is an impressive meditation app with a great library of amazing content. While it all may look overwhelming at first, the navigation of the app becomes easier when you get the hang of it. Even if you’re a meditation beginner, you’ll find Insight Timer useful.
Final Verdict
I’d like to say that Insight Timer has earned a 4.5-star rating out of 5 from me! Let me know what your rating is in the comments below.
I hope this Insight Timer – Meditation App Review will guide you through the app and its amazing features and benefits. Please note that this app is based on the author’s experience and research and is not meant to disrespect any party(s).
Let me know what you think about Insight Timer – Meditation App in the comments below. If you’ve tried the app or want to add anything to the review, feel free to email us at info@calmsage.com or DM us on social media.
Take Care and Happy Meditation!
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