Paying yearly saves 43% to 66% compared with paying monthly for a year. The big meditation apps cost about the same: Insight Timer, Headspace, and Calm all land between $59.99 and $79.99 a year. Brain training prices vary nearly fivefold, from about $35 to $170 a year. Therapy is the real expense: weekly sessions without insurance cost roughly $3,500 to $7,800 a year, and insurance can cut that by about 90% or more. And a genuinely useful wellness setup can cost nothing at all.
Wellness apps promise calm, focus, sleep, and sharper thinking, but their prices are scattered across app stores, trial screens, and fine print. We gathered them in one place. Every price below was checked in September 2026 against official App Store listings and company websites, using US prices.
Meditation and sleep apps
| App | Monthly | Yearly | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insight Timer | $9.99 | $59.99 | Huge free library |
| Headspace | $12.99 | $69.99 | 14-day trial on yearly |
| Calm | $16.99 | $69.99-$79.99 | Sampler and 7-day trial |
| Balance | — | $69.99 after year one | First year free |
| Happier | — | $99.99 | 7-day trial |
| Waking Up | — | About $100+ | Free if you can’t afford it |
| Smiling Mind | Free | Free | Entirely free |
| Sleep Cycle | — | $39.99 | Smart alarm free |
| BetterSleep | $9.99 | $59.99 | Lifetime about $249.99 |
What stands out: the three biggest meditation apps cost almost the same, so choose on style rather than price. The best deal in the category is Headspace’s student plan at $9.99 a year, 86% off the regular price.
Brain training apps
| App | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Peak | — | About $34.99 |
| Elevate | About $9.99 | $39.99 |
| Lumosity | $11.99 | $59.99 |
| BrainHQ | $14 | $96 |
| CogniFit | $19.99 | $119.99 Basic, $169.99 Premium |
What stands out: the most expensive option costs nearly five times the cheapest, and the median is about $60 a year. BrainHQ is free through many Medicare Advantage plans, which makes it the best deal of all for eligible seniors.
Zenelia is a brain training app made by Mindkindly’s owner, so we don’t rank or score it, and we leave it out of the table above. It costs $6.99 a month or $44.99 a year, has a 7-day free trial, and is iPhone only for now; read more about Zenelia or see it on the App Store.
Focus and habit apps
| App | Price | Free option |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | $3.99 once on iPhone | Free with ads on Android |
| Streaks | $5.99 once | — |
| Cold Turkey | Pro about $39-$45 once | Free version blocks websites |
| Freedom | $39.99/year or $8.99/month | Limited trial sessions |
| Brain.fm | About $70/year | — |
| Habitica | Optional $47.99/year | Core app free |
| Loop Habit Tracker | Free | Entirely free (Android) |
What stands out: this is the last corner of wellness where one-time purchases are common. Forest and Streaks together cost less than $10, forever. See our focus apps and habit trackers guides.
Therapy and mental health services
| Service | With insurance | Without insurance | A year of weekly care, no insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talkspace | $0 for most insured members (per Talkspace) | $69-$109/week | About $3,588-$5,668 |
| BetterHelp | About $23 where covered | $70-$100/week | About $3,640-$5,200 |
| Rula | About $15 average | $150/session | About $7,800 |
| Headway | Typically $20-$50 | Set by therapist | Varies |
| Alma | Your copay | Set by each therapist | Varies by therapist |
| Open Path Collective | Not applicable | $40-$70/session + $65 once | About $2,145-$3,705 |
| Regain (couples) | Not accepted | $70-$100/week | About $3,640-$5,200 |
| Brightside | Varies by plan | $95-$349/month | About $1,140-$4,188 |
| Cerebral medication | About $30 average | $180 per 3 months | About $720 |
What stands out: insurance is the single biggest lever in all of wellness spending. Talkspace says most insured members have a $0 copay, versus $3,588 or more a year without insurance. Weekly Rula sessions at the $15 average cost about $780, versus $7,800 self-pay, a 90% saving. For the full breakdown, see how much online therapy costs.
Five findings worth knowing
1. Paying yearly saves 43% to 66%. A year of Calm’s monthly plan costs $203.88, versus $69.99 to $79.99 for the yearly plan. Even BrainHQ, with the smallest gap, saves 43%.
2. Lifetime plans take years to pay off. Calm’s lifetime option, at $399.99 to $499.99, equals five to seven years of yearly payments. Lumosity’s lifetime plan equals about five years, and BetterSleep’s about four. Use an app for at least a year before buying lifetime.
3. Student deals are the biggest discounts. Headspace’s $9.99 student plan beats every other discount we found.
4. A full paid setup costs less than a single therapy session a month. Headspace, Elevate, Sleep Cycle, and Freedom together cost $189.96 a year, about $15.83 a month. One self-pay Rula session costs $150.
5. You can build a useful setup for free. Insight Timer or Smiling Mind for meditation, Lumosity’s or Elevate’s three free games a day, Cold Turkey’s free blocker, and Loop or Habitica for habits cost nothing. For therapy, community mental health centers offer free or sliding-scale care.
How to pay less
Choose yearly plans once you know you’ll stick with an app.
Use student and family plans. Calm and Headspace both cover up to six people for $99.99 a year.
Check your benefits. Many employers offer free counseling sessions, and some health plans include apps like BrainHQ.
Set reminders for free trials, since nearly all of them renew automatically.
Use insurance for therapy. It saves more than every other tip combined.
About this data
Prices were verified in September 2026 using official App Store listings and company websites, in US dollars. Prices vary by country and platform, and promotions change often, so check before you buy. Journalists and bloggers are welcome to use this data with a link to this page.
One important note: if you are in crisis or considering harming yourself, please reach out now. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Immediate human support is available.