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Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom app icon
#6in Meditation

Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom

S Tier
Best in class
96
4.984.3K ratings
4.5recent reviews
3dsince update
FreeIn-App Purchases
Health & Fitness
category
Education
category
4+age rating
1language
Made for iPhone
Made for iPhone Duo
Made for iPad
Made for Apple Watch

What is Waking Up?

A meditation app with guided sessions, lessons, talks, and a meditation timer.

Waking Up offers a 28-day introductory course, daily guided meditations, and a library of meditation, theory, and life content. It also includes sleep talks and meditations, a customizable timer, and community discussions.

Pricing. Waking Up is free to download, with in-app purchases on the App Store.

Good for

  • Starting a meditation practice with a 28-day course
  • Listening to guided meditations or sleep content
  • Exploring meditation theory and related topics

Screenshots

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Why this app is in S tier

96/100The average of 4 parts, with no weights
Rating98
Ratings89
App Store search rank95
Update recency100

S tier follows from that score within this list. The full explanation, as data.

Waking Up scores 96 out of 100: rating 98, rating count 89, App Store search rank 95, update recency 100. The four parts are averaged and S tier follows from that score within this list.

Description

Recognized as a 2025 Pick by NYT Wirecutter

Featured as a 2026 pick for the App Store “App of the Day”

Thousands worldwide call Waking Up life changing. Whether you want better sleep, more clarity, or deeper meditation, Waking Up is your complete guide.

Testimonials

“Waking Up has led to my most consistent meditation practice. Family and staff also use it because it’s such a powerful tool.” - Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist

“Waking Up is a critical part of my daily practice. It’s my go-to for presence, peace, and well-being.” - Rich Roll, athlete & author

Read more

“If you’ve had trouble getting into meditation, this app is your answer!” - Susan Cain, best-selling author

What’s Inside

  • Introductory Course - a transformative 28-day program, for both beginners and experienced meditators
  • Daily Meditations - regular guided sessions with Sam Harris
  • Daily Quotes - a spark of insight each day
  • Daily Wisdom - brief lessons that shift perspective
  • Moment - short reflections when you need them most
  • Sleep - talks and meditations to help you rest
  • Meditation Timer - customize your own sessions
  • A vast library of meditations, theory sessions, life courses, conversations, and Q&As
  • Community - connect with members to discuss meditation, philosophy, psychedelics, and more
  • CarPlay - listen to select sessions and conversations while you drive.

Why Waking Up Stands Out

Unlike conventional meditation apps, Waking Up blends practice with theory - so you not only learn to meditate but also understand how it transforms your mind. It’s meditation, science, and timeless wisdom in one place.

Topics & Techniques

Our library combines contemplative traditions with modern science, offering tools for both practice and understanding. Techniques include mindfulness (Vipassana), Loving-Kindness, body scans, yoga nidra, and nondual awareness practices from Dzogchen, Zen, and Advaita Vedanta. Topics span neuroscience, psychology, Stoicism, ethics, psychedelics, productivity, and happiness.

Content & Teachers

Created by neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris, Waking Up features leading voices in meditation, philosophy, and psychology.

  • Practice - Vipassana, Zen, Dzogchen, Advaita Vedanta (Joseph Goldstein, Diana Winston, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Richard Lang)
  • Theory - the philosophy and science of consciousness, ethics, and well-being (Alan Watts, Charlotte Joko Beck, Joan Tollifson, James Low, Douglas Harding)
  • Life - mindfulness in relationships, productivity, Stoicism, and more (David Whyte, Oliver Burkeman, Matthew Walker, Amanda Knox, Donald Robertson, Bob Waldinger)
  • Conversations - Sam Harris with Yuval Noah Harari, Michael Pollan, Morgan Housel, Roland Griffiths, Cal Newport, Shinzen Young
  • Q&As - Sam Harris with Joseph Goldstein, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Jack Kornfield, Loch Kelly

And many more subjects and teachers.

Created by Sam Harris

Neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris built Waking Up as the resource he wished he’d had when he began meditating 30 years ago. Every practice, course, and teacher is chosen for its power to change lives.

Free for Anyone Who Can’t Afford It

We never want money to be the reason someone can’t benefit from our app. To learn about our scholarship program, reach out to support@wakingup.com.

Subscriptions renew unless auto-renew is disabled 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage in Apple account settings. Payment charged to your Apple account.

Terms: https://wakingup.com/terms-of-service/

Privacy: https://wakingup.com/privacy-policy/

Satisfaction guarantee: Email support@wakingup.com for a full refund.

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Questions about Waking Up

Is the app free?

The app is free.

Does it include guided meditations?

Yes. The listing describes daily guided sessions with Sam Harris and a library of meditations.

Does it have sleep content?

Yes. The listing includes talks and meditations to help you rest.

Is Waking Up right for me?

Waking Up is built for starting a meditation practice with a 28-day course, listening to guided meditations or sleep content, exploring meditation theory and related topics. It sits in the meditation list on AppTierList.

Is Waking Up worth it?

Waking Up is S tier, ranked #6 of 40 meditation apps with a score of 96 out of 100, from a 4.9 App Store rating across 84,286 ratings. It is in the list's top tiers; 5 apps rank above it.

How does Waking Up compare to Happier Meditation?

Waking Up is S tier at 96; Happier Meditation is S tier at 96. They score the same. Waking Up is free to download, with in-app purchases, Happier Meditation is free to download, with in-app purchases.

How often is Waking Up updated?

Waking Up was updated 3 days ago, which counts in its favour.

Alternatives

Categories

All the facts

Ranking

Lists
Meditation (S tier, #6) · Spiritual Growth (B tier, #11)
Tier
S (Best in class)
Score
96 / 100
Rank in list
#6 of 43
Ranking certainty
settled

Ratings

App Store rating
4.9 out of 5, every App Store country
Ratings
84,286
Recent reviews
4.5 from 20 in the last 180 days

App

Price
Free + IAP
App Store category
Health & Fitness
Current version
(3 days ago)
Size
101 MB
Requires
iOS 16.0 or later
Age rating
4+
Languages
1
Runs on
iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
iPhone Duo
Made for iPhone Duo, with screenshots for both screens on the App Store

Links

Developer pages
Website · Support · Privacy policy
Maker
not verified

App Store data read · reviews · ranking