A decade ago, we could never imagine that we’d come to depend on our smartphones all the time in our lives. We use them for work as well as rest with them and even sleep with them. The number of activities we engage in doubled and tripled as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. Nowadays, businesses are looking for answers to questions like ” how to create a fintech app” or “how to build a mobile game” to satisfy the increasing demands. If we spend a lot of time looking at the screens of our phones and are constantly online it’s easy to become tired and stressed. This is why meditation has become a popular subject.
Meditation is believed to be one of the best methods to relax and concentrate on important things. There are a lot of internet-based resources that can assist people to begin meditating and assist to determine what works best for them. In this article, we’ll discuss the development of meditation apps and the challenges facing these apps, and the cost associated with it.
Meditation app market overview
As we mentioned earlier the market for meditation services is expected to grow by 2022 with no indication of slowing any time in the near future. But, we don’t expect you to believe this without even asking questions. Without solid evidence that words aren’t enough to prove anything. Let’s take a look at some of the market statistics that support our assertion.
- In 2021, users on mobile have spent an estimated $119.19 million on apps for meditation. (Statista)
- The market value for the mindfulness and meditation app market is predicted to grow to $180 million in 2032. (Fact.MR)
- Searches such as “mindfulness apps” or “yoga for beginners apps” increased by 65% year over year. (Google)
- The number of downloads for the top ten mindfulness apps in English increased by 20 million as the epidemic began. (Sensor Tower)
- In 2021, it is estimated that the Calm App has crossed 100 million downloads around the world, becoming the most downloaded alternative to other meditation apps on mobile. (data.ai)
Meditation apps of various types
Because there are lots of meditation techniques with distinct purposes and strategies and objectives, it is difficult to integrate the various techniques into a single interface that doesn’t overwhelm users. Therefore, the best meditation apps need to select a field to operate in.
1. Apps for meditation and sleep
This type of application is targeted at those who suffer from sleep problems such as sleeplessness or frequent nightmares. Relaxation aids such as vocals and soothing melodies are offered to ease a person’s mind and assist them in getting to sleep. It’s also beneficial to have an array of natural sounds because they provide a soothing and relaxing effect.
2. Apps for anxiety-relieving apps
Apps can be beneficial to individuals suffering from any type of anxiety. They provide meditation exercises that are guided and audio and video files that contain instructions as well as relaxing music. They typically run between 10 and 20 minutes based on the application.
3. Breath-related apps for meditation
Breathing exercises are among the most effective methods to relax and keep your focus. The app features an alarm clock and a particular breathing pattern that teaches users how and when to breathe in and out. These techniques can be employed to manage anxiety or to reduce stress levels.
4. Apps for stress management
The app for meditation allows users to measure their stress levels, discover the causes of stress and suggest exercises and other ways to manage stress. These apps can contain videos, images, and music.
5. Focus on applications
Because of the many apps and services that we utilize frequently in our lives, It’s not surprising that lots of people are easily distracted. Concentration apps allow people to eliminate distractions and concentrate their attention on a single task.
6. Yoga apps
It’s no secret that meditation and yoga can be great pairs. If you’re planning to develop an app for yoga it is recommended to combine the exercises with meditation methods. Additionally, you can include various levels of difficulty levels for novice as well as advanced users. tracking progress, and custom options for your practice sessions.
If you do not want to be restricted to one direction it is possible to create an application that is mixed. For instance, you could effortlessly combine an app for anxiety relief with a stress relief type.
Top meditation apps for meditation
Then, let’s examine the stories of success with meditation apps currently being used by hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people.
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Headspace
It’s difficult to discuss meditation apps without talking about headspace. It’s the top app for those looking to begin meditating. The app is designed to be appealing with fun animations and a user-friendly interface, which provides excellent user-friendliness and an almost perfect experience.
In addition, Headspace provides users with thousands of guided meditations, sounds, and music that can be used for almost any situation that you could imagine. If you are looking to fight stress, anxiety, grief and anxiety, sleep issues, low self-esteem or body image issues the app is a great solution. Additionally, Headspace has special meditation classes for children that aid them in gaining familiarity with this type of exercise.
The expected annual earnings of Headspace is expected at between $50 to $500 million.
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Calm
Another app that is a hit within the meditation mobile app category. Calm is a universal meditation application that is suitable for new and more experienced users. Users love its relaxing videos, quality content, and its well-known “Sleep Stories” which are like fairy tales for adults. The stories are told with the help of professional actors (including Kate Winslet, Cillian Murphy as well as Idris Elba) as well as other famous actors ( such as the likes of LeBron and Harry Styles), so you’ll be able to fall asleep listening to the voices of your favorite.
You can also utilize the Calm app on an Apple Watch to access breathing methods as well as walking meditations. The trial version is free in case you decide to keep using this app you could sign up at a cost of $15 per month.
By 2022, the total number of subscribers grew to 4 million and the app’s earnings reached $2 billion.
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Insight Timer
A lot of people believe it’s the Insight Timer app is a bit undervalued within the field of mindfulness apps. But, with a 4.9 score on the App Store as well as Google Play, Insight Timer has been receiving the attention it deserves. The thing that makes this app popular with users is the free library. There are over 50k guided meditation, sound, and music options for users at no cost. needed.
A premium subscription is offered for $10 per month. Additional features include offline listening as well as additional material, advanced classes, and an audio player that is powerful.
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Aura
Personalization is the primary concept that drives Aura. When a user launches Aura, they tap on the mood they want to have for the day. Aura creates special collections of meditations, stories, and sounds in accordance with their choice. Furthermore, Spotify-like playlists are also accessible with meditation-themed music for users to enjoy. The app also includes an ability to track moods that allow users to track how their mood fluctuates and how meditation impacts their well-being.
Relaxation techniques and music playlists aren’t all Aura provides. Other options include life coaching and a gratitude journal sleep stories, and mindfulness instructors who are always there to assist. Aura offers a free version (which many users consider sufficient) and a premium version that costs 12 dollars per month.
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Sattva
If you’d like to go for an older-fashioned approach to meditation, Sattva may be the right choice for you. The app’s meditation sessions are based on ancient Vedic concepts to provide users with a spiritual experience. The app allows users to begin by meditating for 6 minutes and increase it according to their preference. Sattva gives users chants and mantras, narrated and spoken by Sanskrit scholars, ensuring that all sessions are enthralling and authentic.
The app is available in both the free version and the premium one. The premium subscription is just $13 per month. Access to all content for life is also accessible for a one-time cost of $400.
A meditation app has many features
There are a lot of meditation apps available on the market, users anticipate that these apps will contain a number of features. Here’s a list of things your app must have regardless of the kind of app it is.
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Log in/Sign up
The user is required to sign up through social media accounts as well as email addresses or even phone numbers. The whole process should be fast and simple to allow them to begin meditation in the shortest time possible.
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Profile of the user
Users of the app will be able to monitor their progress as well as control their settings and subscribe here.
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Onboarding
A program must have an easy and concise introduction to its capabilities so that users are able to quickly navigate the various functions.
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Menu navigation
This is an essential feature that every app must have. It lets users navigate easily through the application.
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Screen of Discovery
In this section, you can suggest your most-loved meditations and give specific recommendations based on user information.
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Music and meditation library
The library can provide diverse types of content, such as gentle meditations with the guided sound of relaxation music, and sleep stories. In addition, using filters that let users arrange the library as they wish is an excellent feature.
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Search
If your library is huge it is important to add search functions to enable users to find exactly the tune or meditation they’re looking for.
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List of Favorites
This feature allows users to add their top tracks and meditations according to the order that they find most comfortable.
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Countdown timestamp
Mobile applications for meditation allow users to set timers for sessions. This allows people to adjust their meditation to their lifestyle.
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Audio Player
Like any important element of an app for meditation, it must be easy and user-friendly, so that users can enjoy music and sounds, and then stop when they need to.
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Push notifications
Useful to remind users of their sessions and to keep them up-to-date.
How do you Develop Your Own Meditation App: Steps to follow
Before we get into specific details such as the cost of development and technology needed to create an app for meditation the next part will outline a general approach to creating an app.
1. Select a kind and the target audience
The first thing to consider when considering creating an app for meditation is to determine the user segment you’re targeting. This will assist you in forming your marketing strategy and selecting the appropriate kind of application. We’ve provided a number of alternatives, but you could also pick something that is more specific. For instance, you could concentrate on meditations that relieve anxiety for people suffering from PTSD or even create a playlist of music that relaxes office employees.
2. Study your competition
Competition is vital to the health of a market, and it is important to keep track of competitors to ensure a spot in the market for your application. Things to keep in mind include what the app offers to the general public, what people they target as well as the reasons why people like them, and what features users would like to include or alter. This will allow you to make an informed choice about the features that are available in these apps and how to draw customers.
3. Find a team to work with
After you’ve completed the two steps previously You can begin searching at an app design firm that can help you turn your concept into a reality. Pay attention to not just the location of the company and the hourly cost, but also their expertise level and feedback from past customers. This will allow you to determine whether they are the right choice for your needs.
In addition to the primary aspect of creating an app that helps you meditate the team of experts can assist you in proving and polishing the outcomes of your market research and competitive analysis. This is usually done by using the discovery phase. It could also be used as a stand-alone solution if you’re looking to outsource your research tasks. We can assist you in estimating the possibility of success for the meditation mobile app. Contact us to set up a consultation!
4. Design
The design of the user interface is essential for an app for meditation. Many potential users will download and utilize your app, not just to relax, but also helping to manage stress and anxiety. This is why you must be cautious to make sure that your meditation app does not bring new stress to their lives. Simple layouts, pastel colors, as well as smooth and fluid animation, are the things you will require to build an appealing app. We also recommend that you begin the development of your meditation mobile application with prototyping. Prototypes are a rough draft of the future app that will help you understand the way the elements that comprise your app work with each other, and whether it’s a good fit for users. Correcting the fundamental mistakes in this phase is much less expensive than later on in the development process.
5. Develop
The market for meditation apps is extremely competitive, we suggest you begin with a minimum viable app (MVP). It should only include the essential elements that determine the app’s value to users. If it is received well then you can keep the process of updating and making it an app that is fully-fledged. If the reception is not great then you’ll need to go over the design and correct your mistakes prior to trying again.
6. Integrate it
In order to complete this step to complete this stage, you should utilize APIs supplied by the manufacturers. For instance, if you intend to integrate your application into wearable gadgets, then you should make use of the APIs for Wear OS as well as Watch OS from Google and Apple because they are the most sought-after OS alternatives for smartwatches.
7. Test
At this point, QA engineers make sure that each and every aspect of your application functions just as it is supposed to. This includes design, code overall functionality, load speed, and many other crucial elements.
8. Release and support
When your meditation app has been activated, maintenance commences. It is your responsibility to release relevant updates and assist users to solve technical problems. Furthermore, no matter how hard your QA team attempts to fix the issue, users are likely to come across a few more bugs Your job is to address these issues in a timely manner.
9. Analyze and track the level of engagement of users
It is crucial to monitor the activity of users when the app is launched. Analyzing the most popular meditations, most frequently used user flows, as well as possible blocks can help you enhance your app and improve its user-friendliness.
Practices and tips to be considered
Now that we’ve gone over the fundamental steps to developing a meditation app Let’s look at some of the tips and tricks that can help you improve your app and help its app stick out in others.
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Use AR/VR
Augmented and virtual realities can greatly aid people struggling with anxieties, fears, and anxieties. These technologies can provide the right environment where a person can confront their triggers and address these triggers. Additionally, you can create tranquil settings that users can access on mobile devices to help them relax more quickly.
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Have fun with gamification
Gamification features are powerful stimulants to increase the engagement of meditation apps. For instance, you could provide simple rewards for the completion of meditations. They could be fancy pins or badges that users can include on their personal dashboards.
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Transparent
There are many apps for mobile that can aid in your meditation, but many of them aren’t built on the basis of scientific research and tried and tested methods. This is why users may be skeptical about the latest meditation apps. Use trusted sources, in conjunction with your content library, and be transparent with customers to earn their confidence.
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Try e-commerce
If you sell physical items for meditation like cushioned yoga mats as well as aromatics, then you can add an online-commerce feature to your meditation app such as Headspace that lets users purchase these items straight from the store.
Important Article: Statistics For Top Meditation Apps You Should Know Before Using It
The challenges to be overcome
Each of the business-related activities and processes includes two aspects of the coin: one side where you make money and enhance your product, and the other one that allows you to respond to negative feedback and address the force major. Let’s discuss the potential drawbacks you could encounter while creating meditation apps.
1. Blending speed and simplicity
To keep your audience interested you’ll need to keep your app’s library updated regularly with new content such as music and sounds. This could significantly affect the speed of loading and the ease of use, which is why you must take care to balance the two elements.
2. Subscription plans that are expensive
Since a large portion of digital meditation applications are totally free or offer free versions that charge more than average for new apps can turn away potential customers. To get their attention, you could begin with the free MVP and when you’ve added more features and features, you can add premium options.
3. Localization
If you are looking to expand internationally it is important to think about making all your content available in different languages. In order to do this, you’ll have the assistance of experts who can help since poor translations can leave a negative impression on international users.
4. Smartwatch compatible
Making an app for smartwatches can be a bit challenging because there are lots of devices that could be installed. However, it’s also a great chance to reach a larger population.
Let’s discuss the technology required and the cost of developing a meditation app.
Tech stack and team composition to Develop Your Own Meditation App
Based on the nature and the size of your meditation application the specific selection of technology and tools will differ. This section will focus on the most commonly used technology stacks that have been proven to be effective for the development of this type of software.
- Technologies: Kotlin, Java, Swift, React.js, Node.js
- Hosting: AWS
- Pay gateway: Stripe Braintree PayPal
- Notifications via push: For Firebase PubNub, Twilio
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Branch, Amplitude
This is a basic beginning point and is easily adapted to meet the specific requirements of your company. But, these tools tend to be the best for developing meditation apps.
Let’s examine the group composition that’s capable of handling the project. The most crucial group members in this instance are as follows.
- Project manager to ensure that processes are running precisely as they are supposed to.
- Business analyst to determine the probability of success of your idea and evaluate the market.
- Designers – To make your app visually appealing and user-friendly.
- Backend engineers – To create a strong and reliable back end.
- Frontend engineers – To design the client side of your application.
- QA engineers – To check the application for errors and bugs prior to the release.
Alongside the suggestions above it is recommended to consult with experts in the field like meditation experts, trainers, and mindfulness instructors who will provide further insights and guidance about how your meditation application should function.
Cost of building an app for meditation
There are many factors that could affect the development cost in the end. The factors that influence the cost include time frame, features, integration with third parties, the team’s hourly rate, and the site. This is why estimating the total price of creating a meditation application such as Headspace is difficult without knowing all the information available. Here’s an estimate of such a product, assuming that it comes with all the features described previously.
| Stage of development | Hours |
| Stage of preparation (business analysis documenting market research) | 70-100 |
| Prototyping | 100 |
| Design | 100-150 |
| Backend development | 240-280 |
| Frontend development | 450-500 |
| QA | 150-200 |
In other words, if the average hourly wage is $50, the estimated price for developing a meditation app would vary from $50,000 to $70,000. We invite you to contact us for a more accurate estimate based on your needs.
Methods to make money from a meditation application like Calm
Since we’ve covered all the costs associated with the development of a meditation app now is the time to talk about ways to recoup the cost of this investment. There are a variety of options to consider.
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Pay-to-download
This approach is outdated unflexible and, honestly, pretty old-fashioned. To be successful mobile apps have to be unique and user-friendly to keep and attract customers. Furthermore, pay-to-download monetization could turn off potential customers as they aren’t sure whether they’re able to trust your product prior to purchasing.
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Subscription
A subscription that is a renewable (weekly or monthly) service is a tried and true method to earn money. Many relaxation applications and services utilize this system to provide an income stream that is more stable and does not have to worry about revenue. It also provides a flexible method for your customers to pay for your service.
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Ads
Ads that play can be an efficient method of earning cash from your application. But, you must be cautious with this kind of revenue generation. For example, putting ads during a peaceful program could disrupt the flow of meditation and may cause users to leave the application.
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In-app purchases
This can be added to your meditation application. These purchases could be like premium meditations, soothing music, or breathing exercises. Additionally, you can choose more personalization options such as avatars, themes, or themes.
Related Article: How to Build a Calm-Like Meditation App for Startups
Do You Want to Develop Your Own Meditation App?
iTechnolabs has first-hand knowledge of the development of meditation apps. Around a year ago we developed Levitate which is an iOS application for meditation that offers various relaxing music tracks, soothing videos, and soothing natural sounds. It assists users to recover from their hectic schedules by improving their concentration and sleeping quality.
