Healthy Minds Program vs Waking Up (2026)

Healthy Minds Program and Waking Up are the two meditation apps most often weighed against each other when scientific credibility is the deciding factor. Both are taught by named researchers; both move beyond consumer-mindfulness packaging. Healthy Minds is run by Healthy Minds Innovations, a nonprofit affiliated with Richard Davidson’s Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; Waking Up is Sam Harris’ philosophical project paired with neuroscience and philosophy lectures.

Healthy Minds Program or Waking Up: which is better?

Higher ONDA score: Healthy Minds Program (7.8 vs 7.3)

Different approaches to the same credibility goal. Healthy Minds for an evidence-based four-pillar training framework — free, no paywall. Waking Up for philosophical depth and non-dual practice under Sam Harris.

Healthy Minds Innovations7.8 / 10

Healthy Minds Program

Meditation app

The most scientifically grounded app here — completely free, ad-free, built by a neuroscientist and validated in dozens of studies.

Waking Up7.3 / 10

Waking Up

Meditation app

A teaching-focused, philosophy-heavy app — serious instruction — but the most expensive, and not for beginners.

Head-to-head breakdown

Healthy Minds Program vs Waking Up — head-to-head comparison by criterion
Criterion	Winner	Why
Scientific lineage	Healthy Minds Program	Healthy Minds: built on Richard Davidson’s Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison — one of the most-cited contemplative-science labs in the world — and tested in a published randomised controlled trial. Waking Up: Sam Harris (PhD neuroscience) with credible guests but not a research lab.
Teaching depth	Waking Up	Waking Up goes deeper into non-dual practice and philosophy of mind. Healthy Minds is structured around four-pillar training (awareness, connection, insight, purpose) — broad but less philosophically deep.
Curriculum structure	Healthy Minds Program	Healthy Minds: explicit four-pillar curriculum with progression. Waking Up: 30-day introductory course plus a non-linear library — less structured after the course.
Library scope	Waking Up	Waking Up: meditations plus lessons and conversations with neuroscientists, philosophers and teachers (600+ hours of audio, per Waking Up). Healthy Minds: focused on the four-pillar training programme.
Teaching voice consistency	Waking Up	Waking Up: largely Sam Harris with curated guests. Healthy Minds: multiple instructors — less unified voice.
Beginner accessibility	Tie	Both ship a clear introductory path. Waking Up assumes more intellectual engagement; Healthy Minds is more procedural.
Sleep / wind-down content	Tie	Neither is a sleep app. Healthy Minds has no sleep-story-style content; Waking Up covers sleep in some talks but has no real sleep library. For sleep, look at Calm or Headspace.
Price	Healthy Minds Program	Healthy Minds Program: free, donation-funded, no paywall. Waking Up: $129.99/year on its website ($149.99/year or $19.99/month in-app), 7-day free trial, and a free scholarship membership for anyone who cannot afford it.

Choose Healthy Minds Program

Choose Healthy Minds Program if you want a science-based meditation training framework from a research nonprofit — structured, tested in a randomised trial, and genuinely free with no paywall.

Choose Waking Up

Choose Waking Up if you want meditation as philosophical inquiry — non-dual practice, neuroscience and philosophy lectures, Sam Harris’ teaching voice.

Short answer

Pick Healthy Minds Program if you want a structured, research-built course that costs nothing — it is free, donation-funded and has been tested in a randomised trial. Pick Waking Up if you want depth: non-dual practice, Sam Harris’ teaching and a library of philosophy and science conversations, for $129.99 a year (or free via its scholarship if you cannot afford it). Many people start with Healthy Minds and add Waking Up once a habit sticks.

| | Healthy Minds Program | Waking Up | |---|---|---| | Price | Free (donation-funded nonprofit) | $129.99/year web; $149.99/year or $19.99/month in-app | | Free access | Everything, always | 7-day trial; free scholarship if you cannot afford it | | Who is behind it | Healthy Minds Innovations, affiliated with the UW–Madison Center for Healthy Minds | Sam Harris and guest teachers | | Structure | Four pillars: awareness, connection, insight, purpose | 30-day intro course, then a non-linear library | | Published trial of the app | Yes — RCT, JMIR Mental Health 2020 | None comparable | | Best for | Beginners, evidence-first users, zero budget | Practitioners wanting philosophy and depth |

When is Healthy Minds Program the right pick?

If you want a science-backed meditation framework from a credible research group — Richard Davidson’s four-pillar training (awareness, connection, insight, purpose) — and a genuinely free app, Healthy Minds is the right shape. A randomised controlled trial (Goldberg et al., 2020) found that eight weeks of the app reduced psychological distress compared with a waitlist. The no-paywall model is rare among top-rated apps. Full details in our Healthy Minds Program review.

When is Waking Up the right pick?

If you want meditation as part of a wider inquiry into mind and philosophy, with Sam Harris’ teaching voice plus lessons from neuroscientists and philosophers around it, Waking Up is the right shape. It costs $129.99 a year on the website (more in-app), but the scholarship means cost is never the blocker. Full details in our Waking Up review.

Which is better for beginners?

Healthy Minds, for most people. Sessions are short and procedural, the path is explicit, and you can use it indefinitely without paying. Waking Up’s introductory course is excellent but quickly turns to questions about the self that land best with some practice behind you.

What else to compare

Weighing a third option? See Headspace vs Waking Up vs Healthy Minds Program, Calm vs Waking Up, or the full ranking of the best meditation apps of 2026.

Sources

Goldberg SB et al. (2020). Testing the efficacy of a multicomponent, self-guided, smartphone-based meditation app: three-armed randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health. doi:10.2196/23825
Healthy Minds Innovations — the free Healthy Minds Program app
Waking Up — subscription plans and scholarship, checked 2026-10-01

Common questions

Healthy Minds or Waking Up — which should I pick?

Healthy Minds if you want an evidence-based meditation framework from a research nonprofit, structured around four pillars of training, and you value a no-paywall app. Waking Up if you want meditation as part of a wider philosophical inquiry, with Sam Harris’ teaching voice and lectures from neuroscientists and philosophers.

Is Healthy Minds Program really free?

Yes. The app is run by Healthy Minds Innovations, a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds, and is funded by donations — no paywall, no subscription, no ads. A few other apps have large free tiers, but few top-rated ones are free in full.

How much is Waking Up, and can you get it free?

Waking Up costs $129.99 a year bought on its website ($10.83 a month), or $149.99 a year and $19.99 a month through the app stores, after a 7-day free trial. Its scholarship programme gives a free membership to anyone who cannot afford it, no questions asked.

Waking Up vs Healthy Minds for beginners: which is easier?

Healthy Minds is usually easier for complete beginners: short, procedural sessions, a clear four-pillar path and no cost to try for as long as you like. Waking Up’s 30-day introductory course is excellent but moves quickly into ideas about the nature of the self, which suits people who already have some practice or curiosity about philosophy.

Is there research showing the Healthy Minds app works?

Yes. A randomised controlled trial (Goldberg et al., JMIR Mental Health, 2020) tested the Healthy Minds Program app against a waitlist and found reductions in psychological distress after eight weeks. That is one well-run trial, not proof for every user; Waking Up has no comparable published trial of its own app.

Can I use both?

Yes, and since Healthy Minds is free there is no cost to layering them — Healthy Minds for the structured daily framework, Waking Up for the philosophical lessons and non-dual practice. They cover different parts of the meditation conversation.

See the full ranking

Best Meditation Apps (2026)

ONDA ranks the best meditation apps of 2026 — free and paid — on content library, teaching, personalisation, free tier and value.

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