The short version
Medito is the best free alternative to Headspace: every meditation is free, with no ads, no account and no premium tier. Headspace costs about $70 a year but gives you the most structured beginner teaching, a larger library and a research-backed program. If price decides it, choose Medito. If structure decides it, choose Headspace.
What each one does
Medito is built by the Medito Foundation, a registered charity in the Netherlands. Its code is public, it needs no account, and it covers the fundamentals: beginner courses, breathing exercises, sleep content, stress and anxiety sessions and a meditation timer. It is funded by donations, not subscriptions.
Headspace is a subscription app with a 14-day free trial. Its strength is teaching: courses that take a complete beginner to a steady daily practice, plus a broad library for sleep, focus and everyday life. Without a subscription, the free content is little more than a sample.
Who should pick which
Pick Medito if you do not want to pay, value privacy, or dislike upsells. Pick Headspace if you want a guided path with more variety and are happy to pay for it. Many people start with Medito and only subscribe to an app if they want more structure later. For other options, see our meditation app ranking and Headspace vs Insight Timer, another strong low-cost alternative.
What the evidence says
Meditation apps have been studied in randomised trials, mostly short ones, with modest benefits for stress and mood on average and wide variation between people. Headspace has funded and published research on its own programs, which counts in its favour. Medito has no comparable research of its own, but the basic practices it teaches are the same kind that studies examine. Neither app is a treatment for a mental health condition.
Bottom line
For a free alternative to Headspace, Medito is the cleanest choice: no cost, no ads, no account. Headspace remains the better teacher for beginners who want structure and are willing to pay about $70 a year. See the full Medito review and Headspace review for scores.