Calm vs Headspace: what subscribers complain about
Shared report · refreshed weekly · updated Oct 26, 2026
Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation.
Health & Fitness · Free · out since 2013 · from the App Store descriptionCalm's pricing complaints come down to a paywall: people who pay for a subscription say they still cannot reach content without paying more, and free content is hard to find.
OneStar read 2,620 App Store and Google Play reviews of Calm posted from Oct 2025 to Oct 2026. Of the 2,620 people who reviewed Calm in OneStar's sample, 55% complain and 56% praise it. The top complaints about Calm are pricing and fees (35% of complaints), charges and refunds (17%) and crashes and bugs (11%). In OneStar's sample of Calm reviews, 5% of reviewers say they're quitting. OneStar's report on Calm was last updated on Oct 26, 2026.
What goes wrong
This Calm app is unusable unless you can pay for a subscription.
What was most disappointing was the lack of care or compassion in the communication I received — particularly from a company whose brand is built around supporting people’s wellbeing.
No longer works
This app is just sounds when I was looking for tracking for sleep
Guided meditation is not good, to much talking. Far to many people talking content outside of that. I wanted meditation not a lecture. AVOID
What goes well
I can't believe how rested I feel, I'm getting clockwork 8 hours nightly, this app has changed my health outlook and lowered my stress, I've just now started to enjoy the other features -...
love this app ❤️
Love this App.
Fun stories
Great app simple to use!
Reasons for quitting
The main complaint of the 127 reviewers who say they stopped or are quitting
Their categories
Yes or no questions the person who shared it asked of each review
Signed up, paid $89.99 plus $9.99 let Calm create my password and then when I have downloaded the app it doesn’t recognise my username or password.
What was most disappointing was the lack of care or compassion in the communication I received — particularly from a company whose brand is built around supporting people’s wellbeing.
I signed up for a 7 day trial and was charged for the year immediately.
Until last night when I opened the app, as I always do, and found everything has been redesigned and made smaller.
Charged for a free trial $85, refused refund. I am chronically ill, not working, cannot afford this app. they charged me for a free trial and even managed to deny a refund through paypal. Crooks.
What they use it for
1,235 of 2,620 reviewers said; shares are of them
i just started using this app and i got to say it's extremely soothing to hear the background nature soundscapes. the meditation teachers are also really nice and i highly recommend getting this app!
I remember when Calm used to have so many free options, my kids would listen to stories every night. Now pretty much nothing is free. Don’t bother downloading if you don’t want to pay.
I just want an alarm for 2am medication
What they ask for
221 reviews ask for something
Who is saying it
The biggest clear differences between audiences; 6 more with a free account
TenureNew user: say they're quitting 3.1x as often as everyone (15% vs 5%).
UseMental health: mention missing feature 2.0x as often as everyone (26% vs 13%).
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