Meditation Apps · Review
Medito Review
Meditation as a public good — open source, donation-funded, and free forever on principle.
Our rating
4.2 / 5
Starting price
Free
Free tier
Yes
Platforms
iOS · Android
Developer
Medito Foundation (nonprofit)
Launched
2019
Our verdict
Medito is what happens when people decide mindfulness should not have a paywall: a clean, open-source app from a nonprofit foundation, with beginner courses, daily meditations, sleep content, and SOS sessions — all free, no ads, no account. Smaller than the giants and plainer too, but its existence is quietly radical and its quality entirely real.
This review is editorial and unsponsored — no affiliate payments influence our ratings. Selfpause makes a wellness app of its own, so where a product competes with us, we say so plainly and let you judge.
The Medito Foundation builds its app on a simple conviction — meditation’s benefits should be accessible to everyone, so the product is free forever, open source, and funded by donations rather than subscriptions.
Inside: structured beginner courses, a daily meditation, sleep wind-downs, breathing exercises, and short SOS sessions for hard moments. No account required, no data harvesting, no premium teasing — the absence of commercial pressure is itself calming.
Set against Calm’s catalogs it is modest, and narration variety is limited. But for the core practice — learning and keeping daily mindfulness — Medito covers everything essential with integrity money cannot buy.
Pros & cons
What we like
- Free forever on principle — nonprofit, open source, donation-funded.
- No ads, no account, no upsells, no data games.
- Solid beginner courses and a reliable daily session.
- SOS sessions for acute stressful moments.
- Clean, distraction-free design.
What we don’t
- Library is small beside commercial giants.
- Limited narrator and style variety.
- No advanced curricula or theory tracks.
- Sleep content is basic.
Best for / avoid if
Best for
- →Anyone who wants quality meditation with zero cost or strings
- →Privacy-conscious users tired of account walls
- →Beginners wanting essentials without subscription pressure
- →Supporters of open-source public goods
Avoid if
- →You want huge variety — Insight Timer
- →You want premium sleep content — Calm
- →You want deep teaching — Headspace or Waking Up
Pricing
Free
$0
The entire app, forever. Donations welcome, never required.
What Medito is
Medito is a free, open-source meditation app from a nonprofit foundation: courses, dailies, sleep, breathing, and SOS sessions without ads or accounts.
It is the public-good answer to subscription mindfulness — essentials done honestly.
Why open source matters in this category
Wellness apps monetize anxiety surfaces; an open-source nonprofit cannot and will not. Medito’s incentives point only at your practice, and you can read the code to confirm it.
The psychological difference is real: meditating inside an app with nothing to sell you is its own small relief.
Beginner courses and dailies
Structured intro series plus a fresh daily meditation anchor the habit.
The essentials are genuinely well made — calm narration, sensible progressions, zero filler.
SOS and breathing sessions
Short targeted sessions for panic, anger, and overwhelm, plus guided breathing.
Quick help without an upsell screen in front of it — notable in this market.
Where Medito falls behind
Scale. Hundreds of sessions, not hundreds of thousands.
Variety. Few voices and styles.
Depth. No advanced or philosophical paths.
Medito vs. Insight Timer vs. Smiling Mind
The three free champions: Insight Timer wins on sheer volume, Smiling Mind on family and classroom coverage, Medito on principled simplicity and privacy.
For a focused, no-account daily practice, Medito is arguably the purest experience of the trio.
They cost nothing — use all three and let practice, not pricing, decide.
Bottom line
Medito proves a free, honest, well-made meditation app can exist — and is one. Essentials-seekers should start here; variety-seekers should add Insight Timer alongside.
Want a daily positivity practice in your own voice? Selfpause lets you record personalized affirmations, layer them with calming music, and keep them on your lock screen.
Try Selfpause FreeAlternatives to Medito
Insight Timer
4.6Free with enormous variety.
Read our review →
Smiling Mind
4.3Free, family- and classroom-focused.
Read our review →
Headspace
4.5If you outgrow free and want curriculum.
Read our review →
Frequently asked questions
How is Medito free?+
It is built by the nonprofit Medito Foundation, funded by donations, with open-source code. There is no premium tier to sell you.
Do I need an account?+
No — the app works fully without sign-up, which doubles as a privacy feature.
Is it good for beginners?+
Yes — the structured intro courses are clear and kind, covering everything a new meditator needs.
Medito or Insight Timer?+
Medito for focused simplicity and no-account privacy; Insight Timer for endless variety. Both free — many people keep both.
A note on mental health: apps and online services can support wellbeing, but they are not a substitute for professional care. If you are struggling, a licensed professional can help — and if you are in crisis, contact your local emergency number or, in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
More meditation apps reviews
Insight Timer
4.6The largest free meditation library in existence — more content than you could finish in a lifetime.
Calm
4.5The most polished sleep and meditation app on the market — and priced like it.
Headspace
4.5The most structured way to actually learn meditation — friendly, progressive, and beginner-proof.