Aura vs. Headspace: Which App is Best for Improving Sleep?

Looking for the best app to get you a good night’s rest? Aura and Headspace are among the top sleep meditation apps people are turning to for a deep, restful sleep. 

By listening to relaxing meditation tracks before bed and using sleep-focused meditations during the night, you can greatly improve your sleep quality. Sleep meditations help you to fall asleep fast, stay asleep and return to sleep if you wake up during the night.  Which app should you choose? Let's compare Aura and Headspace to see how they can assist you in getting a better night's sleep.

Aura vs. Headspace at a Glance

Aura Meditation App

Aura, “Spotify for mental wellness,” is the all-in-one app for mental wellness and sleep that provides the world’s most extensive mental wellness content library and community. Over 8 million people choose Aura to find peace, and Aura has won the “Best of Apple” award.

By partnering with hundreds of top coaches & therapists worldwide as creators, Aura offers the world’s largest premium collection of meditations, stories, sleep tracks, life coaching, cognitive behavioural therapy, breath work, hypnosis, prayer and much more.

Unlike traditional meditation apps that provide one-size-fits-all content libraries created by a few coaches, Aura leverages AI to provide anyone with personalized access to its all-in-one mental wellness library that continuously learns what works for you. Moreover, you can connect with the community on Aura Live hosted by our coaches and receive 1-1 coaching directly on Aura. Aura is the one app you need to transform your well being and life.

Headspace Meditation App

Headspace offers a simplistic, user-friendly approach to mindfulness and meditation. With a variety of guided sessions, this app provides a structured, yet accessible, pathway to meditation for all levels. Its library includes themed sessions for specific needs like stress relief and sleep enhancement. Additionally, Headspace offers mindfulness exercises that can be integrated into daily routines, making it easy to cultivate a consistent mindfulness habit. With its straightforward interface and diverse content, Headspace is great for those seeking a practical meditation experience aimed at improving overall well being and sleep quality.

Aura Meditation App Overview

Aura’s Features

• Vast library of high-quality sleep content: Aura offers a wide variety of innovative sleep content, including meditations to relax before going to sleep, sleep stories, hypnosis, energy healing, sleep meditations and sleep music tracks. Aura hosts an impressive library of over 30,000 tracks.
• Mindfulness tracks for an all-in-one mindfulness library: You’ll find a selection of ever-growing content beyond sleep, helping to improve all other facets of well being and lifestyle that could be affecting your sleep. Additional content categories include Life Coaching, Breath work, Affirmations, Health Coaching and more.
• Coaching & Community: Coaches and meditation teachers offer free, live sessions, so listeners can connect and interact with experts. Listeners can also schedule 1-1 coaching sessions within the app. This fosters a sense of community to help listeners feel supported and inspired.
• AI Personalization: Aura uses innovating AI technology to recommend tracks based on each individual’s unique and changing preferences, needs and moods.

Aura’s Benefits

• Improve sleep: Aura’s professional coaches offer calm, soothing sleep meditations that enhance sleep quality and duration. 
• Intelligent customisation: With Aura’s algorithm that accurately curates meditations that fit your changing moods from day to day, you’ll spend less time searching for tracks and more time listening to content that is meaningful to your day.
• Life coaching: Emotional support is always in reach with an impressive community of coaches. Access to optional coaching sessions and free live sessions where you can get to know coaches who are committed to helping you improve lifestyle habits impacting your sleep.

Aura - What Could Be Better

• Content for families: Aura’s mindfulness content is designed mostly for adults.
• Limited free features: While pricing is competitive, there is no free access to longer sleep meditations. However, 3-minute meditations and Aura Live sessions are free to all users. There’s also some free trial options for the paid content.

Aura Pricing:

Aura’s limited version: Free, access to live coaching sessions and a variety of 3-minute meditations

A Premium subscription gets you unlimited access to all meditations, life coaching, stories, music, hypnosis, offline capabilities, and much more.

‍Annual Plan: US$ 69.99 with 7-day free trial

Monthly Plan: US$ 11.99

Lifetime Plan: US$ 399.99

Family Plan: (upgrade to add more members in one subscription) US$ 119.99

Headspace Meditation App Overview

Headspace’s Core Features

• Guided meditations. Headspace offers meditation sessions for all experience levels, ranging from beginner to advanced, with guidance from experienced meditation teachers.
• Themed sessions. Programs targeting specific needs like stress relief, anxiety management and improving sleep quality provide users with tailored support for various aspects of well being.
• Mindfulness exercises. Techniques beyond meditations, such as breath work and body scans.
• Family content. Headspace offers a wide variety of content for children, partnering with Sesame Street.

Headspace’s Benefits

• Sleep-focused meditations and techniques. A wide variety of peaceful meditations to help you enjoy a restful night’s sleep.
• Wake up content. Headspace offers short daily episodes designed to be part of a person’s morning ritual to help support a meditation habit.
• Mental and physical well being. Headspace’s Move mode combines meditation sessions with low-impact exercises to help users improve physical health.
• Student pricing. Deep discounts for university students.

Headspace - What Could Be Better

• Limited customisation. Headspace may not offer as much personalised content tailored to individual preferences and moods, compared with Aura.
• Less advanced content. There’s more focus on beginner content, which can create a less engaging user experience over time.

Headspace’s pricing:

Headspace’s limited version: Free content is limited to select guided meditations.

For access to all features: 

‍Annual Plan: US$ 69.99 with 14-day free trial

Monthly Plan: US$ 12.99

Student Plan: $US 9.99/year

Family Plan: $US 99.99/year for 6 accounts

Headspace or Aura: Which should you choose?

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Conclusion: Aura Is Your All-In-One Solution for a Restful Night’s Sleep

While both Aura and Head space offer sleep meditations that can greatly improve your sleep quality, Aura’s ability to customise backed by a content library of over 30,000 tracks creates a clear advantage. Aura’s innovative and vast content, such as hypnosis and energy healing, offers a more comprehensive solution for adults struggling with sleep. Aura provides a broader range of resources for individuals dedicated to boosting well being, prioritising self-care and elevating sleep quality while embracing a mindful lifestyle. Join Aura for remarkable sleep meditations personalised to your unique mood and needs to make your nights truly restful and enjoyable.