The Best Alternatives for Better Sleep in 2024

When it comes to improving your sleep, BetterSleep offers valuable features, such as personalised sleep tracking, guided bedtime routines and a variety of soothing sleep sounds to help you unwind and drift off peacefully. But there are other apps that may better suit your needs. 

If you are troubled with getting a good night’s sleep, you might find that the broader range of features and content offered by mindfulness and meditation apps such as Aura, Headspace, Calm and Insight timer, offer a more comprehensive solution to stress, relaxation, mental health and sleep. Here’s a run down of Better Sleep alternatives and how they might help you sleep peacefully at night.

Alternative #1: Aura

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 “Best of Apple.”

By partnering with hundreds of top coaches and therapists worldwide as creators, Aura offers the world’s most extensive 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 personalised 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 mindfulness coaches and receive 1-1 coaching directly on the app. Aura is the one app you need to transform your well being and life.

Alternative #2: Headspace

Headspace offers a user-friendly mindfulness app, with a variety of features such as meditation, sleep casts and focus exercises guided by expert facilitators. It caters to users of all levels with structured courses like the 10-Day Basics for beginners and themed meditation packs tailored to specific needs. With its intuitive interface and diverse content, Headspace empowers individuals to foster mindfulness and discover inner calm in the midst of life's challenges.

Alternative #3: Calm

Calm offers an alternative to Better Sleep with its array of relaxation aids, including guided meditations, sleep stories and soothing music tracks, featuring narration by celebrities. Its user-friendly interface ensures effortless navigation through its relaxation options.

Calm goes beyond mere relaxation to promote mental well being, offering daily mindfulness reminders and customisation meditation programs tailored to individual needs.

Alternative # 4: Insight Timer

Insight Timer offers a diverse meditation platform with a global community of practitioners. It provides thousands of free guided meditations, music tracks, and talks led by meditation teachers and experts worldwide, catering to various needs and levels of experience. Insight Timer offers sleep meditations as well as content that empowers users to improve overall well-being.

Aura Meditation App Overview

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Aura Features

• Sleep Focus: A massive library of remarkable, relaxing sleep meditations designed to make your nights truly restful and enjoyable. Aura's sleep tracks include meditations, energy healing, bedtime stories and sleep soundscapes to help users unwind and achieve a deeper, more rejuvenating sleep.
• 30,000 Wellness Tracks: Aura offers an all-in-one solution to mindfulness content, branching into various areas of your well being. Beyond sleep, comprehensive content categories include ASMR, Affirmations, Breath work, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Hypnosis, Health Coaching, Life Coaching, Prayer and more for an all-inclusive approach to mindfulness. The vast variety of content helps you enhance your overall health and lifestyle habits that affect sleep.
• Live Sessions and Community: Life coaches offer 1-1 sessions at a variety of price points and free interactive live group sessions, giving you an affordable opportunity to interact with experts and participate in a robust mindfulness community. This support encourages you to stick to your goals, stay more engaged and improve lifestyle habits.

• Customisation: Aura’s AI technology is unmatched in providing you track recommendations tailored to your different moods as they vary. This makes it easy to find your favourite tracks quickly and focus on falling asleep or practising meditation and mindfulness.

Aura’s Cost:

Limited version: Free

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: US$ 119.99

Headspace Meditation App Overview

Headspace Features

• Sleep Focus: Headspace offers a range of sleep content, including sleep casts and guided meditations, designed to help users relax and unwind before bedtime, ensuring a more restful night's sleep.
• Themed Meditation Packs: Pre-designed meditation bundles cater to specific needs and interests and help you to establish a meditation routine.
• Family Focus: Headspace offers a wide variety of content for children, partnering with Sesame Street.

Headspace’s Cost:

Headspace’s Limited Version: Free 

Paid Version: Access To All Features

Annual Plan: $69.99/year US

Monthly Plan: $12.99/month US

Family Plan: $99.99/year US for up to 6 members

Headspace Meditation App Overview

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Calm Features

• Sleep Stories: Calm’s sleep stories help you drift off peacefully. From enchanting tales narrated by celebrities to guided sleep meditations, enjoy tracks to lull you into a restful sleep.
• Variety of Content: Calm provides users with a wide array of relaxation options, from guided meditations to soothing music or breathing exercises and more. 
• Calm Kids Library: 2-3 stories a month read by celebrities and featuring the likes of Peppa Pig and Kung Fu Panda.

Calm’s Cost:

Calm’s Limited Version: Free

Paid Version: Access To All Features

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

Monthly Plan: US$14.99

Family Plan: $99/year

Insight Timer Meditation App Overview

Insight Timer Features

• Sleep Support: Explore a wide range of guided meditations and sleep-specific content designed to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality, helping you unwind and achieve a restful night’s sleep.
• Full Content Library: Free guided meditations, music tracks and talks on various topics, including stress relief, sleep and personal growth.
• Customizable Timer: Personalise your meditation sessions with interval bells, ambient sounds and duration settings to suit your preferences.
• Community Support: Connect with like-minded individuals through groups, discussions and events, fostering a sense of belonging and support on your meditation journey.

Insight Timer’s Cost:

Insight Timer’s Limited Version: Free

Paid Version: Access to All Features

Annual Plan: $59.99/year 

Monthly Plan: $9.99/month

What is the best Better Sleep alternative?

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Conclusion: Aura is the best alternative to Better Sleep

In conclusion, while all four Better Sleep alternatives offer valuable features, Aura stands out as the top choice for its expansive library of high-quality content of 30,000 tracks, as well as its personalization, making it easy for you to find the tracks that fit your mood when you need them.  Aura provides a seamless, all-in-one approach to mindfulness, meditation and sleep that creates a comprehensive experience, perfect for improving sleep as well as overall health. Aura utilises AI to provide personalised access to its all-encompassing mental wellness resources, constantly adapting to what resonates with you. This means you will access the perfect sleep tracks quickly, fall asleep faster and stay asleep for a restful night. Aura stands out as the ultimate sleep and mindfulness app to elevate your well being and transform your life. Give Aura a try and embark on your journey towards inner peace and deep, restful sleep today.