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Apple App Store Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom

Waking Up Course, LLC

42,194
Reviews
4.9
Rating
Sep 21, 2018
Launch Date
View Origin Link

Product Positioning & Context

Recognized as a 2025 Pick by NYT Wirecutter

Featured as a 2026 pick for the App Store “App of the Day”

Thousands worldwide call Waking Up life changing. Whether you want better sleep, more clarity, or deeper meditation, Waking Up is your complete guide.

Testimonials

“Waking Up has led to my most consistent meditation practice. Family and staff also use it because it’s such a powerful tool.” —Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist

“Waking Up is a critical part of my daily practice. It’s my go-to for presence, peace, and well-being.” —Rich Roll, athlete & author

“If you’ve had trouble getting into meditation, this app is your answer!” —Susan Cain, best-selling author

What’s Inside

- Introductory Course—a transformative 28-day program, for both beginners and experienced meditators
- Daily Meditations—regular guided sessions with Sam Harris
- Moments—short reflections when you need them most
- Daily Quotes—a spark of insight each day
- Reflections—breif lessons that shift perspective
- Sleep—talks and meditations to help you rest
- Meditation Timer—customize your own sessions
- A vast library of meditations, theory sessions, life courses, conversations, and Q&As
- Community—connect with members to discuss meditation, philosophy, psychedelics, and more

Why Waking Up Stands Out

Unlike conventional meditation apps, Waking Up blends practice with theory—so you not only learn to meditate but also understand how it transforms your mind. It’s meditation, science, and timeless wisdom in one place.

Topics & Techniques

Our library combines contemplative traditions with modern science, offering tools for both practice and understanding. Techniques include mindfulness (Vipassana), Loving-Kindness, body scans, yoga nidra, and nondual awareness practices from Dzogchen, Zen, and Advaita Vedanta. Topics span neuroscience, psychology, Stoicism, ethics, psychedelics, productivity, and happiness.

Content & Teachers

Created by neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris, Waking Up features leading voices in meditation, philosophy, and psychology.

- Practice—Vipassana, Zen, Dzogchen, Advaita Vedanta (Joseph Goldstein, Diana Winston, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Richard Lang)
- Theory—the philosophy and science of consciousness, ethics, and well-being (Alan Watts, Charlotte Joko Beck, Joan Tollifson, James Low, Douglas Harding)
- Life—mindfulness in relationships, productivity, Stoicism, and more (David Whyte, Oliver Burkeman, Matthew Walker, Amanda Knox, Donald Robertson, Bob Waldinger)
- Conversations—Sam Harris with Yuval Noah Harari, Michael Pollan, Morgan Housel, Roland Griffiths, Cal Newport, Shinzen Young
- Q&As—Sam Harris with Joseph Goldstein, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Jack Kornfield, Loch Kelly

And many more subjects and teachers.

Created by Sam Harris

Neuroscientist and best-selling author Sam Harris built Waking Up as the resource he wished he’d had when he began meditating 30 years ago. Every practice, course, and teacher is chosen for its power to change lives.

Free for Anyone Who Can’t Afford It

We never want money to be the reason someone can’t benefit from our app. To learn about our scholarship program, reach out to support@wakingup.com.

Subscriptions renew unless auto-renew is disabled 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage in Apple account settings. Payment charged to your Apple account.

Terms: https://wakingup.com/terms-of-service/

Privacy: https://wakingup.com/privacy-policy/

Satisfaction guarantee: Email support@wakingup.com for a full refund.
Health & Fitness Education

Community Voice & Feedback

adamjohndaly • Apr 4, 2026
I get so much out of the daily meditations, let alone all of the different series that are so very helpful
zltaylor • Apr 3, 2026
This study has been invaluable for me. I’m loving the small courses that follow each meditation and how Sam is teaching the practice instead of just holding meditation sessions. This is how you change lives. Thank you!
Lapis_reviews • Apr 2, 2026
I understand a lot, or even most of the content being paywalled, but I couldn’t find a single thing I could interact with and listen to other than “How is Waking Up Different”. The content might be good, if you wanna pay $150 a year. Maybe the 7 day trial is enough for you to use it enough and see how you like it, but not for me right now.
Eightfold8 • Mar 29, 2026
With just a little time out of your day, it helps you see things more clearly
Anonymous Reviewer 71 • Mar 26, 2026
There is really no other tool that has been as impactful in my life as Waking Up and the practice of mindfulness. Obviously, there is no magic solution to figuring out life, but Waking Up has truly provided me with a strong foundation and reduced a lot of suffering in my world. I can’t imagine a more universally applicable method for improving well-being than the things taught on this app.
ifbchf • Mar 26, 2026
It helps me focus. It just make me aware that thoughts are all over my brain when I am even silent. My thoughts are very controlling and I would like to get a little bit of control of my thought. Just a a little bit. I am not doomed by my noisy mind. I can learn to silence those noises. Thank you Sam for reminding me the worlds oldest advice “know thyself” it has never been more relevant than today and for future with The advent of AI and other persuasive algorithms.
Thanks
Cooter Holland • Mar 21, 2026
I’m not new to meditation, but I am returning after many years of decreasing focus and attention. This app, the guidance, the teachings, and the supplemental content are so rich that I can’t wait for my time with it each day.

The customer service is also the best I have experienced with any app. I found it difficult to pay the full amount, so I wrote to customer service. I received a response and an offer for a scholarship within minutes.

I look forward to sharing Waking Up with as many people as I can.
KyleRayLA • Mar 21, 2026
I’ve struggled with mental health issues my entire life and have spent over a decade exploring different therapy modalities to manage all of the challenges of life (CBT, ACT, DBT, etc.). I can confidently say that this app has had the most positive impact on my mental health than anything else I’ve ever done.

I’ve tried other mediation tools like Headspace and Calm in the past but could never stick with them. Sam’s method is completely different than any other app out there, and after following the 30 day introductory course I was hooked and have been a daily user for a year now.

Outside of the guided meditations I think what sets this app apart is all of the talks and other content to explore, most of which are chunked into 5min vignettes to make digesting them easy. I especially enjoy the teachings of Joseph Goldstein who I listen to almost daily.

There’s a 30 day free trial with structured lessons so there’s no thinking about where to begin. I think everyone should at least give it a shot for 30 days and I guarantee you’ll start to see the benefits!
practice not perfection. • Mar 19, 2026
Sam Harris and his Organization have been a complete game changer. The eloquent and digestible way Sam and his team teach meditation and mindfulness is deeply empowering. Just finished day 29!!!
RealtorJoe614 • Mar 19, 2026
I downloaded and wanted to try this out. I opted for the free trial (7 days) and immediately cancelled the same day - so I wouldn’t forget. I just got charged $161.99 . And to top it off the only button that doesn’t work on the app is the “contact us” button.
Herajlfuhf • Mar 19, 2026
This app has helped me enjoy life more and is helping me understand consciousness.
LikeTheLetters • Mar 16, 2026
it works if you work it
jackz2022 • Mar 15, 2026
Grateful. A better friend and person
Tom Lemon 123 • Mar 15, 2026
App does not do much and Sam Harris is a bad person
mkd1212 • Mar 15, 2026
I have been listening to Waking Up every night since August 2025 and it has been the best experience. I wish there was more content in the Reflections section, but it is the best app I've tried for deep learning and meditation.

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