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.
This app is truly amazing. There is no downside to trying it out because the app is free to download and the first 5 sessions are completely free so that you can see if you like it and if it helps you. To unlock the full app you have to pay for membership but trust me it is worth it. I have severe PTSD and am dealing with a lot of medical issues that may cause me to need surgery and have been very stressed out and have had trouble sleeping due to stress and pain. I do a meditation session every night and I sleep like a baby. It has also helped with my pain because the sessions are guided and they help you to recognize pain and move through it because even when it feels like you can’t handle the pain any more you can because you have handled it in this moment so you can handle it in the next. I personally wasn’t able to afford the full version of the app because I have had to spend so much money on doctors due to the issues I’ve been having, but the creators were kind enough to offer me it for free when I told them how much it was helping me. If I could afford to pay for it though I would because it is an amazing app and the people that created it deserve every penny, and I plan to pay for the app once I’m able to afford it. I recommend anyone who is struggling with pain, trauma, ocd, ptsd, or stress to try this app and get the membership to support its continuation because it really truly helps. If you stuck through reading all of this, thanks for your time, and get the app.
I could cry at how much Sam Harris and this app has changed my life
Alana Herlands
I first discovered Sam Harris through his podcast, Making Sense, which is still my favorite podcast of all time. And I remember when he announced he’d be coming out with this app and at first, I didn’t use it. I was already using Headspace for over a year and didn’t feel the need. Then I tried it once and felt this immediate click, this light: “This is the kind of practice I’ve been looking for.” I’ve been using Waking Up ever since. I remember trying the first-offered longer introductory course and after each session, I swear I said “whoa.” Not because I felt like I was in another state, but I felt closer to “myself” and others, bit by bit, each session. I felt less insecure, less anxious, less angry, less anticipatory, less critical, bit by bit, each session. And this continues to be true. Sam, I wish I could look you in the eyes and tell you this in person: This app and your podcast have made me a better person. My interactions feel lighter. I am less self critical. I am less reactive. I am a better critical thinker. Your work pushes those who listen over and through the walls we put up, the walls created by childhood, by fear, by habit, by politics, by culture. I don’t know how to thank you and don’t think I ever will. I will end with this: This app is for everyone. Even if this way of thinking and practicing is totally new to you, try it. Just try it. Give it a shot. You won’t regret it.
When you get it...
Onyxomega
Sam, thank you. Listening to you implore us to “look for who’s looking” for many months, I didn’t quite see what you were getting at, though I sensed there was something there worth noticing. Then, during a daily meditation you framed the inversion of attention just a little differently, and it clicked into place. What I discovered when I looked for the “subject” was a vague sensation in my head, a broad visual field full of light, some concepts of space, objects, causes that one associates with light, color, and space. In short, I saw the context in which things appear, with a quality of awareness that seems to be available and crystal clear when I tune into it, regardless of my “state of mind.” The thing is, it’s something I have noticed many times before, unaware that it was what I was being guided toward! Sometimes I even realized it’s significance, because it’s precisely the vantage point from which “no-self” is simply obvious. Now it seems the only reason I spend time oblivious to it is pure forgetfulness. The mind still has to remember that such a quality of awareness is available, and willingly surrender to it, and the mind has deep patterns. That’s why we need to continue the practice even after we feel as though we’ve found what we’re looking for.Sam, your strategy of guiding people to this realization from every conceivable angle is both wise and effective, and I’m truly grateful for your commitment to the project. It’s doing the world a whole lot of good.
I’m Waking Up
codach200020
I’m not writing this to negatively talk about other meditation apps, because I do think they have helped me too, and I think they are probably good for certain people, but this app, compared to others, has changed me more in my day to day living. This one genuinely feels like I’m “rewiring my brain” to experience the world differently. Where other apps utilize (even similar techniques) meditation to reduce stress and anxiety—which is helpful—, Waking Up puts it in a way that makes the experience of meditation easier. I always felt like I was meditating wrong until using this app. Something about how the guided practices are worded, I feel like I have finally understood that there is no “wrong” way to do it. It’s just acknowledging what is happening and that’s it. Simple. I truly feel like I’m waking up from the sleep I’ve been in. I also think that the interface is helpful; other apps have given too many options, like how long I want the meditation to be, for example, but Waking Up just has it there, and I don’t feel like I’m not taking my practice seriously if I choose a 3 or 5 minute meditation as opposed to a 10 or 20 minute one. It’s whatever time it is and I don’t have to make any decision about how much I’m dedicating to the practice. The content is also so beneficial in helping the intellectual, spiritual, emotional bodies. I love all of it truly. Such a great app! Couldn’t recommend it more.
We've made some behind-the-scenes improvements to enhance your app experience. You'll now see Meditation Timer sessions displayed in History, and some improvements in how we track your Practice & Total Minutes across the app. No big changes to note this time—just refining the little details that make a big difference.
Version 3.21.1
The developer, Waking Up Course, LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Used to Track You
The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
Identifiers
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Purchases
Location
Contact Info
User Content
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More