Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom

In-app purchases
4.9
41.5K reviews
1M+
Downloads
Content rating
All ages
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About this app

Recognized as a 2025 Pick by NYT Wirecutter

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

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—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, and more
• Q&As—Sam Harris with Joseph Goldstein, Adyashanti, Henry Shukman, Jack Kornfield, Loch Kelly

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.

Testimonials

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

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

ā€œWaking Up is the most important meditation guide I’ve ever used.ā€ —Peter Attia, MD

ā€œIf you’ve had trouble getting into meditation, this app is your answer!ā€ —Susan Cain, best-selling author

Free for Anyone Who Can’t Afford It

We never want money to be the reason someone can’t benefit.

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.
Updated on
Jan 27, 2026

Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
No data shared with third parties
Learn more about how developers declare sharing
This app may collect these data types
Location, Personal info and 4 others
Data is encrypted in transit
You can request that data be deleted

Ratings and reviews

4.9
40.8K reviews
Daniela Sƶnksen
August 1, 2020
I keep coming back to this app because it gives me clarity and growth. More then a meditation app, the topics and the practice encourage me to question choiches, habits and thoughts. It is a great companionship, and I hear anytime I find myself needing some grounding or thougtful inspiration for life. Very well produced, created, written and kept. Couldn't recommend enough.
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A Google user
October 8, 2019
The app has been really unfunctional the last weeks. It's been really frustrating to start a meditation and have it randomly stop even though you have full internet connection or if you have downloaded it. The audio suddenly stops and the app loads forever, and trying over and over again doesn't help. edit: after a new release the app seems to be stable. Hopefully will remain like this.
21 people found this review helpful
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Waking Up LLC
September 23, 2019
I am sorry to hear you have had a disappointing experience. Please contact support@wakingup.com. We believe that we have solved the issue you are describing.
Joshua Goodsell
December 3, 2025
I was totally new to meditation and mindfulness when I downloaded the app. Having completed the introductory course, I've noticed a significant decrease in my depressive symptoms and negative thought loops. The app has helped me, for the first time, take a step back from my conscious experience and just "be" without drowning in thought. Highly recommend!
13 people found this review helpful
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What’s new

We’ve made some behind-the-scenes improvements to enhance your app experience. This update focuses on fixing bugs and optimizing performance, ensuring everything runs smoothly and reliably. No big changes to note this time—just refining the little details that make a big difference.