Description
Medito is a free meditation app for iPhone and Android with no ads, trial period or premium tier, published by Stichting Medito, a non-profit foundation registered in Amsterdam in 2020. It is an alternative to paid meditation apps such as Headspace or Calm, which put most of their content behind a subscription.
The app offers guided meditations, beginner courses including a 30-day challenge, sleep stories, breathing exercises and a timer with background sounds, all in English. No account is needed. The app’s code is open source under the AGPL licence, but the recordings are under a custom licence. The foundation says it has reached more than 4.1 million people in over 190 countries, with the help of more than 200 volunteers. Its income comes mainly from donations, plus grants, corporate partnerships and meditation retreats; fewer than 1 % of users have ever donated, and the app asks for donations.
In a randomised trial by the University of Bath, published in 2024 in the British Journal of Health Psychology, 1,247 adults from 91 countries followed a mindfulness programme in the app, and their psychological health improved. The privacy policy of April 2026 lists Google Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics, the donation tool Superwall and the Meta SDK, which measures the foundation’s ad campaigns. All four are on by default and can be switched off in the settings.
Strengths
- All content is free, with no ads, trial or paid tier, and no account or email address needed.
- A non-profit foundation with open-source app code, rather than a company that needs subscription growth.
- Its beginner programme was tested in a randomised trial of 1,247 adults published in 2024.
Weaknesses
- The app and its voices are in English only; the help centre says other languages are planned.
- Google and Meta tracking tools are switched on by default and have to be turned off in the settings.
- Some reviews report crashes and slow loading, and the app regularly asks for donations.
Who it is for
People comfortable with spoken English who want to learn to meditate or sleep better without paying for a commercial app.
Sources
- Medito Foundation: about, research, privacy policy, licence, help centre: language support, checked November 2026
- GitHub: medito-app
- British Journal of Health Psychology: Remskar, Western, Ainsworth (2024)
- Calmsage: Medito app review