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Healthcare · head to head

Calm vs Spring Health

Calm logo

Calm

Healthcare

Sleep, meditation and relaxation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spring Health logo

Spring Health

HR

Employer mental health benefit that puts a share of its own fee at risk against measured symptom improvement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Calm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Calm free tier is severely limited, with almost all content requiring payment; Spring Health per employee per month cost is several times a conventional employee assistance programme, reported publicly at roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per employee per year, so the business case has to rest on measured outcomes rather than price.
  • They diverge on capability: Calm covers Sleep Stories, Spring Health covers Precision matching.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Calm and Spring Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Calm and Spring Health differ
AttributeCalmSpring Health
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryHealthcareHR
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Calm

  • Sleep Stories
  • Guided meditations
  • Daily Calm
  • Breathing exercises
  • Calm Body stretching
  • Apple Health
  • Apple Watch
  • Samsung Health

Only in Spring Health

  • Precision matching
  • Sponsored session model
  • Psychiatry and medication management
  • Coaching tier
  • Repeated outcome measurement
  • Outcomes-based fee
  • Manager and workforce reporting
  • Care navigation

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Calm

  • Workout trackingnot Spring Health
  • Nutrition managementnot Spring Health
  • Health monitoringnot Spring Health
  • Fitness coachingnot Spring Health
  • Wellness improvementnot Spring Health

Spring Health

  • An employer replacing an EAP with two percent utilisation that cannot demonstrate any clinical effect to its boardnot Calm
  • A benefits team facing long external waiting lists for therapy that are showing up in absence and disability claimsnot Calm
  • A distributed workforce where the incumbent EAP provider network is thin outside major metropolitan areasnot Calm
  • A health plan wanting to add a behavioural health layer without building a provider network itselfnot Calm

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Calm

  • Free tier is severely limited, with almost all content requiring payment
  • Only one meditation per day included in free tier (Daily Calm)
  • Annual pricing is among the highest in the meditation app category
  • Less extensive free content library compared to Insight Timer (which has 100,000+ free meditations)
  • Limited customization of meditation sessions; mostly follows Calm's curated content

Spring Health

  • Per employee per month cost is several times a conventional employee assistance programme, reported publicly at roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per employee per year, so the business case has to rest on measured outcomes rather than price.
  • Outcomes-based pricing only puts a portion of the fee at risk, and the measured cohort is people who engaged, which flatters the reported improvement relative to any effect across the whole workforce.
  • Sponsored sessions run out, and members who need longer treatment are handed to their health plan benefit where network adequacy and cost sharing may be exactly the problem they came to avoid.
  • The eligibility file integration is a real HR IT project, and employers with messy dependent and contractor data spend meaningful effort before launch.
  • Coverage and provider depth outside the United States is thinner than the domestic network, so multinational employers usually end up running a second vendor for other regions.

Pricing, plan by plan

Calm

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Daily Calm
    • Select Sleep Stories
    • 1 breathing exercise
  • Premium Monthly$12.99/month
    • All content unlocked
    • Sleep Stories
    • Masterclasses
  • Premium Annual$69.99/year
    • All content unlocked
    • Sleep Stories
    • Masterclasses
  • Family Plan$99.99/year
    • Up to 6 accounts
    • All Premium content
    • Separate customization per member

Spring Health

On request
  • Spring Health employer programme$undefined/year
    • Per employee per month, invoiced to the employer, with an eligibility file feed
    • Portion of fee available at risk against measured symptom outcomes
    • Sponsored session count negotiated per contract

Which should you pick?

Choose Calm if

  • You need sleep stories.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want guided meditations.
Calm review

Choose Spring Health if

  • You need precision matching.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want sponsored session model.
Spring Health review

Questions people ask

Is Calm or Spring Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Calm starts at Free and Spring Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Calm or Spring Health?
Calm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Calm and On request for Spring Health.
Does Calm or Spring Health run on more platforms?
Calm runs on iOS, Android, Web. Spring Health runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Calm for free?
Yes. Calm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Spring Health starts at On request.
What is Calm best used for?
Calm is most often used for workout tracking, nutrition management, health monitoring, fitness coaching. Of those, workout tracking and nutrition management are not what Spring Health is typically brought in for.
What can Calm do that Spring Health cannot?
Calm covers Sleep Stories, Guided meditations, Daily Calm, Breathing exercises. Spring Health covers Precision matching, Sponsored session model, Psychiatry and medication management, Coaching tier.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Calm: What does Calm's free tier include?

The free plan includes 1 breathing exercise, Day 1 of programs, select Sleep Stories, and Scenes, plus the famous Daily Calm feature and bedtime stories. Most content is locked behind the paid tier.

Source
Spring Health: How is it priced?

Per employee per month, billed to the employer, with a portion available at risk against measured outcomes. Rates are not published; public statements from the company suggest roughly one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per employee per year.

Calm: What is included in Calm Premium?

Calm Premium (all paid tiers are identical) includes The Daily Calm, Sleep Stories narrated by celebrities, exclusive music playlists, masterclasses taught by experts, Daily Move video lessons for stretching and mindful movement, and the entire content library.

Source
Spring Health: Who pays, the employer or the health plan?

Usually the employer, for the sponsored session block. After those sessions the member typically continues under their health plan benefit with normal cost sharing.

Calm: How much does Calm Premium cost?

Monthly subscription is $12.99/month, annual is $69.99-$79.99/year, Family Plan is $99.99/year (includes 1 Admin + 5 Members), and lifetime membership is available as a one-time payment.

Source
Spring Health: What does outcomes-based pricing actually guarantee?

That a defined portion of the vendor fee is contingent on measured change in assessment scores among engaged members. It is not a guarantee of workforce-level improvement.

Calm: Does Calm offer pricing for organizations or teams?

Yes. Calm offers organizational plans for groups of 5-300 people with per-seat pricing based on total 'covered lives.' Larger groups receive deeper discounts. Pricing is significantly reduced compared to individual subscriptions.

Source
Spring Health: Is there a minimum headcount?

Yes in practice. Spring Health sells to mid-market and enterprise employers and health plans; very small employers are not the target and usually cannot get a quote.

Calm: Does Calm work offline?

Calm's app functions offline for already-downloaded content. Downloaded Sleep Stories, meditations, and Music programs can be accessed without an internet connection.

Source
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