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Healthcare · head to head

Calm vs Woebot Health

Calm logo

Calm

Healthcare

Sleep, meditation and relaxation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Woebot Health logo

Woebot Health

Healthcare

Conversational CBT chatbot that withdrew from consumer distribution and now sells only to payers and providers

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; Woebot Health the company withdrew its consumer app in June 2025 after concluding FDA marketing authorisation was not achievable at acceptable cost, which is a plain signal about both regulatory position and commercial durability.
  • They diverge on capability: Calm covers Sleep Stories, Woebot Health covers Scripted CBT dialogue.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Calm and Woebot Health differ
AttributeCalmWoebot Health
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (iOS, Android, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

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 Woebot Health

  • Scripted CBT dialogue
  • Mood tracking
  • Crisis routing
  • Between-session support
  • Payer deployment
  • Provider copilot positioning
  • Research licensing
  • Population reporting

What people use each for

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

Calm

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

Woebot Health

  • A health plan wanting a low intensity behavioural health option for members on a waiting list for therapynot Calm
  • A provider organisation offering structured between-session CBT practice to patients already in treatmentnot Calm
  • A research group running a trial that needs a clinically scripted rather than generative conversational agent for safety reasonsnot Calm
  • A payer targeting a specific population such as postpartum members where scripted CBT content already existsnot 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

Woebot Health

  • The company withdrew its consumer app in June 2025 after concluding FDA marketing authorisation was not achievable at acceptable cost, which is a plain signal about both regulatory position and commercial durability.
  • It is not an FDA cleared treatment for any indication, so it cannot be positioned to members as therapy and cannot substitute for a covered behavioural health benefit.
  • The scripted, non-generative design that makes it safe also makes it feel rigid next to current conversational AI, and engagement drops off quickly once users hit the edges of the script.
  • Published evidence is short-horizon symptom change in selected populations, mostly young adults, with little evidence of durable benefit or effect at whole-population scale.
  • With consumer distribution gone, the remaining business depends on a small number of payer and provider contracts, so a buyer should assume real vendor continuity risk over a multi-year term.

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

Woebot Health

On request
  • Woebot for payers and providers$undefined/year
    • Contracted per member per month or as a population licence
    • Sold to health plans and provider organisations, not to employers or individuals
    • No consumer purchase route since the app closed in June 2025

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 Woebot Health if

  • You need scripted cbt dialogue.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want mood tracking.
Woebot Health review

Questions people ask

Is Calm or Woebot Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Calm starts at Free and Woebot Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Calm or Woebot Health?
Calm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Calm and On request for Woebot Health.
Does Calm or Woebot Health run on more platforms?
Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Calm for free?
Yes. Calm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Woebot 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 Woebot Health is typically brought in for.
What can Calm do that Woebot Health cannot?
Calm covers Sleep Stories, Guided meditations, Daily Calm, Breathing exercises. Woebot Health covers Scripted CBT dialogue, Mood tracking, Crisis routing, Between-session support.

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
Woebot Health: Is Woebot still available?

Not to consumers. The consumer app closed in June 2025. The company continues to offer the product to payers, providers and researchers.

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
Woebot Health: Is it FDA cleared?

No. It held Breakthrough Device designation but never obtained marketing authorisation, and the founder cited the cost of that pathway as the reason for closing the consumer app.

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
Woebot Health: Is it generative AI?

Historically no. The dialogue is clinician-written and rule-based, a deliberate safety choice that limits how naturally it converses.

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
Woebot Health: What does the evidence show?

Randomised studies reported reduced depressive symptoms over short periods in selected populations, notably young adults. That is symptom change in a trial, not demonstrated population outcomes.

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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