Software · head to head
Ginger vs Calm
Ginger
Software
Digital mental health platform with coaching and therapy
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Calm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Ginger no longer sold as Ginger. It is part of Headspace, and ginger.com redirects to the Headspace organizations site; Calm free tier is severely limited, with almost all content requiring payment
- They diverge on capability: Ginger covers Mental Health Coaching, Calm covers Sleep Stories.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Ginger and Calm actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2012).
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 Ginger
- Mental Health Coaching
- Therapy
- Psychiatry
- Meditation
- Crisis Support
- Wellness Content
- Health Plans
- Employers
Only in Calm
- Sleep Stories
- Guided meditations
- Daily Calm
- Breathing exercises
- Calm Body stretching
- Apple Health
- Apple Watch
- Samsung Health
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Ginger
- Employer-funded mental health coaching for staffnot Calm
- Therapy and psychiatry access through an employee benefitnot Calm
- Self-guided meditation and sleep content alongside clinical carenot Calm
- Workplace mental health workshopsnot Calm
Calm
- Workout trackingnot Ginger
- Nutrition managementnot Ginger
- Health monitoringnot Ginger
- Fitness coachingnot Ginger
- Wellness improvementnot Ginger
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Ginger
- No longer sold as Ginger. It is part of Headspace, and ginger.com redirects to the Headspace organizations site
- Bought by employers, health plans and consultants rather than by individuals
- Pricing is not published
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Ginger
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Ginger review.
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Ginger if
- You need mental health coaching.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want therapy.
Choose Calm if
- You need sleep stories.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want guided meditations.
Questions people ask
- Is Ginger or Calm better?
- Neither clearly leads. Ginger starts at On request and Calm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Ginger or Calm?
- Calm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ginger and Free for Calm.
- Does Ginger or Calm run on more platforms?
- Ginger runs on Web, Mobile. Calm runs on iOS, Android, Web.
- Can I use Calm for free?
- Yes. Calm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ginger starts at On request.
- What is Ginger best used for?
- Ginger is most often used for employer-funded mental health coaching for staff, therapy and psychiatry access through an employee benefit, self-guided meditation and sleep content alongside clinical care, workplace mental health workshops. Of those, employer-funded mental health coaching for staff and therapy and psychiatry access through an employee benefit are not what Calm is typically brought in for.
- What can Ginger do that Calm cannot?
- Ginger covers Mental Health Coaching, Therapy, Psychiatry, Meditation. Calm covers Sleep Stories, Guided meditations, Daily Calm, Breathing exercises. Both handle Web 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.
SourceCalm: 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.
SourceCalm: 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.
SourceCalm: 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.
SourceCalm: 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