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Healthcare · head to head

Headspace vs Woebot Health

Headspace logo

Headspace

Healthcare

Meditation and mindfulness made simple

From
$12.99/month
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

  • Each has a real cost: Headspace paid subscription required for unlimited access; free tier is limited; 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: Headspace covers Guided meditations, 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 Headspace and Woebot Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Headspace and Woebot Health differ
AttributeHeadspaceWoebot Health
Starting price$12.99/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsiOS, Android, Web, macOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision ProiOS, Android, Web
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Headspace

  • Guided meditations
  • Sleep stories
  • Focus playlists
  • Breathing exercises
  • SOS sessions
  • Apple Health
  • Google Fit
  • Apple Watch

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.

Headspace

  • 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 Headspace
  • A provider organisation offering structured between-session CBT practice to patients already in treatmentnot Headspace
  • A research group running a trial that needs a clinically scripted rather than generative conversational agent for safety reasonsnot Headspace
  • A payer targeting a specific population such as postpartum members where scripted CBT content already existsnot Headspace

Where each one falls short

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

Headspace

  • Paid subscription required for unlimited access; free tier is limited
  • Mobile-first design means web experience is less feature-complete than mobile apps
  • Limited integration with other health and fitness apps compared to some competitors
  • Coaching services available only at higher tiers or additional cost

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

Headspace

$12.99/month
  • Monthly$12.99/month
    • Unlimited meditation access
    • Sleep content
    • Focus music
  • Annual$69.99/year
    • Same as monthly
    • 14-day free trial
  • Student$9.99/year
    • Full access with student verification

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 Headspace if

  • You need guided meditations.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web, macOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro.
  • You also want sleep stories.
Headspace 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 Headspace or Woebot Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Headspace starts at $12.99/month and Woebot Health at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Headspace or Woebot Health?
Headspace starts at $12.99/month and Woebot Health at On request.
Does Headspace or Woebot Health run on more platforms?
Headspace runs on iOS, Android, Web, macOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro. Woebot Health runs on iOS, Android, Web.
What is Headspace best used for?
Headspace 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 Headspace do that Woebot Health cannot?
Headspace covers Guided meditations, Sleep stories, Focus playlists, Breathing exercises. Woebot Health covers Scripted CBT dialogue, Mood tracking, Crisis routing, Between-session support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Headspace: How much does Headspace cost?

Headspace offers a monthly plan at $12.99/month or annual plan at $69.99/year (approximately $5.83/month). Students can subscribe for $9.99/year. A 14-day free trial is available. HSA and FSA eligible options support pre-tax payments.

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.

Headspace: What content does Headspace include?

Headspace includes 1,000+ expert-led exercises covering meditation, stress relief, sleep resources including sleepcasts and soundscapes, anxiety management tools, and optional mental health coaching services with trained mindfulness experts.

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.

Headspace: On which platforms can I use Headspace?

Headspace is available on iOS, Android, web browsers, Mac, Apple Watch Series 6+, and Apple Vision Pro. Smart home integration with Google Assistant and Alexa allows hands-free access on compatible devices.

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.

Headspace: Does Headspace offer therapy or coaching?

Headspace includes meditation and mindfulness training led by trained experts. Mental health coaching is available as an add-on service. For therapy, users seeking clinical counseling should explore Headspace's mental health services or other dedicated therapy platforms.

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.

Headspace: Is Headspace research-backed?

Yes. Headspace describes itself as the most research-backed meditation app on the market with 500+ hours of guided content, peer-reviewed studies demonstrating efficacy, and Ebb AI personalization that adapts sessions to user mood.

Source
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