Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Sleep Cycle VS Headspace

Compare Sleep Cycle VS Headspace and see what are their differences

Sleep Cycle logo Sleep Cycle

Bio-alarm clock that wakes you up at optimal times based on your sleep patterns.

Headspace logo Headspace

Meditation made simple. Brilliant things happen in calm minds.
  • Sleep Cycle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-18
  • Headspace Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-02

Headspace

Release Date
2010 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Andy Puddicombe
Employees
250 - 499

Sleep Cycle features and specs

  • Accurate Sleep Tracking
    The app uses sound technology to accurately track your sleep patterns and phases, providing detailed analysis to help improve your sleep quality.
  • Smart Alarm Clock
    Sleep Cycle features a smart alarm clock that wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase, helping you feel more refreshed and less groggy in the morning.
  • Customizable Sleep Goals
    Users can set personalized sleep goals and receive tailored advice and insights to help achieve them.
  • Sleep Aid Programs
    The app offers various sleep aid programs such as guided meditations and soothing sounds to help users fall asleep faster.
  • Integration with Other Health Apps
    Sleep Cycle integrates with other health and fitness apps, such as Apple Health, to provide a comprehensive view of your overall well-being.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The app is noted for its intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for all users.

Possible disadvantages of Sleep Cycle

  • Subscription Costs
    While the basic features are free, many advanced features require a premium subscription, which might be costly for some users.
  • Battery Drain
    Continuous use of the app can significantly drain your smartphone's battery, especially if used without being plugged in overnight.
  • Potential Privacy Concerns
    The app collects and stores sleep-related data, which may raise privacy concerns for some users.
  • Accuracy Limitations
    Although the app generally provides accurate tracking, it may not be as precise as dedicated wearable sleep trackers.
  • Requires Smartphone Placement
    The app requires your smartphone to be placed on your bed, which could be inconvenient or uncomfortable for some users.
  • Intermittent False Alarms
    Some users have reported experiencing false alarms or disruptions, potentially due to the app mistaking noises or movements.

Headspace features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Headspace offers a clean, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for beginners and experienced users alike.
  • Wide Range of Programs
    Includes various meditation courses, from stress management and sleep improvement to focused meditation sessions, catering to diverse needs.
  • High-Quality Content
    Provides professionally produced audio and video sessions, led by experienced meditation teachers, ensuring high quality and effective guidance.
  • Regular Updates
    New content is frequently added, keeping the app fresh and engaging for users over long periods.
  • Guided Meditations
    Offers a variety of guided meditations that help users stay on track and develop their practice step-by-step.
  • Offline Access
    Allows users to download sessions to use offline, providing flexibility for those without constant internet access.

Possible disadvantages of Headspace

  • Cost
    Subscription-based service which might be expensive for some users, despite offering a free trial period.
  • Limited Free Content
    The free version of Headspace has very limited content, requiring a subscription to access the full library.
  • Repetitiveness
    Some users may find the content repetitive after extended use, possibly leading to diminished engagement.
  • Requires Commitment
    Meditation, to be effective, requires regular practice which might be a commitment that some users find difficult to maintain.
  • Generic Approach
    Some advanced users may find the guidance too generic and not tailored enough to specific meditation traditions or advanced practices.

Analysis of Sleep Cycle

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Sleep Cycle is highly regarded for its user-friendly interface, effective sleep tracking, and comprehensive analysis capabilities. While some users debate the accuracy of its sound analysis compared to wearables, many find it beneficial for improving sleep quality. However, as with any app, personal experiences may vary, and it might not suit everyoneโ€™s needs.

Why this product is good

  • Sleep Cycle is considered good by many users due to its innovative approach to sleep tracking and intelligent alarm clock features. It uses sound analysis to monitor sleep patterns and wakes users up during their lightest sleep phase, which can help them feel more refreshed. The app provides detailed sleep statistics and insights, which can help users understand their sleep habits and make improvements.

Recommended for

    Sleep Cycle is recommended for individuals who wish to gain better insights into their sleep patterns and improve overall sleep quality. It is especially useful for those who prefer smartphone-based solutions rather than wearable devices and for those who appreciate waking up at an optimal time for feeling refreshed.

Analysis of Headspace

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Headspace is considered a good choice for individuals looking to incorporate meditation and mindfulness practices into their daily routine. Its high-quality content, user-friendly design, and wide accessibility make it a valuable resource for those new to meditation as well as experienced practitioners.

Why this product is good

  • Headspace is a popular meditation and mindfulness platform that offers a wide range of guided meditations and exercises designed to help reduce stress and improve mental well-being. It provides an easy-to-use interface and a variety of content to cater to different needs, such as sleep improvement, stress relief, and focus enhancement. The app has been praised for its effectiveness and the gentle, approachable style of its guides.

Recommended for

  • Beginners who are new to meditation
  • Individuals seeking stress relief and improved mental health
  • People looking to enhance their focus and productivity
  • Anyone interested in incorporating mindfulness into their daily routine
  • Those struggling with sleep and looking for guided practices to improve sleep quality

Sleep Cycle videos

No Sleep Cycle videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Headspace videos

Headspace Review: What I Really Think of the App

More videos:

  • Review - Meditation Apps: Headspace vs Calm!
  • Review - Headspace App - My Experience & Honest Opinion | Is Headspace Worth it?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Sleep Cycle and Headspace)
Sleep
30 30%
70% 70
Health And Fitness
0 0%
100% 100
Online Calculators
100 100%
0% 0
Meditation
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Sleep Cycle and Headspace. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Sleep Cycle and Headspace

Sleep Cycle Reviews

The Best Apps for Cyclists
More than that, Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock boosts your shot at A+ Zs by collecting and displaying your sleep history in an easily analyzable way. The data in the free version serve mostly as a collective indicator of whether youโ€™ve been getting quality sleep overall. It includes the past nightโ€™s data on time spent asleep; graphs of your sleep depth throughout the night; a...

Headspace Reviews

The 7 Best Meditation Apps of 2024
We tried Headspace for a month and were overwhelmingly impressed with its offerings. We could choose exercises from four different categoriesโ€”Meditation, Sleep, Stress, and Mindfulnessโ€”and with the hundreds available, we never ran out of options. We liked that as soon as we signed up, we could fill out symptom trackers for our stress and anxiety, and the app followed up a...
10 Best Headspace Alternatives
Unlike Headspace, most of Insight Timerโ€™s content is free, meaning you donโ€™t need a premium subscription to start meditating. Additionally, Headspace is geared toward beginner meditators, with a 30-minute limit on most sessions. Insight Timer is ideal for practitioners of all levels, from beginner to advanced. Meditation practices range from five-minute introductory sessions...
Eight Meditation Apps That Are Cheaper (and Better) Than Headspace and Calm
Waking Up takes the elements of Buddhism, Stoicism, and mindfulness meditation to create a 28-day long course. All you have to do is spend 10 or so minutes on the practice every day. The $99/year membership is not cheaper than Headspace, but if youโ€™re trying to explore the mindfulness meditation space, you can try out the 28-day beginnerโ€™s courseโ€”you can use the program for...
Source: lifehacker.com
The 20 Best Health and Fitness Apps of 2023
Headspace is another leading meditation and mindfulness app. It focuses on helping individuals reduce stress, improve focus, and cultivate a sense of calm through guided meditation sessions.
12 best mindfulness apps to help you keep calm during a crisis
Headspace was one of the first meditation apps and remains one of the best-known on the market. Following its launch in 2010, it has accrued more than 65 million members across 190 countries โ€“ and itโ€™s not hard to see why. The app is a great choice if you want to learn the essentials of meditation and mindfulness, with hundreds of guided meditations on subjects including...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Headspace seems to be a lot more popular than Sleep Cycle. While we know about 17 links to Headspace, we've tracked only 1 mention of Sleep Cycle. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Sleep Cycle mentions (1)

  • The early bird falls asleep before breakfast?
    EVERYONE knows they are not to wake me unless I ask them to. It often gives me a migraine to be dragged out of deep sleep. If I have to be awake at a certain time I typically schedule myself to wake up from naps/nighttime sleep by using a sleepcycle estimator like https://sleepyti.me or an app like https://sleepcycle.com. Source: over 3 years ago

Headspace mentions (17)

  • How is the McNair unit?
    This is a list of resources that provide mental health education, as well as strategies and tools to manage mental health. โ€ข Anxiety BC: http://anxietybc.ca โ€ข BIPOC Mental Health: https://www.ubcpactra.ca/bipoc-and-lgbtq-mental-health- Supports/ โ€ข Centre for Clinical Interventions: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking- After-Yourself โ€ข First Nations Mental Health:... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Transference of awareness from the periphery to the centre
    Meditating on headspace.com offers real acceleration, easy techniques,. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Smiling through the financial problems in this unbearable capitalist world โœจ
    Check out the headspace.com app I found it real helpful to make my mind a kinder place. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I naturally LD every night. AMA
    I think practicing mantra work and meditation and mindful exercise -- will help you touch this experience with ease in waking and in dreams. I enjoyed the headspace.com app. The advanced courses are great. Also learning and studying a religion. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Something I've thought about
    i'm here for you, meditation helps the mind, don't let your thoughts boss you around, you are the awareness behind them, check out headspace.com helped me with my thoughts, take care! Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Sleep Cycle and Headspace, you can also consider the following products

Sleep as Android - Common alarm clocks ignore your sleep cycles, they wake you on schedule no matter your are currently in your deep sleep. Waking up from deep sleep is unpleasant, it makes you tired and it may negatively affect your productivity during the whole day.

Calm - Calm.com can help you reduce stress and increase calm.

Sleep Calculator - Want to wake up in a good shape?

Medito - 100% Free Meditation App that will improve your Mental wellbeing with the help of Guided Meditations, Breathing Exercises, Mindfulness Practices, Relaxing Sounds, and more.

SleepBot - SleepBot is a sleep tracking app available in Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Insight Timer - Support your meditation practice through a massive community powered app.