How to Cancel Calm (2026 Guide) — $70/Year for Meditation When Breathing Is Free

Updated 2026-02-15 · 4 min read

Calm Premium costs $69.99/year ($14.99/month if paying monthly). It's a meditation and sleep app featuring guided sessions, sleep stories narrated by celebrities, and ambient sounds. But here's the truth: meditation doesn't require a subscription. A timer and your breath are genuinely all you need.

🧘 The Meditation Paradox

Paying for a meditation app to reduce stress about money... is ironic. The core practice — sitting quietly and focusing on your breath — requires zero technology. The app industry has successfully monetized something humans have done for 2,500 years for free.

How to Cancel Calm

Cancel on iPhone

Open Settings → tap your name
Tap Subscriptions
Find Calm
Tap Cancel Subscription

Cancel on Android

Open Google Play Store
Tap your profile → Payments & subscriptions
Tap Subscriptions → find Calm
Tap Cancel subscription

Cancel on calm.com

Go to calm.com/account
Sign in
Click Manage Subscription
Click Cancel Subscription

⚠️ Lifetime Membership Trap

Calm previously sold a "lifetime" membership for $399. If you bought this, do not cancel — you're already paid in full. Check your account settings to confirm your plan type before canceling.

Calm vs Headspace vs Free

App	Annual	Best For
Calm	$69.99	Sleep stories, celebrity narration
Headspace	$69.99	Structured courses, animations
Insight Timer	Free	200,000+ free meditations, timer, community
Smiling Mind	Free	Australian nonprofit, all content free
UCLA Mindful	Free	Research-backed, UCLA-developed
YouTube	Free	Unlimited guided meditations and sleep sounds
Timer app on your phone	Free	Set 10 minutes. Sit. Breathe. Done.

What You Actually Use vs What You Pay For

Calm includes hundreds of features. Most users use exactly one:

If you use sleep stories: YouTube has thousands of free sleep stories. Search "sleep story for adults" — same concept, $0
If you use guided meditation: Insight Timer has 200,000+ free guided meditations from real teachers
If you use the timer: Your phone has a built-in timer
If you use ambient sounds: Spotify, YouTube, and the "White Noise" app (free) all have rain/ocean/forest sounds
If you use the Daily Calm: This is the hardest to replace, but Insight Timer's "Daily Insight" is a similar free alternative

The Wellness Subscription Stack

App	Annual
Calm	$69.99
Headspace	$69.99
Noom	$209-499
BetterHelp	$2,400-3,600
Total	$2,749-4,240/yr

✅ Bottom Line

Calm is polished and pleasant, but $70/year for meditation is objectively unnecessary. Insight Timer (free, 200,000+ meditations) does everything Calm does. If you mainly use sleep stories, YouTube has unlimited free content. Cancel, try free alternatives for 2 weeks. The breathing exercises work the same regardless of which app (or no app) you use.

What wellness subscriptions are you paying for?

Meditation, therapy, fitness, nutrition — upload your bank statement to find all wellness charges.

Find All Subscriptions →

⚡

Quick Cancel Guide: Calm App

Direct cancel link + step-by-step instructions