Compare meditation apps
Stille vs Calm: one button or more to explore?
Stille is for a single, repeatable ritual: tap Meditate, listen for ten minutes, hear a gong. Calm is worth exploring if you want a choice of meditation formats, sleep content, and soundscapes.
A small ritual and a wider collection
Calm’s own help center describes guided and timed meditations, sleep content, and soundscapes, including free content. It also offers unguided options. The distinction is not that Calm cannot support quiet meditation; it is that Stille makes a ten-minute sound session the app’s main action.
| Your preference | Stille | Calm |
|---|---|---|
| A familiar starting point | Tap Meditate for ten minutes | Choose from several types of content |
| Spoken content | No spoken instruction or stories | Guided meditations and Sleep Stories |
| Unguided listening | Three bundled sound recordings, selected automatically | Timed meditations and soundscapes among its options |
When less choice is the feature
With Stille, there is no session catalog to browse. You do not create an account, choose a goal, or set a duration. Audio is included in the app download, so the same routine works without an internet connection. At the end, a soft gong signals that your ten minutes are complete.
That is also the limit of the app. If you want bedtime stories, a particular teacher, or a varied library, Stille does not provide those things. Calm’s broader selection may fit that preference better.
Try deciding before opening an app
Ask yourself whether you want help choosing something to listen to, or whether you have already decided to sit for ten minutes. Stille is built for the latter. If neither sound nor a library matters to you, a simple phone timer may be enough.