Waking Up

What the service is

Waking Up is a subscription meditation and mindfulness app created by Sam Harris, a neuroscientist, philosopher, and five-time New York Times bestselling author who has practiced meditation for over 30 years. The service combines guided meditation training with lessons and conversations drawn from neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Rather than positioning itself primarily as a stress-relief tool, Waking Up centers on what it calls understanding the true purpose of meditation and developing what it terms a "nondual" approach to awareness. The app is secular and does not require any spiritual beliefs or commitments to use.

How the service works and what you get

Waking Up structures learning through an Introductory Course and a library of content. The Introductory Course offers daily meditations and lessons from Sam Harris over approximately one month, providing a step-by-step foundation for beginners. Once a member completes the introductory path or starts elsewhere, the app's library is searchable by topics, traditions, teachers, and themes.

Content is organized around key topics including mindfulness and meditation, anxiety and worry, life transitions, sleep, and psychedelics. Members encounter guided meditations, conversations between teachers and scholars, and lessons on working with the mind. The site mentions meditations for sleep by Jayasāra and Jitindriya, and conversations like "What Is Nonduality?" featuring Dan Harris, Joseph Goldstein, and Sam Harris.

The service also organizes content by spiritual and philosophical traditions: Vipassana (Insight meditation), Zen, Stoicism, modern psychology and neuroscience, and arts and literature. Vipassana teaches methods of examining thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Zen explores direct experience and seated meditation. Stoicism focuses on distinguishing what can and cannot be controlled. Modern psychology and neuroscience sections explain why people struggle and how patterns form.

Members can curate playlists based on themes and teachers, keeping them private or sharing with others. The site states members can "start where you feel comfortable, and move forward at your own pace." A private member community forum allows users to discuss meditation, share insights, and attend local meetups.

Members can cancel their subscription at any time, with access continuing through the billing period. Users can also contact support to request a refund. The site does not describe one-on-one teacher matching or live sessions with instructors.

What the site actually states about prices, access, and features

Waking Up is available through an annual subscription after a free trial. The site does not disclose specific pricing anywhere on this page. It states clearly: "Waking Up is available through an annual subscription after a free trial. Your membership includes full access to the entire library of meditations, lessons, conversations, and new content released regularly." The trial period is seven days. Notably, the site states: "All subscriptions are protected by our risk-free money-back guarantee."

The company also offers what it calls a free membership. The site says: "We offer a free membership to anyone who can't afford Waking Up. If cost is a barrier, you can request a scholarship and get full access to the app, no questions asked." This provides unrestricted access to the full app at no cost for users who need it.

The site does not state which countries the app is available in, but it does mention that over 600 hours of audio content is available within the app. The site notes that the app holds "over 600 hours of audio" and that it has helped "millions of people change the way they see the world." On user reviews, the site claims "100,000+ 5-star reviews." The membership includes access to what the site describes as more than 100 interdisciplinary teachers. The site does not describe the professional licenses or credentials of these teachers or specify whether they are employed by Waking Up or are independent contributors.

Regarding the app's technical features, the site indicates that users can organize content through search functions, topic browsing, tradition categories, teacher profiles, and curated playlists. The site does not specify which devices or platforms the app runs on, what languages are supported, or whether there are age restrictions for use.

On conditions or concerns the app addresses, the site mentions anxiety, worry, stress, sleep, and life transitions. Within these areas, the site offers what it terms "practical skills for working with your mind so you can respond to life's challenges with more clarity and less reactivity." However, the site does not claim to diagnose or treat any medical condition. It says: "Many people use Waking Up to better understand stress, anxiety, anger, and other difficult emotions," which describes user experience without claiming therapeutic effect.

What the service does not disclose

The site does not publish the specific cost of an annual subscription. This is a significant gap for someone considering the service, as cost is often the primary deciding factor. Members can see pricing only after beginning the trial or creating an account.

The site does not explain the qualifications, licenses, or backgrounds of its 100+ teachers. For a mental health and wellness app, understanding whether teachers hold relevant credentials or certifications in psychology, counseling, or meditation training is important to many users, yet this information is absent.

The site does not describe whether the app's content has been evaluated in clinical research or whether outcomes have been measured in published studies. While it mentions that Waking Up "has led to my most consistent meditation practice" as a quote from Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist and podcast host, this is a testimonial, not published research or outcome data.

The site also does not specify which platforms the app is available on (iOS, Android, web) or whether all content is available on all platforms. For someone accustomed to seamless access across devices, this omission matters.

Geographic availability is unclear. While the site mentions that Waking Up has over 50,000 users across 26 countries, it does not specify whether the app is available everywhere or whether certain regions are excluded.

Who this service fits and who it does not

Waking Up is designed for anyone interested in meditation who does not require spiritual context or beliefs. The app explicitly welcomes both beginners and experienced meditators. Beginners get the structured Introductory Course; experienced practitioners have access to advanced content and discussions.

It fits well for people drawn to secular, philosophically rigorous approaches to meditation. The emphasis on nondual teachings, Buddhist philosophy, Stoicism, and contemporary neuroscience appeals to people who want theoretical depth alongside practice. The inclusion of conversations between scholars and teachers suggests appeal to intellectually curious meditators.

It is well-suited for people concerned about cost. The scholarship program removes the price barrier entirely for anyone who cannot afford the subscription, making it accessible regardless of financial situation.

It may be less suitable for people seeking direct professional mental health support like therapy or psychiatric consultation. While Waking Up addresses stress and anxiety through meditation practice, it does not involve licensed therapists or psychiatrists. Someone in crisis or needing clinical assessment would need to look elsewhere.

People who prefer guided one-on-one support or want to work directly with a specific teacher should note that the app is library-based and community-oriented rather than practitioner-matched. The experience is self-directed exploration of pre-recorded content and community forums.

People seeking meditation in specific cultural or religious traditions beyond those listed (Vipassana, Zen, Stoicism, modern psychology, arts and literature) may find the scope limited. The app takes a curated approach to which traditions and teachers are represented.