Waking Up is a meditation and philosophy app for iOS and Android that combines guided sessions with theory lessons.
Product velocity
Active
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#49
▲1Health & Fitness · grossing
Sentiment
4.8
84k reviews
Nemesis
Headspace: Sleep & Meditation
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire the app to understand the mechanics of consciousness rather than just practicing relaxation, serving a need for intellectual depth in mindfulness.
For Individuals seeking a secular, theory-heavy approach to meditation and mindfulness, ranging from beginners to experienced practitioners.
What does it look like?
Key features
A 28-day guided program that combines daily meditation with theory lessons from Sam Harris.
Extensive collection of audio lessons on consciousness, philosophy, and neuroscience.
Full access provided at no cost to users who cannot afford the subscription.
How much does it cost?
Subscription-only model with a scholarship-based access path, removing the traditional freemium ad-supported tier.
Velocity
Active developmentUX improvementsperformanceShow more...
The app maintains an active cadence, shipping 5 releases over the past 7 weeks, averaging approximately 0.7 releases per week. Development is currently focused on a mix of user-facing feature enhancements and background performance optimizations. While the latest releases are minor in scope, the recent introduction of 'My List' indicates ongoing investment in core UX. The development trend remains stable, with a consistent pattern of refining existing functionality between feature drops.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
The recent review mood reads excited. Users appreciate science-based meditation techniques provide deep insights into consciousness and mental clarity, but report aggressive subscription paywall and billing practices frustrate new users during onboarding.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Science-based meditation techniques provide deep insights into consciousness and mental clarity
- Aggressive subscription paywall and billing practices frustrate new users during onboarding
61 of 114 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Excited overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom
How's the Health & Fitness market?
Waking Up holds a stable position in the Health & Fitness category, ranking #51 Grossing in the US. The high rating relative to the niche content focus signals strong product-market fit for the target demographic.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Headspace Inc.
With nearly one million reviews and a high-frequency release cadence, Headspace dominates the meditation market share and sets the industry standard for content breadth.
- Maintains a massive library of specialized content including focus music, sleepcasts, and movement exercises beyond meditation.
- Aggressive release cadence of 24 updates in six months ensures constant feature iteration and platform stability.
- Broad brand recognition allows for deep integration into corporate wellness programs and B2B partnerships.
Insight Timer: Meditate, SleepContender
Happier MeditationContender
Balance: Meditation & SleepContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Waking Up: Meditation & Wisdom
Where is it heading?
The meditation market is consolidating around content-rich platforms, and Waking Up's niche focus on consciousness theory provides a defensible, albeit smaller, user base. Continued reliance on a high-friction paywall leaves the app exposed to competitors that offer more transparent pricing, so the PM must balance exclusivity with accessibility to maintain growth.
- Aggressive paywall friction during onboarding triggers negative user sentiment, which reduces the conversion rate of new users into the paid tier.
- The scholarship program functions as a distribution barrier, effectively expanding the addressable market while maintaining brand authority among the core user base.
The SWOT
- Pedagogical structure of the introductory course drives high initial retention
- Scholarship program functions as a B2B-style distribution barrier by lowering entry costs
- Untapped education partnerships for B2B distribution
- Missing wearable integration limits usage in high-intent contexts
Next best moves
Audit onboarding flow to show pricing before account creation because paywall friction is the top complaint → reduce churn.
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's aggressive paywall is not a failure…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Wearable integration (available in competitors but missing here) +1
Since the last report: The app has transitioned from a content-focused development cycle to one prioritizing UX utility and history tracking, while facing increased user scrutiny over onboarding paywall transparency.
Bottom line
Waking Up maintains a strong retention moat through its unique theory-heavy curriculum, but the aggressive paywall and lack of pricing transparency create a conversion ceiling, so the PM should prioritize onboarding transparency to improve new-user conversion.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
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