How to Create a Meditation App in 7 Steps [Cost + Timeline]

Do you know excessive smartphone usage leads to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety?

As every problem has a solution, so is this one.

Building a meditation application is the solution to this problem. It is gaining popularity as there is a substantial increase in the number of app users globally.

The penetration is predicted to reach 11.12% by 2026. The total revenue generated is expected to reach $1195 million by 2026.

These statistics indicate the bright future of meditation app development.

Being a leading fitness application development company we know what it takes to create a meditation app. And with this guide you will learn about the app development process, cost, timeline, features, and monetization strategies. But first, know the current statistics about the meditation app.

Current Statistics About Meditation App

1. The Pandemic and the year after that led to increased downloads of mindfulness apps. Headspace app, one of the most popular apps, hit 300k downloads in June 2022.
2. In the global comparison, the majority of the meditation app revenue (US $877.30 million) is generated from the USA as of 2022.
3. Here is a chart depicting the most popular apps in 2021 in the meditation app market. Headspace, Calm, and Yoga Go seem to be in stiff competition with each other (Statista).



Source: Statista

4. The total revenue generated from the different meditation apps is $4.02 billion and is expected to reach $6.72 (a whopping 13.68% increase) by 2026.

How to Create a Meditation App in 7 Steps

We have talked about the value offered by a sleep meditation app and discovered the reason behind the increasing popularity of meditation apps. As understanding how to create an app will make your development process easier.

It’s time to discuss step by step process of how to make a meditation app for your idea.

1. Decide the Theme of the Meditation App

   Answer the question – what type of meditation app do you want to develop? For this, you should know the types of meditation apps that exist.

   The Guided Apps

   Headspace app is a leader in guided meditation sessions. These apps include a few predefined tracks that help with meditation and mindfulness. You can choose from many topics, including stress, anxiety, and others. With every topic, you get an immediate introduction on what to expect and how it helps.

   Mindfulness Meditation Apps

   Calm meditation app is an excellent example of a Mindfulness meditation app. Apart from the Calm app, there are different money making apps in health and fitness you must explore. Such apps help to have better sleep. And allows you to be a part of the calm community online.

   Network Apps

   Community drives participation and helps build discipline. That’s the premise of the network app theme. You will notice that these apps come with podcasts and groups that help meditate regularly and imbibe the culture. One of the most pronounced apps in this category is Insight Timer.

   Before diving into the mindfulness meditation market with your big idea, it is essential to sit down and evaluate the same. Here are a few pointers that can help develop a mindfulness app.

   • Who will benefit most from the app idea- beginners or advanced users?
   • Is it solving an underlying problem that no other app has been able to gauge? If yes, what and how?
   • Who will be the direct competitors of your app? What is their USP, and how will you differentiate your application from them?
   • What is the unique value proposition the meditation app will offer?
   • How do you plan to monetize, and do you think the target audience will pay?

   Have healthcare app ideas? By reading this list of ideas, you should have a good idea of whether or not you should consider the idea or not.
   Also, understand how to patent an app idea to secure your mobile app idea. As it will protect your app idea from getting cloned.

   It will also help produce a successful app. Next, understand the main features you require to add to the meditation app.

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   Let’s understand your idea and convert it into a live app. We have a team of skilled mobile app developers.

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2. Create the Feature Outline of the App

   If you have used a meditation app like Headspace even once, you may know its strong point is the animated introduction. It is part of their onboarding feature, allowing the user to know what to expect before opening the podcast.

   Here’s how you can plan the features for your mindfulness app.

   • Think of the customer’s journey on your application. Plan how you want them to move from one place to another.
   • What are some of the things they want? For example, a lot of app users go to Calm for breathing exercises. You can create such an app feature that offers basic help.
   • What are some of the pain points you are solving? For example, Buddhify realizes that people may not spend much time in meditation. People would prefer if they could do it while on the go or during a break. It supports this issue and offers short but mindful sessions.
   • Define the value addition you plan to offer with your app solution. You could be an application that works with a community. Like Calm, a popular meditation app, you can provide different solutions for different issues. The USP will help decide the feature list.
   • Choose how you aim to improve the experiences in the application. For example, adding machine learning algorithms to meditation applications can personalize the experiences. You know how and why they use a particular app or session. You can use AR to create more immersive experiences.
   • At this point, you can also think of gamification. Get users to unlock levels after they have completed tasks on the app. This will increase the number of users engaged by your application.

   Have any doubts related to app features? Being a top mobile app development company, our professional app development consultant will guide and help you to build a complete mobile app. The next step is to design the relevant prototype.

3. Create a Prototype

   When you build a prototype, there are several things you need to consider. We will list how to develop the most usable prototype that you can translate into a mobile or web app design.

   Create Meditation App Design

   The first step is to use a tool and develop the blueprint for the mobile app. Sketching, as it used to be known earlier, are basic designs that help develop the app idea.

   For example, the visuals tell a better story than a written storyboard or an app idea. You can develop the visuals into a more aesthetic meditation app design. A wireframe is nothing but a simple architectural layout of the application.

   UX/UI Approach

   Before you translate your wireframes into a capable prototype, you should define the UI/UX approach. At this stage, you will be redefining your users from the design perspective.

   • How do they use mobile apps?
   • What are some of the easy and difficult areas on the app screen?

   Once the usage and consumption patterns are defined, you should focus on the interface elements.

   • What are some of the colors that will fit your app? As you are planning a mindfulness app, we suggest going with soothing colors
   • What are some of the animations you plan to add to the app?

   The calm app is an excellent example of increasing usage with calm and soothing colors. The interface design keeps in mind the end-user and their goals. Next, let’s discuss the prototype design. The prototype design is an advanced version of the wireframe to develop interactive designs.

   In this case, you will be interconnecting the different screens, defining the UX elements, and building on the user experience. The prototype is an excellent way to connect the screens and showcase how the customers will use them. For example, check the following meditation app screens, each of these screen connects with each other to create a proper usability and flow.

   

   Create User Stories

   Before finalizing the prototype and sending it for design, you should ideally test the prototype for usability and accessibility.

   Create multiple user stories (how customers will use it and the different users who will be downloading the app) to test your app’s design.

   Test it, keeping in mind the diverse uses and applications. You will know if the prototype will work or not. Eventually, this testing will help build the design for the application. After finalizing the design, start the meditation app development.

4. Native Meditation App Development

   Once you have the ideal theme, UX/UI approach, and prototypes in place, it is time to focus on performing the core mobile app development process step.

   It would help if you had your team in place to ensure the development occurs smoothly. Another option is to hire dedicated developers, who have experience in developing custom meditation applications.

   Start working on the feature list, which is pivotal to most meditation apps. You can use calm app features to list out must-have lists.

   Start coding the screens, build the database and design the communication for seamless interactions. It is equally important to be ready with the team that can help develop using the planned approaches (native, cross-platform, or a web app solution).

   Here is what your team should look like when you begin your app development process.

   Team Composition

   App Development Team	Responsibilities
   Business Analyst	BA is responsible for feasibility checks, readiness assessments, and defining business & system requirements.
   UI/UX Designer	UI/UX Designers are responsible for driving quality to your app designs.
   DevOps Engineer	DevOps Engineer are responsible for managing the production, and ensure high-quality, and accelerating development. It is important to collaborate with the different teams to create a test-driven build environment.
   Frontend Developers	Front-end developers handle the client-side of the application. Delivering on the prototypes, they will use the frontend frameworks to create interactive app interfaces
   Backend Developers	Backedn developers are responsible for database design, management, and communication.
   Project Manager	Project Manager define the estimates, budget, managing quality, cost and devise the milestones for the project.
   Quality Assurance Expert	QA ensures that your mobile application is bug free.

   Technology Stack Required to Create a Native Mobile Application

   Programming Languages:	Swift, Objective-C (iOS app stack), Kotlin, and Java (Android app stack)
   Cross-platform Frameworks:	React Native, Flutter, Xamarin
   Database:	MySQL, MongoDB
   Backend Technology:	PHP, jQuery
   Web Server:	Apache HTTP, Amazon S3, Amazon EC2

   Next check the mobile app testing types to ensure error-free app development. Have any app development-related queries? book our mobile app consulting services.

   Having more than 12 years of experience in developing healthcare-based apps, one of our clients contact us. He wanted to develop an on-demand doctor app. Our developers have discussed the requirements with the client and built this amazing on-demand doctor app. Check the following section to know more.

   

   Conduct-Med App

   The app allows patients to create inquiries that can be directly accessed by the doctor. The patients will receive urgent care without physically visiting the doc.

5. Mobile App Testing

   Mobile app testing is the process to test the app for its functionality, usability and ensure it is properly functioning without any glitches.

   Conduct a complete check to see if app features work correctly. Test the app for various loads and capabilities. We have identified 4 critical tests that every app development team should conduct for a thorough application.

   Unit Testing

   This is an essential aspect of app development, where you check every small unit, function, and feature for errors in code, slowness, and performance issues.

   Functional Testing

   Every feature that you have added to the app significantly enhances the value. For example, a mental fitness feature in the Calm app allows you to train your brain.

   Load Testing

   Every app, when in the developing stage, has a few users. However, as the app grows in popularity, the load increases. You need to check the application for the increased load. The app should perform seamlessly, whether there are 10 or 10k users.

   UX Testing

   Once the app is developed, check for one-hand usage of the application. Check if the app forms are mobile-friendly.

   Note: Always test for multiple devices, form factors, and resolutions before you are satisfied with the application.

   Once the testing is completed, your application will upload to Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

6. Upload Your App to Play and App Store

   Once you are done with the testing process, it is time to upload the application to the respective app stores. You need to optimize the app for the app store (adding keywords, features, and other particulars) to improve rankings, visibility, and conversion.

   Store	Charges for Publishing App on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store	App Approval Criteria
   Apple App Store	$99 per year	Bug-free development The metadata, app features, and data regarding the app should be on-point Active demo account, login information, and resources should be provided For review, the backend services should be active
   Google Play Store	$25 one-time for a developer account	Apps should be tested for user experience Developers should abide by the content policies Comply with the monetization and development policies Optimized for search engine by including metadata and features

   Note: These development criteria have been written based on Apple and Google’s developer guidelines.

   Don’t forget your app once it is uploaded, know how to measure user engagement by reading the following section.

7. Measure User Engagement

   Having an aesthetic and defining a mobile app for your business is not enough. You need to make sure people are downloading and using the app. It is equally important to keep measuring the engagement levels and identifying ways to improve them.

1. Define the metrics ahead to measure the app engagement successfully.
• App download
• Active monthly/weekly/daily users
• Session interval and length
• Retention rate
• Screen flow
• Time spent on your app
• Sales
• In-app purchases
2. Make sure to have the right tools and resources to keep an eye on how your users consume the mobile app.
3. Lastly, please note the areas where they have difficulty using the app. You can use tools that generate heat maps to take note of this.

Analyze user behavior to judge if the app is usable, accessible, and user-friendly.

Want to know how much does it cost to create your own meditation app? Check out the next section.

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Meditation App from Scratch?

Meditation app development cost ranges from $10k to $100k.

The cost is guided by several factors – the operating system, the development approach, the features you want to include, and the hourly rate for the team. Understanding the cost of app development will help you to create market ready product in cost effective way.

Before proceeding with the cost, you must consider the team’s experience and the app type (primary, MVP, or advanced).

1. App Requirements

   The cost of the application is directly proportional to the complexity. If you have a highly complex app, the development expertise, timeline, and even the hours go up. Automatically, your cost of app development will increase.

2. The Team Strength

   The development team you are planning for the app development will also define the cost. If it is one developer, one tester, and a designer, your app development cost will include the hourly rates of hiring them. if you have a dedicated team, you will need to pay for the dedicated developer engagement model

3. Features

   If you are creating a two-feature, simple and basic application, the timeline will be less. If you build a meditation app with the latest technologies and current trends, you might need to pay slightly more. This is because the app complexity increases.

a. For example, if you plan on building a fitness app based on AI, you might have to incorporate the machine learning algorithm and other related technology to your stack.
b. Eventually, it will cost you more. You also need someone who is an expert with the particular technology.

4. Tech Stack

   This is important in planning the app development cost. For example, if you plan to use Flutter, it is an open-source, free tool. However, when you go for Appsheet or other tools, you might have to pay. Again, if you plan to use AWS for your collaboration, you need to pay a certain amount to store projects in the cloud.

To be able to define the cost of relaxation meditation apps, it is equally important to define the timeline.

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How Much Time Does it Take to Develop a Meditation App?

It takes 3 to 5 months to develop a meditation app with basic features.

The app development timeline takes into consideration the features to be added to the mobile application, and the total time taken for the individual phases.

Here is a tabular format of how much time it takes to develop a meditation mobile app.

Development Phase	Minimum Hours	Maximum Hours
UX Wireframes	10	16
UI Design	24	40
Development	436	584
QA	24	40
Total	494 Hours	680 Hours

Note: These are approximate hours taken to develop the features. We have considered the complex app requirement with advanced features for this development timeline.

Check the next section to know the must-have features in the meditation app.

Must-have Features in Meditation App

We have divided these features into basic app features and advanced app features. These essential features will enrich your app and deliver more immersive experiences.

Basic App Features	Advanced App Features
Registration: Users create their profile using credentials (mobile/email). They should be able to use these credentials to log in	Wearable Integration: Integrate wearables to identify the sleep patterns and quality. It will help know how to improve the quality and what habits can help.
Onboarding: You can have small snippets, videos or animations that tell the user about the particular feature. It makes the learning curve smooth	In-app Chat: Connect with personnel through in-app chat as it will enhance the user experience.
Profile: Having a proper profile with the subscription plan details, meditation session information and other stats can help the user analyse their meditation performance. It can help the app owner offer personalized recommendations	Gamification: Rewarding the user with bonus points or unlocking a feature for their performance on the app can deliver more engagement
Library: Users can go and browse from the millions of podcasts, sessions, and meditation music/stories	Personalization: By adding AI/ML to your app algorithm, you can learn more about the person using the meditation app.
Search: Make search easy and user-friendly on your application	Geolocation: With this, you can help users find meditators in their vicinity and build a community
Player: This will help play the selected story, music, or meditation session	Live Streaming: You can have meditation gurus live to stream their session using this application. It can improve the user base.
Push Notifications: The user should receive alerts based on their profile definition and other aspects. Real-time alerts can improve engagement	Timer: Time your sessions, and find out more about how to improve the length.
App Monetization: You should have features inside the app that will help earn money from the interactions	Reminders: Set an alarm for when you want to meditate. The app will remind by sending out an alert minutes before so you can prepare.
	Sleep Stories: This feature can help put your user to sleep and is useful in reducing anxiety

Apart from the above features if you want to add advanced features like heart rate monitoring, mindful minutes, and sleep tracking you’ll need to integrate HealthKit API into your app. By adding Apple HealthKit data into a meditation app, developers can provide users with a more personalized and holistic meditation experience that takes into account their overall health and wellness.

How Do Meditation Apps Make Money?

While using a free app, ever had a question like, how do free apps make money? ​​Let’s check out how you can earn from meditation apps. A good monetization strategy plays a pivotal role in generating revenue.

Monetization Model	Description
Freemium Model	You can go for a free version of the app; this is something Calm uses. You can use the forever free version with limited features.
Subscription Model	With a free demo or trial, you get started. After that to use the app, offer paid subscriptions. You can opt for monthly/yearly subscriptions. In some cases, you may not get a free trial
In-app Advertisements	If you want to offer your app for free but want to earn from it, go with in-app advertisements. Earn revenue by showing ads in between 2 sessions.
In-app Purchases	Allow users to purchase extra features within the app to earn revenue in the mindfulness app market.
Partnerships	Partner with brands, promote them on your application, and get the users. This way you can earn revenue while the sponsor or partner earns a customer

Still have questions regarding meditation app development?

Here are the important FAQs for you to check.

FAQs About How to Create a Meditation App

How do meditation apps work?

A meditation app is designed to help users familiarize themselves with meditation skills. They offer guided sessions in breathing, training the brain, and calming the mind. There are several sessions that you can play when using the app.

The app features a mood tracker or timer to help understand the session length. The app also provides an expert who can help with understanding more about meditation.

Do meditation apps help with anxiety?

Yes, meditation apps do help with reducing anxiety. The calming music and breathing techniques help calm the mind and reduce anxiety. These mindful apps allow the brain to focus on the present rather than an unknown future. Several meditation techniques enhance the brain’s ability to focus, stay calm and eventually help you sleep better.

Let’s Create Your Native and Custom Meditation Application

To make a meditation app, it is important to think through the different aspects – process, cost, and timelines. You should also have an app monetization strategy to help you earn from the successful meditation app.

This guide took you through the mindfulness app development process, some of the features you should add, and how to estimate the cost of your app.

To penetrate the meditation app industry, you need a good software development company for your partner. They can help strategize, design, and develop the most popular meditation app by increasing downloads, engagement, and revenue. If you have an app idea, we have the team to build a meditation app.