Virtual Reality Meditation: We Tested the Top 5 VR Apps. Here is What we Found
We downloaded and tested the top 5 virtual reality meditation apps, so you don't have to. From results and reviews, find out which VR meditation app we deemed best-in-class for 2023.
With record levels of stress and anxiety being reported every year, it’s no wonder that everyone is looking for solutions.
People are looking for a way to reduce the tensions from work, and busy lives. For many, adding a prescription to the mix is not the anxiety solution they are looking for.
Personal health used to be thought of as a fitness routine at the gym and eating well. But now, more than ever, people realize how important mental well-being is to live a healthy and happy life.
Many are now including time for activities like meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, yoga, and so much more. As research and interest grow, more and more additions to the field of well-being are added.
This brings us to the most recent addition to the field, VR meditation.
What exactly is VR meditation?
It is an app that you download to your Oculus or other VR device that you use as a fully immersive experience for meditation.
A fully guided experience is provided, explaining exactly how to breathe all while being fully immersed in a truly unique visual experience.
This is designed to enhance the meditation experience by creating a deeper overall experience.
VR meditation is considered to be the closest “done for you” meditation experience available.
As many people say that they “don’t know how to meditate” or “meditation just doesn’t work for me,” this is a fully immersive experience, where the VR headset does the heavy lifting, and you just get to experience the benefits.
Truly you just need to show up and enjoy the calming experience.
For those who prefer to not have a guided experience, most apps allow you to turn the guidance off, allowing you to only enjoy the visual experience, which can be enjoyed by experienced and new meditators alike.
What can a VR meditation app do for me?
It turns out quite a lot!
Maintaining a regular meditation practice offers relief for feelings of anxiety, helps manage stress, reduces negative emotions, increases self-awareness, improves patience, improves sleep quality, and much more.
Some studies even show that regular meditation can help lower resting heart rate and lower blood pressure.
People often report that they are able to think clearer and be able to manage what used to be stressful situations with more ease and calmness.
A Regular Meditation Practice Can
- Help reduce stress
- Help improve awareness
- Help clear the mind
- Help support quality sleep
- Help to be more present
What To Look for in a Meditation App
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Look For An App With A Wide Range Of Meditation Options
You will want to find an app that includes a wide range of options to use. A great app should include guided meditations to start.
As well, there should be meditations for novice users as well as un-guided and advanced classes, so you have something to expand into as your practice grows.
- Look For Apps That Have Programs That You Can Follow
Especially when you are first starting out, you want to have a clear path to follow. Having structured daily meditations is a great way to build a healthy foundation that will last.
Programs should range in length as well. At first, 10 or 20 minutes can feel like an eternity and might prevent you from continuing. It’s best to start with a program that has shorter sessions.
Apps with five to ten-minute options to start are ideal. Over time you can extend the duration as you become more comfortable with the practice.
- Make Sure To Choose An App That Is Backed By Science
With so many meditation products launching regularly, it’s common to see apps that have been developed with no science-based background.
These apps may still help you to feel calm and relaxed while having an enjoyable experience, but you will not experience the full benefits of meditation.
It is actually common to see apps that are designed by companies with gaming experience but not with any scientific background to fully understand how to provide the best possible meditation experience.
Which Meditation Apps Should I Avoid?
Some apps are quite basic and act more like a low-quality screen saver with some audio, as opposed to a fully integrated experience with binaural beats and quality breathing exercises.
So how do all of these apps that are now available compare? It turns out that they are not all created equal.
Top 5 Virtual Reality Meditation Apps of 2023
1.) TRIPP
A+
OVERALL GRADEpros
- TRIPP works with neuroscience and medical advisors to design and develop all products. As well they collaborate with clinicians and academics who specialize in digital therapeutics. This offers the user breathing exercises that are designed to calm you down.
- Visually guided breathing exercises are included to help coach you into a coherent state.
- 100+ Guided Meditations
- Fully Immersive Worldscapes
- 94% of daily users of TRIPP's VR meditation app saw an improvement in either their sleep, concentration, mindfulness, stress, or happiness.
- Healing binaural audio from acclaimed musicians are included in the sessions.
- Offers a two-part daily mindfulness practice: Focus in the morning to awaken your mind, and improve focus, and Calm in the evening to calm your mind and body and help you reach a relaxed state for recovery. This makes TRIPP the perfect product that can help anyone experiencing stress or any challenging emotions.
- Fully immersive content from world-class VR creators
- Only VR app to include an “awe” inducing portion to each session. This experience has been shown to help change one's worldview, offering even more benefits to the long list of traditional meditation benefits.
- Includes a Mobile phone companion app. This means you can continue your mediation practice, even if you do not have your Oculus with you.
- TRIPP is the top-rated meditation app in the Oculus store, with over 1,400 customer reviews.
- New content is added almost every week.
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The Bottom Line
TRIPP is our favorite VR meditation app in 2023 because it combines tried and tested meditation techniques with engaging gameplay and binaural audio. The app includes more than just immersive mindfulness teachings and is updated regularly, so you constantly have fresh material to train with.
TRIPP is also the highest-rated VR meditation app on the Oculus store, which makes it easy to see how popular and effective it is.
As well, this is the only meditation app that we found to have a 3 part daily practice. This helped to improve focus in the morning and create calmness in the evening, with sleep session mode that can help users fall asleep and enjoy a deeper overall rest.
Other apps have similar offers but are not arranged specifically like this, nor do they offer all 3 parts to your day.
For people that want to take more control of their meditation practice, TRIPP offers a composer mode which lets you pick visual settings, audio and even include pictures of your choice that are shown to you at the end of your session. This is designed to have an additional impact on your overall feeling of calm and presence.
TRIPP's dedication to providing the most impactful experience possible is evident when using the app. Ending each session with the “awe” training really helps bring the power of meditation and mindfulness to the user. We were truly left with a noticeable change after our initial tests.
2.) Maloka
B+
OVERALL GRADEpros
- A fully gamified experience that helps guide you through a journey. As your practice grows, so does the universe in the app.
- Two companions are provided to guide you. One is a spirit companion, and the other is actually Neil DeGrasse Tyson as the voice of the universe.
- App for your phone is available when you are not near your VR set.
- As part of the experience, basic yoga movements are offered as well to deepen your mindfulness practice.
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The Bottom Line
Maloka is an excellent app for learning about meditation and mindfulness. They have done a great job at providing a journey that is gamified to keep you practicing regularly. And also to help keep you exploring and going deeper.
The use of guides in the app can be quite helpful, especially while exploring your inner universe.
We rated this app at number two on our list, as it puts you on a journey that is designed with a bit less control to just meditate for those who want something more to the point.
3.) Nature Treks VR
B
OVERALL GRADEpros
- Offers a truly relaxing experience for those looking to just relax.
- Unique experience compared to other VR apps. You are surrounded by nature scenes.
- Offers a breathing timer to help calm your body. This is done by a moving flower visual.
- Truly an interactive experience. You can interact with animals, and build a world of your own. You can even move planets around in space.
- There is the option to turn off sounds and just listen to nature for a calming effect. This is especially great for those who live in urban areas, where it can be more difficult to access nature.
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The Bottom Line
Nature Treks VR is a great way to fully immerse yourself in natural environments and interact with them almost as if you were in the forest yourself.
They have built a very detailed environment in which you can actually interact with animals, plants, and even the weather. This allows you to feel a sense of calm as you play and interact with natural settings.
Nature Treks is a good environment for a calm space, but there is no actual guided meditation. As well, there are no real teachings about meditation and how to grow your practice. For these reasons, Nature Trek is number 3 on our list.
4.) Liminal VR
B-
OVERALL GRADEpros
- Free to use the app.
- Guided meditations are available.
- Includes interactive games like fighting killer bots, destroying asteroids, and launching yourself into space. These games can help wake you up, which is helpful during an afternoon energy slump.
- Very easy to navigate, which early VR users will appreciate.
- Liminal has partnered with several health authorities in Australia to develop and offer wellness training for the workplace to reduce psychological harm in the workplace.
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The Bottom Line
Liminal offers over 60 experiences to calm, invigorate, or leave you relaxed. The current offering is free, which is hard to beat though they are looking at a subscription model in the near future.
The interface is very easy to use and offers enjoyable colors to look at.
Overall we did not find the actual meditation experience to be as powerful as other apps, but for a free-use app, it is hard to complain.
We found the app to be less comprehensive than others we tested which is why it is 4th on our list.
5.) Perfect Beach VR
C
OVERALL GRADEpros
- A meditation assistant is an option to help with guided meditations.
- You can actually see your avatar as yourself in the visuals, which adds an interesting effect.
- You feel as though you are on a tropical beach. This offers a great easy escape after a challenging day, especially in the winter months.
- The app is extremely easy to use, with only a few options for locations to relax at.
- App offers a full 360-degree view, so you can actually look around in all directions, which creates a full VR experience.
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The Bottom Line
For a simple relaxing getaway, Perfect Beach offers a great way to enjoy a relaxing moment. The app is very easy to use, and the benefit of some guided meditations is helpful.
Perfect Beach has done a great job of creating great lighting, which is often a challenge with scenes like sunsets.
Because the app does not offer anything other than a relaxing beach experience, we rated this app number 5.
*Results are based on the Wellness Reviewer Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.