Brandwave

How popular isWaking Up?

In September 2026, people searched for Waking Up by name about 6,600 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 2.5% of all global meditation app searches, placing Waking Up sixth out of ten apps. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about meditation apps, Waking Up appeared in three of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Waking Up is the sixth most searched of 10 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. CalmShare of searches 33.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. Insight TimerShare of searches 33.5%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. BetterSleepShare of searches 12.8%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. HeadspaceShare of searches 9.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. Waking UpShare of searches 2.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top meditation apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Waking Up was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Waking Up is the fourth most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Headspace1st
  2. Calm2nd
  3. Insight Timer3rd
  4. Waking Up4th
  5. Healthy Minds Program5th
  6. Medito6th
  7. Smiling Mind7th
  8. Balance8th
  9. BetterSleep–
  10. Happier–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Calm5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Insight Timer5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Headspace5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Waking Up3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Medito3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Healthy Minds Program3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Smiling Mind1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Balance1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • BetterSleep0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Happier0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about meditation apps

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which meditation apps compete with Waking Up?

Waking Up against meditation apps worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Calm, Insight Timer, BetterSleep, Headspace, Smiling Mind, Waking Up. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCalmInsight TimerBetterSleepHeadspaceSmiling MindWaking UpHappierMeditoHealthy Minds ProgramBalance
Oct 202524.6%29.3%12.4%14.1%6.8%3%5.2%3%0.6%0.93%
Nov 202526.4%31.2%8.9%12.7%7.3%3.2%5.4%3.2%0.64%0.92%
Dec 202531.1%25.6%10.8%12.2%5.9%3.9%6.2%2.6%0.63%1.1%
Jan 202632.2%31.2%8.6%10%4.7%3.8%5.2%2.6%0.74%1%
Feb 202636.7%24.7%8%11.3%6.5%2.9%6.5%1.9%0.57%0.89%
Mar 202636.3%25.3%7.4%10.5%9%3.3%4.5%2.2%0.77%0.7%
Apr 202626%28.1%9.7%14.3%8%3.5%5.1%3.5%0.86%0.85%
May 202623.2%28.3%9.9%17.6%6.6%3.6%6.7%2.4%0.88%0.8%
Jun 202622.8%29%11.5%14.5%7.7%2.8%5.2%5.1%0.67%0.68%
Jul 202624.1%29.4%13.2%13.9%4.8%3.9%5.9%3.2%0.77%0.78%
Aug 202623.6%27.7%13.7%11.4%9.2%3.3%3.7%6.1%0.66%0.54%
Sep 202633.8%33.5%12.8%9.1%3.8%2.5%1.7%1.7%0.73%0.37%

  1. 1.Calm

    33.8%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 87.5K estimated branded searches, +87.8% vs prior month. Share +10.2 points.

  2. 2.Insight Timer

    33.5%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 86.8K estimated branded searches, +58.4% vs prior month. Share +5.8 points.

  3. 3.BetterSleep

    12.8%

    Held 3rd. 33.1K estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  4. 4.Headspace

    9.1%

    Held 4th. 23.5K estimated branded searches, +4.4% vs prior month. Share -2.3 points.

  5. 5.Smiling Mind

    3.8%

    Held 5th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -45.3% vs prior month. Share -5.3 points.

  6. 6.Waking Up

    2.5%

    Moved from 8th to 6th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  7. 7.Happier

    1.7%

    Held 7th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -40.5% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  8. 8.Medito

    1.7%

    Moved from 6th to 8th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -63.6% vs prior month. Share -4.4 points.

  9. 9.Healthy Minds Program

    0.73%

    Held 9th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, +46.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  10. 10.Balance

    0.37%

    Held 10th. 960 estimated branded searches, -10.3% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

Compare popularity between Waking Up and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Waking Up

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Waking Up changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Waking Up worldwide held steady at 6.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Waking Up’s share of searches among meditation apps worldwide peaked at 3.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 2.5% in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Waking Up rose from 8th to 6th among meditation apps worldwide.

How did search popularity change for meditation apps worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Calm overtook Insight Timer to become the leader among meditation apps worldwide, with 33.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Insight Timer gained share of searches among meditation apps worldwide, from 27.7% to 33.5%.

  3. In September 2026, Smiling Mind lost share of searches among meditation apps worldwide, from 9.2% to 3.8%.

  4. In September 2026, Medito lost share of searches among meditation apps worldwide, from 6.1% to 1.7%.

  5. In September 2026, Headspace lost share of searches among meditation apps worldwide, from 11.4% to 9.1%.

  6. In September 2026, Happier lost share of searches among meditation apps worldwide, from 3.7% to 1.7%.

How are Waking Up’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Waking Up’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • waking up app

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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