A Insight Timer alternative: 2hives, compared
2hives is an independent product of 2BEE FARM PTY LTD. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any company or product named on this page. Names belong to their owners and are used only to say which product a fact is about.
Insight Timer (Insight Network Inc) is a free meditation app with a very large library of guided meditations and music from many teachers, per its App Store listing. Both are free to listen to; they differ in how sessions are made.
2hives is free for good: no trial, nothing to cancel, no payment card.
2hives sessions are spoken by synthetic (text-to-speech) voices, not human narrators.
2hives and Insight Timer side by side
Swipe sideways to see more.
| 2hives and Insight Timer side by side | 2hives2BEE FARM PTY LTD | Insight TimerInsight Network Inc |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Guided audio courses of 5 or 6 sessions each, spoken by a synthetic voice, in a web app. Live group sessions are scheduled weekly. | Free meditation app: guided meditations, music tracks and talks from many teachers, with community groups. |
| Personalisation | Script written from your words; the voice can say your name | Browse and filter by teacher, topic and length; follow teachers. Reflect is an AI conversation partner for reflective questions, and an AI recommendation engine (January 2026) suggests practices from the library. |
| Voice or teacher | Synthetic (text-to-speech) voices; you choose one. | Human teachers and musicians. |
| Languages | English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), French, Italian and Japanese. Hindi, Korean and Hungarian in beta. The site is also translated into Chinese (Simplified) and German; the voice is in progress. | 10 listed: Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. |
| Platforms and offline | Web app that you can install to your home screen, and an Android app on Google Play; there is no iOS app. Sessions you own can be saved for offline use in the web app. | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac app (App Store listing). Offline listening is part of the optional subscription. See their site for Android. |
| Free tier or trial | 2hives is free to use. Some sessions are followed by a clearly labelled card from a local sponsor. | Free to use: thousands of guided meditations and music tracks. |
| Price | 2hives is free to use. Some sessions are followed by a clearly labelled card from a local sponsor. | Free core; optional subscription, paid courses and live events (tickets per event) and offline use; see their site for current pricing. |
| How you pay | 2hives is free to use. Some sessions are followed by a clearly labelled card from a local sponsor. | Free, with one optional subscription. |
Who might prefer 2hives
- A script written from your own words, with a voice that can say your name.
Who might prefer Insight Timer
- A very large free library: the listing says thousands of guided meditations and music tracks, from many teachers.
- A native app with community groups and offline use on the optional subscription.
How 2hives differs
- Listening on 2hives is free for good: there is no subscription for listeners. Some sessions are followed by a clearly labelled card from a local sponsor.
- Sessions are written around the listener: you describe what you want in your own words, and the script is written for you. The voice can say your name.
- A sample plays in one tap without an account or an email address. A free account lets you play full sessions.
- Audio in the languages live on 2hives today: English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), French, Italian and Japanese. Hindi, Korean and Hungarian are in beta.
- Sessions you own can be saved for offline use in the web app, which you can install to your home screen.
Insight Timer also has a free core library, so price alone is not what separates it from 2hives.
2hives is a web app with a synthetic voice, a smaller catalogue and no iPhone app. Insight Timer is stronger wherever those matter most to you; the lists above say where.
Questions
Is 2hives free?
Listening on 2hives is free for good. There is no subscription for listeners. Some sessions are followed by a clearly labelled card from a local sponsor.
Is 2hives affiliated with Insight Timer?
No. 2hives is an independent product of 2BEE FARM PTY LTD and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Insight Timer or its makers.
What does Insight Timer do that 2hives does not?
See "Who each is better for" above. In short: A very large free library: the listing says thousands of guided meditations and music tracks, from many teachers. A native app with community groups and offline use on the optional subscription.
Hear it before you decide. Hear a free 3-minute sample
Last reviewed 10 Nov 2026. Every fact is re-checked each quarter. Disclaimer
