Head to head

Headspace for Work vs Lyra Health

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Headspace for Work

Sales-quoted

Employer mindfulness, coaching, and therapy SKU on top of the Headspace app. Pricing is sales-quoted. Sword has announced it is acquiring Headspace.

Where Headspace for Work fits

  • Employers that want mindfulness content people will actually open
  • Companies adding coaching and therapy on top of an existing meditation habit
  • Microsoft 365 shops that will surface sessions in Teams
  • HR teams that want one brand from stress content through EAP

Lyra Health

Sales-quoted

Clinical employer mental-health benefit with care navigation, therapy, and psychiatry. Pricing is sales-quoted.

Where Lyra Health fits

  • Large employers that want a clinical mental-health network
  • Benefits teams that need therapy and psychiatry, not only coaching
  • Companies with a global workforce and a navigation model
  • HR leaders replacing a traditional EAP

At a glance

DetailHeadspace for WorkLyra Health
Starting priceSales-quotedSales-quoted
Free tier–No–No
MCP server–No–No
Public API–No–No
Listed underWellbeingWellbeing

Where they pull apart

Headspace for Work

Stands out: Employees already know the Headspace brand, so the work SKU is a daily-use meditation layer that can also route into coaching and clinical care instead of a net-new EAP login.

Watch out: This is not the consumer Headspace subscription. The work plan is a quoted employer contract covering EAP, Care, Companion, and Core SKUs. Sword's announced acquisition is a product-direction risk to put in the vendor-stability section of the RFP.

Not the right fit for

  • Buyers who only need the consumer app at App Store prices
  • Teams that want a gym network rather than mental-health content
  • Anyone who needs a public PEPM before talking to sales

Lyra Health

Stands out: The network is built around matched clinical care (therapy and psychiatry, not a meditation library with a therapist bolted on), which is why large employers treat it as the mental-health plan, not a perk.

Watch out: This is a quote-only benefits contract. Lyra AI and Lyra Empower sit on the same brand; confirm whether the SKU you are buying is the clinical network, the manager/empower layer, or both before you compare PEPM to a coaching-only vendor.

Not the right fit for

  • SMBs that want a self-serve mindfulness subscription
  • Buyers who need a public per-employee price

Pros and cons

Headspace for Work

  • Brand employees already recognize
  • One ladder from meditation through coaching, EAP, and care
  • Sits in Microsoft Teams for daily use
  • Employer plan is sales-quoted
  • Consumer free trial is not the work SKU
  • Announced acquisition introduces vendor-direction uncertainty

Lyra Health

  • Therapy and psychiatry as the core benefit, not an upsell
  • Care navigation in front of a clinical network
  • Sold as a workforce benefit with employer reporting
  • Sales-quoted PEPM
  • Public partners page does not name ATS/HRIS products
  • Lyra AI is a separate conversation from the clinical network SKU

What each one costs

Headspace for Work

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted employer plan. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 12 Sep 2026

Lyra Health

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted per employee per month. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 12 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Headspace for Work or Lyra Health for free?
Neither carries a free tier on our listing.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 12 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?