Compare Self Care Apps (2026)
Compare all 20 self care apps side by side — filter by the features you care about, sort by our score, single-session lift or low-pressure design, and open any full review. Everything is scored the same way; see how we rate.
| App | Score | No-cost tier | From | Session lift | Low pressure | Mood | Journal | AI | Courses | Meditate | Habits | Coaching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | — | $7.99/week | 4/5 | 3/5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Coaching tier | |
| 4.3 | Yes | ~$8.99/month | 4/5 | 5/5 | ✓ | ✓ | — | Guided exercises | Breathing | ✓ | — | |
| 4.3 | — | ~$12.99/month | 5/5 | 4/5 | ✓ | — | Ebb (in some markets) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | |
| 4.3 | Yes | ~$5.99/month | 5/5 | 4/5 | — | — | — | Plus | ✓ | — | Live sessions | |
| 4.2 | — | ~$69.99/year | 4/5 | 4/5 | Check-in | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | |
| 4.2 | — | ~$69.99/year | 5/5 | 4/5 | ✓ | Daily check-in | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | |
| 4.1 | — | ~$9.99/month | 4/5 | 3/5 | Light | Light | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | |
| 4.1 | — | ~$99.99/year | 4/5 | 4/5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Paid coaching | |
| 4.0 | — | ~$34.99/year | 3/5 | 5/5 | Light | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4.0 | Yes | $0 | 4/5 | 5/5 | ✓ | Notes | — | Skill tips | Exercises | — | — | |
| 4.0 | — | ~$12.99/month | 4/5 | 4/5 | Light | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | |
| 4.0 | — | ~$69.99/year | 4/5 | 4/5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | |
| 3.9 | — | ~$99.99/year | 3/5 | 3/5 | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | |
| 3.9 | Yes | ~$2.99/month | 3/5 | 5/5 | ✓ | Micro-journaling | — | — | — | Activities/goals | — | |
| 3.9 | — | ~$89.99/year | 3/5 | 3/5 | — | — | — | ✓ | — | Daily goal | — | |
| 3.8 | — | ~$30/quarter | 3/5 | 2/5 | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | |
| 3.8 | — | ~$49.99/year | 4/5 | 4/5 | ✓ | ✓ | — | Wisdom content | Breathing | — | — | |
| 3.7 | Yes | ~$4.99/month | 2/5 | 2/5 | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | |
| 3.7 | — | ~$59.99/year | 4/5 | 4/5 | ✓ | ✓ | Prompts | — | — | — | — | |
| 3.6 | — | ~$69.99/year | 3/5 | 4/5 | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
"Session lift" = whether one short session leaves you feeling a bit better (1–5); "Low pressure" = how gentle and guilt-free it is (1–5). Prices approximate, June 2026 — verify in the App Store / Google Play.
Full feature matrix
Every feature we track, normalised across all 20 apps — the same fields for everyone, so you can compare like for like.
| App | Mood tracking | Journaling | AI companion | Courses & lessons | Meditations | Soundscapes / focus music | Habit & routine builder | Reminders | Quiz / assessment | Community | Live coaching | Crisis resources | Data export | Apple Health / Google Fit | Home-screen widgets | Offline use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liven | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Coaching tier | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | Partial |
| Finch | ✓ | ✓ | — | Guided exercises | Breathing | Limited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Friends/support | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | Partial |
| Headspace | ✓ | — | Ebb (in some markets) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insight Timer | — | — | — | Plus | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | Live sessions | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | Plus |
| Balance | Check-in | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Calm | ✓ | Daily check-in | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Fabulous | Light | Light | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | Partial |
| Wysa | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | Paid coaching | ✓ | — | — | — | Partial |
| Day One | Light | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| How We Feel | ✓ | Notes | — | Skill tips | Exercises | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rosebud | Light | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | Partial |
| Youper | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | Partial |
| Blinkist | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Daylio | ✓ | Micro-journaling | — | — | — | — | Activities/goals | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Headway | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | Daily goal | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| BetterMe: Mental Health | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | Partial |
| Stoic | ✓ | ✓ | — | Wisdom content | Breathing | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Partial |
| Habitica | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | Partial |
| Reflectly | ✓ | ✓ | Prompts | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | Partial |
| Replika | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — |
Our original data
Two numbers most roundups never measure, scored the same way for all 20 apps. This is our own research, not the apps' marketing — and we score it honestly, so the app with the biggest single-session lift isn't our top pick, and neither is the gentlest. They're here to help you weigh an app against how you actually feel.
Single-session lift
Does one short session reliably leave you feeling a bit better? Not a tour, an actual settling. Our own score (1–5), dated June 2026 — higher is better.
| App | Single-session lift |
|---|---|
| Calm | 5/5 |
| Headspace | 5/5 |
| Insight Timer | 5/5 |
| Balance | 4/5 |
| Finch | 4/5 |
| How We Feel | 4/5 |
| Liven | 4/5 |
| Reflectly | 4/5 |
| Rosebud | 4/5 |
| Stoic | 4/5 |
| The Fabulous | 4/5 |
| Wysa | 4/5 |
| Youper | 4/5 |
| BetterMe: Mental Health | 3/5 |
| Blinkist | 3/5 |
| Day One | 3/5 |
| Daylio | 3/5 |
| Headway | 3/5 |
| Replika | 3/5 |
| Habitica | 2/5 |
Low-pressure design
How gentle and guilt-free the app is to live with — no streak-anxiety, nagging or dark-pattern pressure, and a warm welcome back after a break. Our own score (1–5), dated June 2026.
| App | Low-pressure design |
|---|---|
| Day One | 5/5 |
| Daylio | 5/5 |
| Finch | 5/5 |
| How We Feel | 5/5 |
| Balance | 4/5 |
| Calm | 4/5 |
| Headspace | 4/5 |
| Insight Timer | 4/5 |
| Reflectly | 4/5 |
| Replika | 4/5 |
| Rosebud | 4/5 |
| Stoic | 4/5 |
| Wysa | 4/5 |
| Youper | 4/5 |
| Blinkist | 3/5 |
| Headway | 3/5 |
| Liven | 3/5 |
| The Fabulous | 3/5 |
| BetterMe: Mental Health | 2/5 |
| Habitica | 2/5 |
FAQ
How does the compare tool work?
Every app is scored on the same rubric and the table is ordered by that overall score. Use the filters to show only apps with, say, a no-cost tier or an AI companion, and the sort menu to reorder by score, single-session lift or low-pressure design.
What are the single-session lift and low-pressure indices?
Two pieces of our own original data: whether one short session genuinely settles you, and how gentle and guilt-free the app is — each scored the same way (1–5) for all 20 apps. They're our editorial estimates as of June 2026, the things most roundups never measure, and our top pick leads neither.