41 Mental Health Apps That Will Make Life a Little Easier
There’s something for everyone.
Even if they’re not a replacement for professional care, there are tons of genuinely helpful mental health apps out there to address a variety of problems, disorders, goals, and more. Below, find a mix of personal recs, reviewer favorites, and expert-approved apps meant to manage and support your mental health. (Heads up: I divided the apps based on what each is best known for, but there’s some overlap, especially among the more multifunctional mental health apps. But you get the idea!)
Self-help and therapy skills apps
Whether or not you go to therapy, you can never have too many evidence-based tools for managing your mental health. These apps aim to make therapeutic coping skills more accessible by drawing on different types of therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT, a type of CBT focused on distress tolerance and emotion regulation), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT, a type of therapy that uses mindfulness and behavior-change strategies to help you better accept and work with your tough emotions), and more. Some support specific disorders, while others aim to help anyone feeling depressed, anxious, or stressed right now.
Happify: Meant to address stress and increase happiness, Happify is full of daily quizzes, games, and activities. You can choose one or more “tracks” to tailor your experience, including goals like conquering negative thoughts, building self-confidence, and achieving career success. (iOS and Google Play, free or $15/month for premium)
MoodMission: MoodMission is like a Choose Your Own Adventure for feeling better. Specifically built for low moods and anxiety, it asks you a series of questions about how you’re feeling and presents you with a unique list of five “missions” to choose from in the moment. As a bonus, your results are more unique to you the more you use it—after you complete a mission, you rate how you feel so MoodMission can learn what does and doesn’t work for you. (iOS and Google Play, free)
Woebot: This cute little A.I. chatbot will coach you through a hard time via chat by asking you what’s up and offering CBT-based tips and exercises for you to try. Whether you’re in an anxious thought spiral or just feeling like crap, Woebot will guide you step by step until you feel better. (iOS and Google Play, free)
MoodTools: Whether you have a depressive disorder or are dealing with a depressed mood, you can use the CBT-based activities in MoodTools to feel a little better. It also includes space for a safety plan if you deal with suicidal ideation. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $5/month or $30/year for premium)
What’s Up: This app has a bunch of tools based on CBT and ACT to help you feel less anxious, stressed, angry, and more. Plus, you can connect with other users via the app’s built-in forum. (iOS and Google Play, free)
MoodKit: Not only is MoodKit filled with activity suggestions for improving your mood, it also allows you to schedule them so you can make a habit out of practicing self-care and feel better in the long run. (iOS, $5)
PTSD Coach: Created by the National Center for PTSD, this app is for anyone who has or could have post-traumatic stress disorder, whether they’re currently in treatment or not. Some of its features include educational material, therapeutic tools, and info on professional care and support. (iOS and Google Play, free)
DBT Coach: Whether you have an illness like borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, an eating disorder, or depression or are just dealing with a lot of emotions right now, this app makes DBT skills accessible through videos and animations. (iOS and Google Play, $12/month)
Rootd: If you’ve ever felt the need to hit a big fat panic button during an anxiety or panic attack, Rootd is for you. It provides, quite literally, that virtual panic button. Hit it, answer a few questions, and Rootd will guide you through. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $7/month or $60/year for premium)
MindShift: On top of teaching you CBT skills to tackle negative thought patterns (such as guided “experiments” to help you challenge anxious thoughts), MindShift also has tools for setting goals and forming habits. Oh, and my personal favorite: exercises for battling perfectionism. (iOS and Google Play, free)
SuperBetter: If traditional mental health apps tend to bore you, SuperBetter might be able to keep your interest. It gamifies mental health skill-building and self-care, teaching you to be more resilient through a series of superhero-themed missions and challenges. (iOS and Google Play, free)
Happyfeed: Therapists often recommend gratitude journaling for better mental well-being. If you’ve had a hard time picking up the habit, try Happyfeed. On top of recording daily things you're grateful for, you can upload pictures and memories to go with it. When you need a pick-me-up, shake your phone to access your “Happiness Jar” and you’ll be able to see a random day from the past. (iOS and Google Play, $3/month or $30/year)
Reflectly: On top of encouraging a regular journaling practice, this self-care app uses positive psychology, mindfulness, and CBT to teach you how to reduce stress, develop gratitude, and gain perspective in life. It also doubles as a mood tracker, thanks to the A.I.-generated journaling prompts that collect info on how you’re doing. (iOS and Google Play, $10/month or $48/year)
Mindfulness, meditation, and breath work apps
Technically, mindfulness and meditation are totally therapeutic tools too, but they deserve a section of their own. Experts often recommend apps for beginners who have no idea where to start with meditation because they provide guided instruction to show you exactly what to do and help you stay accountable. The apps below are some of the most popular meditation and mindfulness apps on the market, with a few underrated faves thrown in there too.
Insight Timer: While other leading meditation apps can get pretty pricy, Insight Timer stands out for its expansive free library (like, we’re talking 55,000 free meditations and music tracks). (iOS and Google Play, free, or $10/month or $60/year for premium)
Headspace: Whenever I talk to therapists about meditation, they always recommend Headspace as a solid starting point. It’s not difficult to see why; Headspace has guided meditations for just about every mood or goal. Truly, it’s hard to sum up the offerings. If you have a mental health goal or struggle, Headspace probably has a themed meditation for it. (iOS and Google Play, $13/month or $70/year)
Shine: Self-care app Shine has more than just meditation and mindfulness exercises, but its library of 800-plus meditations for everything from Black mental health to personal growth is definitely the highlight. And if you’re someone who needs a little extra positivity and inspiration in your life, you’ll love the daily motivational texts. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $12/month or $54/year for premium)
iBreathe: Deep breathing is a small way to ease stress and anxiety symptoms, and a little guidance can go a long way. iBreathe’s uncluttered and simple-to-use interface is as soothing as it is helpful. Just breathing exercises, no frills. Plus, you make your own exercises by setting custom intervals. You decide how long to inhale, how long to hold, how long to exhale, and how many times you repeat it. (iOS, free)
Ten Percent Happier: Calling all meditation naysayers: Ten Percent Happier was designed for you. It started with a book by Dan Harris, a self-described skeptic turned believer, and has since spun off into a podcast and this app—all dedicated to teaching fidgety skeptics how to meditate. (iOS and Google Play, $15/month or $100/year)
Calm: Another big name in meditation apps, Calm is frequently recommended alongside Headspace as an all-around good starting point for guided meditation. You may have to try both to see which is right for you (they have free trials!), but reviewers love Calm for its hallmark nature sounds, music, and meditation retreat vibe. Plus, they have a star-studded adult bedtime story lineup. (iOS and Google Play, $70/year)
MyLife Meditation: MyLife aims to help you create your own ~quiet place~ away from the world with guided, emotion-based meditations. Reviewers shout out its simplicity and lovely art as highlights. (iOS and Google Play, $10/month or $59/year)
Aura: Beyond its meditation offerings, Aura also boasts a mood tracker, gratitude journal, and an active community of both users and meditation teachers. While it has premium offerings, plenty of reviewers say the free version is more than enough for casual use. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $12/month or $60/year for premium)
Sowlmate: This new LGBTQ+-focused self-care app has a unique library of multiday courses and single guided meditations. Some are for broader mental health purposes, such as relaxation, and others are specific to a variety of LGBTQ+ experiences, like dealing with family rejection or going through a breakup. (iOS, $15/month or $40/year)
Healthy Minds Program: Created by a nonprofit affiliated with the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Healthy Minds Program app has meditations, exercises, and podcast-style lessons designed to build foundational mindfulness skills. Learn to gain focus, reduce stress, maintain positive social connection, and more through its science-backed teachings. (iOS and Google Play, free)
Apps for tracking moods, symptoms, and habits
Tracking your symptoms, moods, and habits can be important for mental health in a variety of ways. If you’re trying to pick up or drop certain habits that support your mental health, tracking them with an app can provide accountability and can make it easier to stick with it. Meanwhile, tracking also can give you a ton of helpful information around specific symptoms, triggers, and moods that you can talk about with your doctor or therapist.
Moodfit: Moodfit is a well-rounded app that supplements your tracking with educational material and tips. You set goals and log your activities and moods, and Moodfit sends you a weekly report to help you notice patterns and learn more about yourself. Reviewers also like how customizable it is—there are some predetermined moods and activities to get you started, but you can add your own too. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $10/month or $60/year for premium)
CBT Thought Record Diary: The first step in fighting back against negative and anxious thoughts is recognizing them. For that reason, CBT therapists often recommend writing down your thoughts. Using this app, you can not only track your thoughts, but also learn to identify negative thinking patterns—also known as cognitive distortions—over time. From there, the app leaves space for you to challenge the thought and come up with alternative thoughts too. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $5/month or $30/year for premium)
eMoods: Specifically designed for tracking moods and symptoms for bipolar disorder but helpful for a variety of mood disorders, eMoods packs a lot of data and features in a deceptively simple interface. It’s especially useful for sharing info with your care team—you can easily generate printable PDF reports so they don’t have to sign up for anything. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $1/month or $10/year for premium)
Moodpath: Moodpath allows you to track your mental health and generate reports, and reviewers also love how it also provides personalized recommendations and exercises based on your data. Though it’s designed with depression and anxiety in mind, plenty of reviewers are fans for monitoring eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and more. (iOS and Google Play, free, or $7/month or $48/year for premium)
Worry Watch: Whether you have an anxiety disorder or are dealing with increased anxiety with everything going on, Worry Watch is what it sounds like: a place to track your anxious thoughts over time. More than that, it walks you through its four-step response for each thought: recording, reflecting, reasoning, and refuting. (iOS, $4)
Fabulous: It’s not strictly a mental health app, but Fabulous has such an enthusiastic fan base that it’s worth including anyway. At its heart, Fabulous is a habit-tracking app, and many people praise it for being actually motivational and helpful for developing long-term self-care habits. (iOS and Google Play, $15/month or $70/year)
Stoic: Stoic bills itself as a “mental health training app,” encouraging you to analyze your stresses and obstacles, then helping you create a plan to overcome them. It’s part habit tracker and routine builder, part self-care and meditation app, and reviewers frequently describe it as “life-changing.” (iOS, free, or $7/monthly or $38/yearly for premium)
Sayana: You kind of have to click through to get Sayana’s whole vibe, but imagine that your warmest friend decided they wanted to take you on a journey of self-discovery and self-care. Its simple mood tracker aims to help you not only log your emotions, but also really understand and deal with them. On top of that, you can connect anonymously with the Sayana community. (iOS, free, or $10/month or $60/year for premium)
Jour: Journal for Mindfulness: This interactive journal asks you to reflect daily on yourself and the world around you. In doing so, you track your mood and build insightful reports of your well-being over time. (iOS, $8/month or $60/year)
Professional and peer support apps
Mobile therapy and virtual mental health communities have been on the rise for a while, with demand exploding in recent months due to the pandemic. The apps below are a mix of professional services that partner you with licensed mental health providers and more community-based apps that offer more formal support groups or casual places to connect and share.
Sanvello: The best of both worlds, Sanvello is part self-care app, part mental health service provider. Beyond its self-care offerings of coping tools and skills, Sanvello can connect you with a therapist or coach, as well as a diverse range of peer support chats. Pricing beyond Sanvello’s basic free version depends on a few factors (insurance might cover it!), so you can check out the various options here. (iOS and Google Play)
notOK: It can be difficult to ask for help when we’re struggling and the team behind notOK wants to make it easier. You create a group of trusted contacts, like your family, friends, therapist, or anyone else you can count on. After they accept your invitation, you can alert them with a tap of a button when you’re not okay and could use their support. (iOS and Google Play, free)
Talkspace: You’re probably familiar with this mobile therapy app, especially since in-person therapy went out the window at the beginning of the pandemic. Basically, you’re matched with a therapist after onboarding and can choose from a variety of plans that include live video therapy, texting, audio-only calls, or some combination of all of the above. You can view plan pricing here. (iOS and Google Play)
BetterHelp: Like Talkspace, BetterHelp is a mobile therapy app that allows you to connect to a therapist via video therapy, phone sessions, and live chat. Compared to Talkspace, you get more live video and phone sessions, but ultimately you’ll have to do some research to find which is right for you if you’re deciding between them. You can view plan pricing here. (iOS and Google Play)
NOCD: When you deal with a specific disorder like OCD, finding the right therapist can be a challenge—especially through standard mobile therapy apps. NOCD is here to fill the gap, matching you with a licensed therapist who specializes in OCD for live video chats and in-between-session text support. Pricing depends on a few factors, but their support team will walk you through your options. (iOS and Google Play)
Solace: Solace matches you with a small text-based support ground based on an onboarding questionnaire. That way, you wind up chatting with people around your same age who are dealing with the same condition and severity of symptoms as you. (iOS and Google Play, free)
Wisdo: This virtual support app allows you to join specific themed communities to discuss anything from coronavirus anxiety and loneliness to racism and LGBTQ+ issues. You can chat with people who’ve been through what you’re dealing with, swap tips, and offer support to others (iOS and Google Play, $6/month or $40/year)
Lyf: If you’ve ever craved a more positive social media community, Lyf might be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s a self-care community filled with everyday people and mental health professionals alike, all ready to discuss mental wellness, swap stories, and provide support. You also have the option of talking directly with a therapist on the app, which you can pay for weekly or by the session. (iOS and Google Play, free)
HearMe: Sometimes you just need a place to vent—and don’t always have the social support or space to do it. HearMe is there for those moments, connecting you instantly with an empathetic listener. (iOS and Google Play, free)
By Anna Borges Printed: SELF Health | August 24, 2020
https://www.self.com/story/mental-health-apps?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=self&utm_mailing=SLF_Cares_091620&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5d00719b2ddf9c11fcbba04f&cndid=17924758&esrc=origin_load_July2017&utm_term=SLF_Cares_GenericOpens
