Feeling down? There are ways to get help. While therapy, counseling, and talking to friends can be a sufficient option for some, not everyone has access. That's where mental health apps can come in. They're available in all different formats to address a myriad of struggles you may be going through.
We took a dive into the world of mental health apps, from mood trackers to AI therapists to mindfulness meditation, and chose our 10 best apps for smartphones and tablets. Our number one pick is Sanvello by Sanvello Health: with it, you can set goals and track your mood or practice self-care through gratitude journaling and meditation. You can even connect with coaches and licensed therapists. Prefer a different approach? Check out the rest of the list, and scroll down to our buying guide for insight from a licensed professional counselor.
Are you dealing with stress, anxiety, or depression? You're not alone. In a year, about 40 million adults in the United States will be affected by an anxiety disorder and 17.3 million will experience a major depressive episode.
And according to the American Institute of Stress, in 2017 a whopping 77% of adults reported that they regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress.
While therapy can be beneficial for everyone regardless of their mental state, it can also be expensive. If you have a busy life, it can be hard to make time for regular appointments.
Even those who attend therapy may want other ways to access support and tools outside of their sessions. In these cases, a mental health app can be a great solution.
Image | 1 ![]() Sanvello Health | 2 ![]() Shine Inc. | 3 ![]() Youper Inc. | 4 ![]() Roble Ridge Software | 5 ![]() SuperBetter LLC | 6 ![]() Mighty Proud Media | 7 ![]() MindDoc Health | 8 ![]() Happify | 9 ![]() Simply Rooted Media | 10 ![]() Groop Internet Platform |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Sanvello | Shine | Youper | Moodfit | SuperBetter | The Mighty | Moodpath | Happify | Rootd | Talkspace |
Features | A Comprehensive App for Managing Mental Health | A Mental Health App That Prioritizes Diversity and Inclusivity | Get by With a Little Help from AI | A Mood Tracking App With CBT-Based Tools | Gamify Self-Care to Motivate and Build Reslience | A Community for Health and Wellness Support | Use Reports to View Progress and Identify Patterns | An App That Improves Happiness With Games and Activities | Immediate Assistance for Anxiety and Panic Attacks | An App That Connects You With a Licensed Therapist |
Price | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop | Smartphone, tablet, desktop | Smartphone, tablet, desktop | Smartphone, tablet | Smartphone, tablet | Smartphone, tablet, desktop | Smartphone, tablet | Smartphone, tablet, desktop | Smartphone, tablet | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
Best for | Overall mental health, anxiety, depression | Overall mental health, positivity | Overall mental health | Overall mental health, anxiety, depression | Overall mental health, motivation | Overall mental health, chronic illness | Overall mental health, anxiety, depression | Overall mental health, positivity | Anxiety, panic attacks | Therapy |
In-app purchases | $1.99 unlimited tracking, $3.99-$8.99 monthly, $29.99-$53.99 annually, $199.99 lifetime | $11.99 monthly, $53.99 annually | $9.99-$12.99 monthly, $44.99-$69.99 yearly | $9.99-$59.99 premium subscription | No | No | $4.49 monthly, $47.99 yearly | $9.99-$449.99 | $6.99 monthly, $59.99 yearly, $139.99 lifetime | Starting at $65.00 weekly |
Key features | Mood tracker, goal setting, gratitude journal, meditation, CBT techniques, community, licensed therapists | Gratitude journal, meditation, motivation, community | AI chat, mood tracking, meditation, CBT techniques | Mood tracker, goal setting, gratitude journal, meditation, breathing exercises, CBT techniques | Games, goal tracking | Community | Mood tracker, meditation, CBT techniques | Goal tracking, meditation, CBT techniques | Meditation, breathing exercises, visualizations, CBT techniques | Licensed therapists |
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Here are our 10 best choices for mental health apps. We made our choices based on the points listed in the buying guide below, as well as reviewer comments when available.
*Please note that these apps were chosen after extensive research by mybest writers. The choices are not affiliated with or recommended by Omolola Taiwo unless explicitly stated so. Prices were gathered from respective EC sites on June 30, 2022.
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, anxiety, depression |
In-app purchases | $1.99 unlimited tracking, $3.99-$8.99 monthly, $29.99-$53.99 annually, $199.99 lifetime |
Key features | Mood tracker, goal setting, gratitude journal, meditation, CBT techniques, community, licensed therapists |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, positivity |
In-app purchases | $11.99 monthly, $53.99 annually |
Key features | Gratitude journal, meditation, motivation, community |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health |
In-app purchases | $9.99-$12.99 monthly, $44.99-$69.99 yearly |
Key features | AI chat, mood tracking, meditation, CBT techniques |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, anxiety, depression |
In-app purchases | $9.99-$59.99 premium subscription |
Key features | Mood tracker, goal setting, gratitude journal, meditation, breathing exercises, CBT techniques |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, motivation |
In-app purchases | No |
Key features | Games, goal tracking |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, chronic illness |
In-app purchases | No |
Key features | Community |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, anxiety, depression |
In-app purchases | $4.49 monthly, $47.99 yearly |
Key features | Mood tracker, meditation, CBT techniques |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
---|---|
Best for | Overall mental health, positivity |
In-app purchases | $9.99-$449.99 |
Key features | Goal tracking, meditation, CBT techniques |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet |
---|---|
Best for | Anxiety, panic attacks |
In-app purchases | $6.99 monthly, $59.99 yearly, $139.99 lifetime |
Key features | Meditation, breathing exercises, visualizations, CBT techniques |
$0.00
Compatible with | Smartphone, tablet, desktop |
---|---|
Best for | Therapy |
In-app purchases | Starting at $65.00 weekly |
Key features | Licensed therapists |
If you're already dealing with a difficult situation, the last thing you want to do is stress about which mental health app to download. Here are some important things to consider to help point you in the right direction.
Because there is such a wide range of mental health apps, it’s helpful to know ahead of time what your goals are. Maybe you want an app that helps support your overall well-being, which may include mood tracking, daily journaling, and prompts.
Or perhaps you want an app where you can set a specific goal, like coping with stress, building self-confidence, or improving mindfulness, and then track your progress. If you struggle with a specific disorder like anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, or disordered eating, there are often apps made specifically to support your recovery.
If you're looking for an app to complement in-person therapy, it can be helpful to find an app that offers robust reporting so that you can easily share a snapshot of your week with your therapist. In addition, it may be beneficial to ask your therapist for app recommendations and advice.
Apps are still a new tool in the world of mental health, and not many comprehensive studies have been done on their effectiveness. In order to ensure that you’re picking an app that will help you, take some time to make sure that it’s backed by science.
Take a look at the creator of the app. Apps made by companies in the health and science industries are likely more credible than apps made by a single developer. Check out the app’s website as well to see if any studies have been done on its effectiveness.
The other thing to look for is an app that uses evidence-based techniques, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Every mental health app is different, but many of them have similar features. Deciding which features are important to you can help narrow down your options.
Many mental health apps contain a mood tracking component, where you input your mood at regular intervals. Tracking your mood can help you feel more connected to yourself, see patterns, and understand triggers. Apps will often allow you to set reminders to check in with yourself so you don't have to remember throughout the day.
Many apps offer the ability to track other factors alongside your mood like activities, medications, and other symptoms. This can help illuminate how your activities and habits affect how you feel.
Gratitude is a simple act with a big impact, but it can be hard to remember to take time for it out of our busy days. Some mental health apps include a gratitude journal, where you can write down what you’re grateful for each day.
Practicing gratitude helps you focus on feelings of contentment and satisfaction, which can help reduce stress and improve happiness. If you keep a gratitude journal, it can be a helpful thing to look back on during especially hard times.
Meditation is having a moment, and for good reason! There are many mental health benefits to meditation, including increasing self-awareness, reducing negative emotions, and improving attention.
While there are apps dedicated solely to meditation, many mental health apps include some form of meditation as a tool to help improve your overall well-being. Some apps allow you to track your meditation, which can help keep you accountable. Other apps include guided meditations that you can listen to as part of your mindfulness practice.
In addition to meditation, many mental health apps help you learn coping skills to deal with difficult feelings like stress or anxiety. These can be structured as audio or visual lessons, games, or guided exercises.
For example, an app could take you through a deep breathing exercise or body scan to help ground you when you’re feeling anxious. Another app might provide lessons on how to improve self-confidence or handle social anxiety.
Many mental health apps use techniques based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a common form of psychotherapy that focuses on modifying negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviors by interrogating and uprooting irrational beliefs. Studies have shown that CBT does not have to be done in-person to be effective.
While some apps contain features to help you manage your own mental health, others allow you to connect with people for support. Some connect you with trained counselors and therapists you can talk to via text, phone, and video. Others have a community aspect where you can talk to other people and share your experiences.
A community aspect can be especially helpful if you’re experiencing an issue that not many people can relate to, like a chronic illness. It can also be helpful for people in marginalized groups, who may be seeking others with similar experiences.
There are also a couple of apps where you can chat with a bot about what you’re experiencing. These apps use artificial intelligence to understand your needs and suggest evidence-based strategies to help you.
Design and user experience are important when choosing a mental health app. If you’re already feeling bad, the last thing you’ll want to do is figure out how to use a confusing or frustrating user interface.
Many mental health apps have free versions, so take the time to try out a few to find the one you like best. It’s absolutely okay to judge an app by its aesthetics; after all, you want an app that you feel good using, and certain images and colors can contribute to your enjoyment.
While confidentiality is an important part of in-person counseling, things can get murkier when using a mental health app.
In addition to the information you input into the app itself, some mental health apps may integrate with other apps like your camera or health-tracking apps, giving them more access to your information.
Many privacy policies are written in dense and confusing language. At the very minimum, make sure the app at least has a privacy policy that explains how they use and share the information you give them.
While mental health apps can be beneficial, they should not take the place of professional help from a licensed counselor or therapist. Because there are so many factors at play, diagnoses and treatment should only be done by a mental health professional, so be wary of any app that tries to diagnose you.
If you find that problems in your life are seriously interfering with your ability to function at work, with your family, or in your social life, then it may be time to seek professional help.
Sometimes an app isn't enough and that's okay. Here are some resources for further support and information.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
A free, confidential crisis hotline that provides emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, available 24/7.
Crisis Text Line - Text "HOME" to 741741
Available 24/7, they will connect you with a live counselor to provide support and information in any kind of crisis.
SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline - Call 1-800-985-5990
A free, confidential 24/7, 365-day-a-year hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.
SAMHSA's National Helpline - Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
A free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance abuse disorders.
Taking charge of your mental health can be empowering. Check out our other recommendations for books and apps that can help you on your journey.
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