Guide to Choosing Apps for Mental Health

By Tina Arani, MA, William James College, Rachael Falk, MA, PsyD, William James College, Newton, MA and Leah Perniciaro, PsyD, William James College, Newton

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Many people experience barriers to receiving mental health treatment. Whether it is a busy schedule, transportation problems, or financial concerns, it can be difficult to maintain consistent appointments with a mental health provider. Below is a list of helpful mental health applications that can be used on your mobile device as a complement to therapy sessions. Many of them are free for users, and the rest are purchasable for a small fee. These applications help with a range of mental health needs – including maintaining daily balance and wellness, reducing stress, and reinforcing concepts related to treatment.

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Apps for Lowering Stress and Promoting Mindfulness and Wellness

Breathe2Relax

Created by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, this app teaches users how to do diaphragmatic breathing. Its features include educational videos on the stress response, logs to record stress levels, and customizable guided breathing sessions. (Free; iOS and Android)

Breathwrk

Breathwrk is your pocket-sized breathing coach, designed to help you calm down, energize, sleep, focus, and perform—fast. It offers over 50+ science-backed breathing exercises and guided classes, with customizable visuals, music, haptics, and voice coaching. Whether you're gearing up for peak performance or winding down at night, sessions can be as short as 60 seconds. (7 day free trial then $12/month or $69/year; iOS and Android)

Calm

Named by Apple as the 2017 iPhone App of the Year, Calm is quickly becoming regarded as one of the best mental health apps available. Calm provides people experiencing stress and anxiety with guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, and relaxing music. This app is truly universal; whether you’ve never tried meditation before or regularly practice, you’ll find the perfect program for you. (The initial 7 Days of Calm, unguided sessions, some guided sessions and tracking features has no cost. A subscription which provides access to the entire Calm catalog costs $14.99/month, $69.99/year and $299.99 for a lifetime. There is also a family subscription plan available for $99.99/month; iOS and Android)

Finch

Finch is a self‑care “pet” app that turns daily wellbeing into a playful, rewarding experience. You hatch and care for a virtual bird by setting personalized goals—like mood check‑ins, journaling, breathe‑outs, mini quizzes, gratitude reflections, even hydration or hygiene tasks—and each win earns “energy” and rewards like outfits or accessories for your Finch. It's gamified mindful care: complete your check‑ins and watch your Finch go on adventures, grow, and share sweet stories. (Free; iOS and Android)

Happify

This app offers an array of engaging games and activity suggestions to promote gratitude and positive mood. It was designed with input from 18 psychologists. The website also links to bonus “feel good” videos that are sure to make you smile. (Free trial, or $14.99/month, $139.99/year, and $449.99 for lifetime use; iOS and Android)

Happier

Happier is an app that works to keep users optimistic by introducing them to a community of like-minded people, and giving them a place to journal thoughts and feelings. This app can also sync with the Apple Watch. (Free for limited version, $99.99/year for premium subscription; iOS and Android)

Headspace

Headspace is a holistic mental health app and platform that empowers you to build sustainable well‑being habits through science-backed mindfulness, meditation, sleep, and movement tools—plus access to coaching, therapy, and psychiatry if needed. Rooted in a mission to make mental health accessible to everyone, Headspace supports users wherever they are—helping manage stress, improve sleep, and boost resilience with a friendly, trusted guide in your pocket. ($12.99/month (with 7 days free) or $69.99/year (with 14 days free); iOS and Android)

iSleep Easy

The iSleep Easy app contains a wide variety of guided meditations to help you fall asleep and sleep deeply. You can listen to the meditations with or without several choices of music or nature sounds. In addition, you can create your own sleep program using a Playlist feature which allows you to listen to up to six meditations in one session, choosing which music or nature sound you'd like in the background and how long they will continue after the voice guidance stops. If you prefer to listen to music or nature sounds alone, a Sound Mix feature allows you to listen to a combination of music plus a nature sound, or two nature sounds together. (Free for Lite version, $3.99 iOS; $1.99 Android)

Insight Timer

Insight Timer is one of the most popular free meditation apps out there, and it’s easy to see why. The app features more than 4,000 guided meditations from over 1,000 teachers—on topics like self-compassion, nature, and stress—plus talks and podcasts. If you prefer a quieter meditation, you can always set a timer and meditate to intermittent bells or calming ambient noise. (Free; iOS and Android)

Meditation Rx

Find relief from the stress of serious illness with the Meditation Rx app. Whether you are ill or are supporting a loved one through an illness, you will find guided meditations especially designed to suit your needs. The app helps you to deal with the stresses of being ill, being in a medical setting, undergoing difficult procedures, hearing bad news and more. (Free; iOS and Android)

Relax and Rest

Enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation without prior experience. Now upgraded to include all the features of the original popular iPhone version. Three meditations of varying lengths allow you to relax deeply regardless of how much time you have available to meditate. Written Meditation Tips help support your experience with the guided meditations. ($1.99 iOS; $1.99 Android)

Simply Being

Enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation without prior experience. Simply Being has been developed by Richard and Mary Maddux, creators of the popular Meditation Oasis podcast. It allows you to choose from 4 meditation times and gives you to option to listen with or without music/nature sounds. You can also listen to the music or nature sounds alone. ($1.99 iOS; $1.99 Android)

Super Better

SuperBetter can help increase resilience - the ability to stay strong, motivated and optimistic even in the face of difficult obstacles. Playing SuperBetter can encourage users to get through tough situations. The apps’ goal is to help people achieve the goals that matter most to them. Available in both mobile and online versions. (Free; iOS and Android)

Take a Break

You can enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation now without prior experience. Take a Break has been developed by Richard and Mary Maddux, creators of the popular Meditation Oasis podcast. Featuring two popular meditations from the podcast, the app gives you the option to listen with or without music. (Free; iOS)

Walking Meditations

The Meditation Oasis® Learn to Meditate app is designed to make learning meditation easy and enjoyable. You will be able to meditate along with the guided meditations from day one, and you will have all the support your need to address any questions or challenges you may have along the way. By the end of the five weeks, you will have everything you need to continue meditating on your own. This meditation style does not require concentration or mastering complicated instructions. You will simply be tapping into a natural ability already within you. ($1.99 iOS)

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Apps for Specific Mental Health Concerns

ACT Coach

Good for: Anxiety, depression.
ACT Coach teaches users how to tolerate negative thoughts and feelings by virtually guiding them through awareness exercises and giving tips on how to ditch self-doubt. With an extra focus on mindfulness, this app also provides a log to track progress. (Free; iOS and Android)

At Ease

Good for: Anxiety
This application contains a unique approach to relieving anxiety and worry which combines voice-guided breathing meditations, exercises and journaling. At Ease is intended to make deep and lasting change rather than applying a temporary “band aid”. Most people will experience immediate relief using the guided breathing meditations, but the long term benefit of At Ease will come from using the breathing meditations, exercises and journaling regularly over time. ($2.99 iOS; $2.99 Android)

Bearable

Good for: Anxiety,OCD, Depression, Mood Disorders, PTSD, ADHD, Chronic Health Conditions.
 Bearable is your all-in-one mood and symptom tracker—designed to help you understand what affects your mental and physical health. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, chronic pain, migraines, depression, ADHD, or general wellbeing, Bearable brings everything into one spot: moods, sleep, energy, symptoms, medications, habits, gratitude, even menstrual cycles. (Free version or $34.99/year; iOS and Android)

BrainWave Tuner

Good for: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Insomnia, Chronic Pain.
This app offers a unique approach to managing mood. The BrainWave Tuner uses audible brainwave frequencies to help people manage their moods, pain, stress, and more. The app is based on similar technology as Electroencephalography, or EEG, which is routinely used in health care settings to measure neuronal activity in the brain. The app offers programs designed for meditation, destressing, focusing attention, and inducing sleep. There are also ambient sounds that can be played in the background, making it useful for general relaxation. ($4.99; iOS and Android)

DBT Diary Card and Skills Coach

Good for: Bipolar Disorder, Suicidality, Self-Injury, Emotion Regulation.
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a type of therapy that is used to treat a variety of mental health disorders. This app uses the principles of DBT, with a skills coach and a behavior tracker that work in conjunction to help users slow down, analyze thoughts and feelings, and apply what has been learned for better moods and outcomes. ($4.99 iOS)

Depression CBT Self-Help Guide

Good for: Depression.
This app allows users to monitor dips in mood, learn about clinical depression and treatments, try guided relaxation techniques, and learn strategies to challenge negative thinking. (Free Android)

iMoodJournal

Good for: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Insomnia, Medication Management.
Alerts remind users to check in and choose from a colorful scale of mood labels. There are also hashtags to help organize thoughts and triggers. Users can visualize hashtags on a chart to identify any correlations between how they feel and sleep patterns, medications, or other identifiers. The app can also link to Facebook for those who want to check in with friends and family. ($2.99; iOS and Android)

Mightier

Good for: Children ages 6-14 who have difficulty self-regulating and controlling their emotions.
Mightier uses the power of video games to help kids 6-14 build emotional strength and resilience. Mightier helps kids who have a tough time with tantrums, feelings of frustration, anxiety, or even a diagnosis like ADHD learn to manage their emotions. (2 week free trial, then choose from $28/month for the year, $34/month for 6 months, $40/month for monthly; iOS and Android)

MindShift

Good for: Anxiety, OCD, Pain.
This is a straightforward stress management tool that helps users re-think about what’s stressing them out through a variety of on-screen prompts. At the same time, the app encourages new ways to take charge of anxiety and tune into body signals. (Free; iOS and Android)

Moodtrack Private Diary

Good for: Bipolar Disorder, Depression.
The Moodtrack Diary app is designed to help users get a handle on mood swings, or at least learn how to better predict and manage them. There is a graphing feature that allows users to view moods over time and may help identify trends and cycles. ($0.99 iOS)

nOCD

Good for: OCD.
Designed with the help of OCD specialists and patients to incorporate two treatments: mindfulness and Exposure Response Prevention Treatment. You can receive immediate, clinically-supported guidance when an OCD episode strikes, take weekly tests to assess the severity of your OCD and have motivational support along the way. (Free; iOS and Android)

Recovery Record

Good for: Eating disorders including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder.
Recovery Record helps you chart your progress and check in with your mood throughout the recovery process. The food logging system is easy and discrete and you can connect the app to your dietician or therapist. (Free; iOS and Android)

T2 Mood Tracker

Good for: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and Brain Injury.
The T2 Mood Tracker, created by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, allows users to rate their moods by sliding a bar to the right or left, and add notes about medications and treatments. (Free Android)

Operation Reach Out

Good for: Depression, Suicidality.
This mood tracker and resource locator was designed by Emory University researchers to aid in suicide prevention. Users create a personal profile that includes emergency contact information, current medications, safety plans, and reminders for appointments or medications. Plus, the app uses GPS to locate mental health care services nearby, should any user enter crisis mode. (Free iOS)

PTSD Coach

Good for: Anxiety, Trauma.
Available as an app or on the Web, PTSD Coach lets users select the specific issue they want to deal with (from anxiety and anger to insomnia and alienation), and then gives them guidance on how to lift their mood, shift their mindset, and reduce stress. (Free; iOS and Android)

QuitNow! Pro

Good for: Substance use disorder (smoking).
This app is a tracker for users’ smoking habits. Users can monitoring cravings over time, the places they puff the most, the triggers that lead them to light up, and the money saved by resisting a cigarette, this comprehensive app can help individuals develop better control over this habit. ($23.99 iOS; $25.99 Android)

SAM

Good for: Anxiety, OCD.
SAM’s approach is to monitor anxious thoughts, track behavior over time, and use guided self-help exercises to discourage stress. The app also offers a “Social Cloud” feature that allows users to confidentially share their progress with an online community for added support. (Free; iOS and Android)

Step Away

Good for: Alcohol use disorder.
A study funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that this pro-sobriety app helped reduce heavy drinking among users by 60 percent. Step Away offers tips on maintaining sobriety, encouragement, strategies to avoid drinking during stressful times, and a place to add drinking triggers. (Free; iOS and Android)

Stop Drinking with AJ

Good for: Alcohol use disorder.
Relying on the powers of relaxation, visualization, and positive suggestions, this pro-sobriety app has the goal of calming users’ mind and getting it to a less stressed place—where they’ll be less likely to crave a drink. There is a reminder feature that gives periodic chimes to prompt users to breathe and focus on the good throughout the day. ($2.99 iOS; $2.49 Android)

Virtual Hope Box

Good for: Depression, Suicidality.
The Virtual Hope Box (VHB) is designed as an add-on to psychotherapy. VHB provides individualized coping skills, relaxation skills, distraction techniques, and ways to create more positive thoughts. The app includes video, audio, images, inspirational quotes, coping strategies, mindfulness techniques, and more. (Free; iOS and Android)

Worry Watch

Good for: Anxiety, OCD.
The idea behind Worry Watch is to enable users to track what kick starts their anxiety, note trends in their feelings, observe when the outcomes were harmless, and keep tabs on insights to stop future rumination and anxiety. Worry Watch is password protected. (Free; iOS)

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References:

Owens, H. O. (2025, May 6). The best mental health apps, according to a therapist. Verywell Mind. www.verywellmind.com/best-mental-health-apps-4692902 

K Schreiber (2015, April 13). 81 Awesome mental health resources when you can’t afford a therapist [Web log post]. Retrieved from greatist.com/grow/resources-when-you-can-not-afford-therapy

E Renter (2016, June 20). The best bipolar disorder apps of 2016 [Web log post]. Retrieved from www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/top-iphone-android-apps#2