According to Mental Health America, nearly 50 million Americans are living with mental illness. Yet, of those 50 million, more than half have not received formal treatment.
The company also reported that 29.67% of adults with mental health concerns haven’t sought treatment because of the cost. This is likely because roughly 31 million Americans currently don’t have health coverage. Furthermore, as anyone uninsured knows, the high out-of-pocket fee for visiting a therapist in person can be upwards of $250 per hour.
So in a world where mental health concerns—and their costs—are at an all-time high, do mental health apps hold the solution?
Mental health apps have been an accessible option for some users for years. Their efficacy for reducing anxiety, depression, and other concerns has proven as strong as traditional therapy. Additionally, they allow users to address their issues more privately and conveniently.
But do all self-help apps work? And do they address the same concerns? By learning about the different self-help apps available, you can find the app that will suit your needs best. This is the first step towards self-improvement.
Continue reading to learn how to reconnect with your highest self with our review of this year’s best mental health apps according to type, design, cost, and features. We’ll examine:
- The 10 best mental health apps
- Frequently asked questions
- How to conquer burnout and stress with self-help apps
The 10 Best Mental Health Apps to Explore
What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.
glenn close
Fortunately, there’s a mobile app for almost every concern. Whether you struggle with anxiety, OCD, negative thoughts, stress, or disordered eating, our digital era has made access to mental health care and resources more abundant than ever. But not all apps are created equally. Here are ten of the most highly effective apps to consider integrating into your routine so you can feel your best.
1. Calm
Beginner and Advanced Meditation and Sleep
Rated the #1 app for improved sleep and meditation practice, millions of people use Calm daily to reduce stress, improve anxiety, and get better sleep. With the app’s beautiful design and imagery, engaging content (like celebrity-narrated sleep stories), and program versatility (music, soundscapes, ASMR, and meditations), the Calm app is for anyone looking for a daily escape into a luxurious state of relaxation.
Cost: $14.99/month, $69.99/year, or $399.99/lifetime
Highlights: #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. Offers sleep stories, guided meditations, and breathing programs of various types and lengths. Easy to use.
Cons: Requires a subscription to access most content; more costly than other similar meditation apps.
2. Headspace
Everyday Mindfulness and Meditation for Beginners
Positivity, centeredness, and focus can increase exponentially simply by practicing mindfulness for a few minutes each day. Headspace offers dozens of guided daily meditations for those new to mindfulness practice. The app varies from morning meditations to work and afternoon meditations to sleep meditations. Additionally, another perk is Headspace’s user-friendly design that makes learning to disconnect from external stimuli and reconnecting with one’s self simple and enjoyable.
Cost: $12.99/month or $69.99/year
Highlights: Dozens of daily meditation and mindfulness exercises available; easy 3-minute mini-meditations available for quick resets; new topics released daily. Great for beginner meditators.
Cons: Programs can potentially feel repetitive or unchallenging, especially if done every day.
3. iBreathe
Guided Breathing Exercises for Beginners
Breathing exercises are tremendously effective in invoking our state of relaxation and reducing cortisol levels. To support this positive habit, the iBreathe app guides users through deep breathing exercises to help with stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Unlike other apps, iBreathe focuses on simplicity. Its clean and clutter-free interface makes navigation easy. It also elicits a sense of relaxation in and of itself.
Cost: $0
Highlights: Simple, clutter-free app design with customizable breathing intervals, Apple Health integration, and pre-defined presets to help target stress and anxiety.
Cons: Limited content.
4. Moodfit
General Mental Fitness and Resilience-Building
Just like our bodies need exercise and fitness, so do our minds. Moodfit understands this and integrates tools and resources proven to boost mood, increase resilience, and accomplish goals. Features include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) tools, a mood journal, a gratitude journal, and mindfulness exercises. Offering a well-rounded suite of programs to exercise every part of your mental health, Moodfit is great for battling general emotional exhaustion or strengthening mental fitness each day.
Cost: $0
Highlights: Can set personalized daily goals; create daily mood-boosting habits; can use as a daily mood or gratitude journal to rewire thought patterns; includes mental health assessments to measure progress.
Cons: Relies on self-diagnosing; usage to get the most from it may be time-consuming.
5. CBT Thought Diary
CBT Mood Tracker and Therapy Journal
How we see the world and the thought patterns that we default to play a big role in how we feel. The CBT Thought Diary app is a mental health tracker that allows users to record their daily thoughts, feelings, and moods. Doing so helps users identify areas of negativity and patterns of destructive thought. The app encourages users to rethink these thoughts and make small positive changes to overcome them.
Cost: $0
Highlights: Cognitive-behavioral therapy-based programming; scientific approach to journaling; mood tracking and analysis.
Cons: Minor technical bugs; have to upgrade to a paid account to access more premium content and features.
6. BetterHelp
Digital Counseling With a Real Therapist
BetterHelp is an excellent app for anyone wanting to talk to an actual therapist from the comfort of their own device. The app employs thousands of licensed therapists nationwide who then match with users based on their specific needs. Although only slightly more affordable than seeing a therapist in person, BetterHelp offers one of the best options for mental health treatment for those seeking more than pre-recorded app content.
Cost: $240-$600, billed every four weeks
Highlights: Therapy sessions are with a real person and can be done via audio, video, or messaging. Users can also send unlimited messages to their therapist outside of sessions.
Cons: Higher cost, no free trial, and session lengths and fees vary by therapist.
7. Talkspace
Psychiatry-Based Therapy Sessions
Similar to BetterHelp, Talkspace connects users with real mental health professionals. Where BetterHelp is a bit more general, Talkspace offers more focused therapy options, like psychiatry, couples therapy, teen therapy, and more. This mental health app even partners with some health insurance providers, making plans and sessions more affordable for carriers.
Cost: Plans start at $65 per week
Highlights: Covered by some health insurance plans; get matched with a therapist in your state; users can send unlimited text, video, and image messages to their therapist with a guarantee of one reply each day.
Cons: Costly and subscription-based.
8. Happify
Science-Based Games and Activities to Boost Mood
This mental health app uses evidence-based psychology tools and CBT to transform standard mental health exercises into games and activities that work. Users who interact with Happify learn to break old thought patterns, form new habits, strengthen relationships, and become happier. 86% of Happify users reported feeling happier after two months of consistent use.
Cost: $0 or $14.95/month for Happify Plus
Highlights: Science-based exercises backed by experts; easy to use; targets stress, career success, and self-confidence.
Cons: App institutes “deadlines” on some things; premium memberships are costly.
9. MoodKit
General Mood Improvement
Designed for users with depression, MoodKit offers expert psychology-based tools and resources for recording, tracking, and overcoming daily challenges. MoodKit works by providing a large suite of different, expert-backed exercises to help retrain thought and improve overall optimism. MoodKit is a great app for anyone looking for a one-stop-shop for self-improvement at an affordable price. The app has also received positive reviews from The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, making it popular among general audiences.
Cost: $4.99
Highlights: Includes a thought-checker, mood tracker, journaling templates, over 200 mood-boosting activities, programmatic guidance, and exportable note-taking features.
Cons: Some users report technical difficulties.
10. I Am – Daily Affirmations
Customized Daily Affirmation Notifications
Daily affirmations retrain your brain and grow self-confidence. With the I am – Daily Affirmations app, users receive positive affirmations and reminders to boost self-esteem. The app also provides time for mental resets and opportunities to stomp out negative thought patterns. Easy to use and with an uncomplicated design, this app acts as a great supplement to other mental health practices and habits.
Cost: $0, $2.99/month for premium services, or $19.99 for one year of premium services
Highlights: Daily affirmation notifications in different categories of your choosing to encourage positive thoughts and rewire the brain to think positively long-term.
Cons: Some users report technical difficulties with audio playback and appearance settings.
FAQ About Mental Health Apps
While all of these mental health apps look shiny and promising, are they effective? After all, a product is only as good as it works. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about them.
Are Mental Health Apps as Effective as Traditional Therapy?
The National Library of Medicine states that mental health apps work as an alternative to traditional therapy because they’re easy to use and access, integrate, and track success. The fact that we, as users, can receive helpful content and resources with the click of a button right on our cell phones and have our input professionally analyzed is game-changing. Research, of course, is still being done to determine the exact level of efficacy compared with in-person treatment. The current data that we have, however, shows that the design, functionality, and specialties of a mental health app can effectively manage and improve mental health by helping the user learn new supportive skills.
Who Benefits From Mental Health Apps?
Anybody feeling disconnected, burned out, isolated, or just not like themselves can benefit from using a mental health app. Depending on your specific areas of concern or what you’d like to improve, long and short-term benefits can result if used regularly and consistently. Mental health apps are designed for everyone anywhere, no matter your age, location, or background.
When Are Mental Health Apps Most Effective?
Using a mental health app once or twice a week likely won’t breed results. Checking in with an app each morning before work or throughout the day, however, can have a big impact on how you think and feel over time. Of course, we sometimes forget our habits or alter our routines, especially in the beginning. But mental health apps are most effective when used regularly and consistently and in conjunction with other supportive lifestyle habits.
Consistent use can be particularly effective for those feeling emotionally drained or trying to combat work burnout.
How Do I Know If I’m Making Progress With a Mental Health App?
Most mental health apps include a tracking or journaling component that allows you to record your progress. But for those that don’t, practicing journaling can be a highly effective way of determining if progress is being made.
Before starting a new habit, take time to reflect and journal about how you feel and how you’d like to improve. What are you looking to change? What is the ideal end result? Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, put your new habit to practice and keep a journal to record your journey. Are your moods and reactions changing over time? Do you feel a difference from what you wrote in your first journal entry? This will give you a way to look back on your path and see the progression.
Conquer Burnout and Stress to Improve Your Life
Life moves fast, and as anyone in a leadership role knows, if we’re not careful to slow down and catch our breath, we can become winded from life very quickly. For many, work burnout is a bad thing, but it can actually be a positive. Feeling burned out can be the indicator needed to finally provide yourself with the self-care, disconnection, and mental reset your mind is asking for. It’s in these moments that mental health apps can give us that breath of fresh air.
For more strategies on effectively managing work stress, continue with 8 Strategies for Handling Work Stress as a Leader.