Please see this post written by licensed counselor and mental health author Tanya Kravchuk.

Here’s my hot take: self-help apps are actually one of the easiest entrance points to self-care and healthier coping habits.

I know that there are mixed feelings about apps for self-help (and rightfully so), but I just believe that they’re unavoidable. As of 2025, 58% of phone users already used some form of mental health apps [1]. With the rising costs of mental health services and phone usage, the hybrid model of digital/face-to-face therapy might prevail in the future.

I use many of those same self-management tools in my own life. Self-care apps have made it easier to check in with my emotions, and maybe they’ll do the same for you.

*I’ve chosen to write anonymously because a) I’m not risking my clients’ personal info; b) I prefer to keep my name private due to digital safety.

3 self-improvement apps to try

This isn’t a definitive ranking of the “best” self-care apps, nor is it a “therapist’s recommendation.” It’s a list of tools that I’ve personally found useful. I know for a fact that what works for one person may not work for another because I’ve seen it among my clients.

So, take these self-help apps with a pinch of salt and be open-minded about what works for you and when it’s time to move on.

1. Breeze Wellbeing

One promising app I don’t see on lists about best self-help apps is Breeze Wellbeing. Let me just say it’s severely underrated. The Breeze Wellbeing (or Breeze Self-Discovery) is an app that aims to boost self-awareness and, through it, build healthier habits.

This app is a real catch for those who are just starting their self-care journey or looking to boost self-awareness. Why? When you visit Breeze Wellbeing, it’s a playground of mental health features: a mood tracker, journaling, fun quizzes, mindfulness exercises, and a community. I believe this is a great place to experiment with what you like and what works for you, and then explore it in more depth.

In my personal life, I use the Breeze Wellbeing app to track my emotions or write down my feelings, something that happens when I don’t have my diary on me. Sometimes, I use these notes to reflect more deeply about my days or in my personal therapy sessions.

I’m not the only one who finds the Breeze app useful. With 14+ million downloads, it has an average rating of 4.6/5 across platforms.

Keep in mind that, like every app on this list, Breeze isn’t designed to diagnose or treat mental health conditions.

2. Medito: mindfulness meditation

I like to recommend some mindfulness-based exercises to some of my clients because they can be extremely useful. Besides my personal and professional experience, studies confirm it as well. For instance, this study found that just 10 minutes of meditation a day over the course of 30 days decreased depression signs by 19% and anxiety by 12% [2].

Medito is one of the most accessible meditation apps I’ve come across. Unlike paid meditation app monopolizers, Medito is completely free of charge (!) and that’s with a library of 1,000 meditations for different purposes.

Medito was developed by a non-profit foundation that partners with global universities to make meditations more accessible.

Of course, mindfulness-based interventions might not work for everyone, but that’s why Medito is my personal favorite. Because it’s free, it doesn’t pressure you into “making use of your money.” You can simply download it, try it when you feel like it, and delete it if you see it’s not for you, or continue using it happily.

3. Forest

If only I had a dime for every client who says they have a short attention span… The average attention span has declined from 150 to 40 seconds in just 20 years! [3] I’m affected as well: I have to consciously make efforts to put my phone aside and feel nervous when I can’t scroll in my free time.

The Forest app is what helps trick my brain into focusing longer without me having to put in too much effort. For the most part, Forest is just an ordinary Pomodoro timer, but with one creative concept: when you start a focus session, you plant a digital tree. If you leave the app to scroll social media, the tree dies.

Such a gamified approach also works because you can track visual progress while watching as the tree grows. By successfully completing focus sessions, users earn in-app currency that they can use to unlock new trees and customize the app or… plant real trees.

Yes, the Forest app actually cooperates with Trees for the Future, an organization that, well, plants trees but also teaches sustainable agriculture. Together with the Forest app, they planted over 2 million trees! [4]

How I choose self-care apps

It’s not news that not every self-help app can actually help. I’m on the side that is pro-apps as long as they don’t harm the users.

But it’s still worth being “picky” about what you invest your emotional energy and money in. Here are the criteria I use when deciding whether a self-care app is genuinely worth my time.

• It uses evidence-based techniques.

I look for apps built around approaches that have been studied in psychology. The most commonly used are mindfulness, journaling, mood tracking, breathing exercises, and cognitive behavioral techniques.

• It doesn’t trigger productivity guilt.

Self-care is all about feeling good about yourself. When something starts to feel like a metric or a to-do list task, that’s when I draw the line. For some people, reminders and streaks can encourage consistency, but if they make you feel like you’ve failed if you miss a day, this is a red flag.

• It respects your privacy.

Self-management tools do collect deeply personal information like your emotions, journal entries, and contact data. Before sharing that kind of data, I check (at least briefly) the app’s privacy policy.

• It doesn’t promise to diagnose or treat users.

Healthy self-improvement apps know their limits. They can help you reflect, build routines, etc., but they can’t claim to replace therapy or diagnose mental health conditions. This is a huge red flag that they might manipulate you into thinking there’s something wrong with you and, as a result, that you should use their app.

Busting common myths about free self-care apps

• Self-management tools will do the work for you.

Of course, this is false. You still need to invest time and effort, not just money, especially in the beginning, to have lasting change. What you learn from the self-help app should also be practiced in real life, and sometimes it means failures, but that’s when most learning happens.

• Self-help apps are for personal use only.

Yes, they are, but their insights can support therapy too. I personally love when clients come to the sessions with their mood logs and journal notes because we get to the point almost immediately. However, consult your therapist/counselor first, as they may have different opinions.

• It doesn’t matter how the app looks as long as it’s efficient.

False, looks do matter. Efficiency is good; we love efficiency. However, if you don’t enjoy using an app for self-care, you’ll be more likely just to quit it. Choose the app that feels like you and is easy on your eyes.

• Free apps don’t work.

False. Free apps, free features, and free versions are often more than enough to feel meaningful differences. Let’s take Breeze Wellbeing, for example. It has a paid version that unlocks access to more quizzes, guides, and personalized features, but most of the things that you need for self-care, like a journaling tool, mood tracker, and breathing exercises, are available for free.

FAQs about the best self-help apps

Which wellness apps include mindfulness programs?

In the article, I wrote about Medito, which offers a free library of 1,000 meditations, and Breeze Wellbeing, which offers free, relaxing, mindfulness-based games. Currently, there are two giants of meditation apps: Headspace and Calm. You can try those or give less-popular, often cheaper apps a go: HappierMe, Lumosity, and Insight Timer (also free).

Will self-help apps change my life?

No. At least, not on their own. Self-help apps are tools. Change depends on a person. With apps, it’s easier to build healthier habits and practice useful skills, but lasting change depends on how consistently you apply what you learn in everyday life.

Are there pitfalls to using self-care apps?

Yes. Some apps aren’t evidence-based, use fraud, trigger productivity guilt, or wrongly label/treat users. Because of a lack of education about self-care apps, some users may also spend more time tracking their well-being than actually caring for it. Choose apps that support your goals and listen to your inner gut: “Is there pressure? Does it feel like too much?”

Sources (Accessed June 2026)

1. Mental Health Apps Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type (Mental Disorder Apps, Substance-Use Disorder Apps, Co-Occurring Disorder Apps, Others), By Application (Android, iOS), Regional Insights and Forecast to 2035. Industry Research, June 2026. Accessed via: https://www.industryresearch.biz/market-reports/mental-health-apps-market-112022
2. Mindfulness improves psychological health and supports health behaviour cognitions: Evidence from a pragmatic RCT of a digital mindfulness-based intervention. British Journal of Health Psychology. August 2024. Accessed via: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjhp.12745
3. Speaking of Psychology: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD. American Psychological Association. February 2023. Accessed via: https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans
4. About Forest App. Trees for the future. 2026. Accessed via: https://trees.org/sponsor/forest-app/