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Anxiety is an extremely common but nonetheless very disruptive experience. Having anxiety can mean sleepless nights, missed opportunities, feeling sick, and panic attacks that can keep you from feeling like your full self.

If you are looking for an app to help you cope with anxiety, this article can help you. It is a great compliment to therapy with a professional if you have the tools to confront or embrace your anxious thoughts and feelings. It can give a sense of empowerment.

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. For many people, it can manifest in a number of ways, like:

  • The heart rate went up.
  • rapid breathing
  • It is restless.
  • Problems concentrating
  • Difficult falling asleep.

If you are taking a test or starting a new job, you may feel anxious. When anxiety affects your day-to-day for a long time, it can become extreme.

If you have an anxiety disorder, you may feel fear, anxiety, panic, or worry at any time. You may not be able to do things you enjoy if you have anxiety disorders.

Some of the most common anxiety disorders are.

  • Panic disorder. This is when you experience recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may constantly fear the next panic attack.
  • Phobia. A phobia is a fear of a specific object, activity, or circumstance.
  • Social anxiety disorder. With this disorder, you may have an extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations.
  • Separation anxiety disorder. This involves the fear of being away from home or loved ones.
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). You may worry uncontrollably about common occurrences and situations with GAD. It’s also known as chronic anxiety neurosis.

Anxiety disorders are the most common form of emotional disorder and can affect anyone at any age. If you have anxiety, you can get help from a mental health professional who can help you identify the routes of your anxiety and how to manage it.

Customer ratings were used to pick the best anxiety apps. We considered features and price when creating this list.

Pricing guide

  • $ = under $9 per month
  • $$ = $9–$13 per month
  • $$$ = over $13 per month

A note on price

Most of the apps mentioned in this article require a monthly or yearly subscription to use features, but they are free to download.

Best anxiety app for meditation

Calm

  • Who it’s best for: anyone who wants to add mindfulness to their day
  • iPhone rating: 4.8 stars
  • Android rating: 4.3 stars
  • Price: $$$

Sleep is important for managing stress, but it’s also one of the first things to become an issue when you’re feeling anxious. Sleep, meditation, and relaxation are in your hands with Calm, a popular mindfulness app. These guided meditations are good for complete novices and seasoned practitioners, and you have your pick when it comes to how long you can dedicate to the app each day.

A mood check-in feature in Calm tracks your mood throughout the day and gives you a personalized report of your moods. The app has a limited amount of guided exercises and meditative audio that can be used to relieve stress.

Nature sounds and sleep stories are available to access, but a subscription is required to access them. You can use the free trial to see if the subscription is worth it.

Pros

  • amazing breathing techniques
  • Background sounds can be used in many situations.
  • New content is regular.

Cons

  • It is not accessible for visually-impaired users.
  • There is little diversity in narration.
Download Calm

Best anxiety app for adult coloring

Colorfy

  • Who it’s best for: people who find relaxation in being creative
  • iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
  • Android rating: 3.8 stars
  • Price: $$

Colorfy is an adult coloring book brought into the digital realm. With a selection of images and mandalas to choose from, or the option to upload your own sketches to color, you can spend hours in a flow state or focused meditation through this app.

A 2020 study showed that adult coloring helped lower anxiety levels in participants, so pouring your attention into the beautiful designs may help distract from your anxious thoughts and provide some calm.

Colorfy offers a lot of their images for free, but you have to pay a subscription in order to get access to the full library. You can try it out for free before you buy the subscription.

Pros

  • “It’s a fun and calming way to pass time.”
  • There are many awesome pictures to choose from.
  • lots of ways to customize & personalize pictures

Cons

  • There are limited options in a free trial.
  • The menu is missing in the version of the phone that is missing.
Download Colorfy

Best for mood tracking

What’s Up? A Mental Health App

  • Who it’s best for: people who want an easy way to track their thoughts and feelings
  • iPhone rating: 4.4 stars
  • Android rating: 3.9 stars
  • Price: $

“The techniques used in What’s Up? are based on the principles of Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The app has a diary that you can use to record your moods and habits, and a Feelings tracker that will help you to better understand your feelings.”

It has a positive and negative habit tracker, where you can set goals to practice healthy habits.

“If you are experiencing feelings of panic, What’s Up? has a game that helps you return to the present.”

Pros

  • A useful way to help with anxiety.
  • discreet & easy to use
  • Great strategies for breaking negative cycles.

Cons

  • The open forums can be very boring.
  • It is not accessible to young children and visually-impaired users.
Download What’s Up? A Mental Health App

Best anxiety app for sleep

Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep

  • Who it’s best for: people who who have difficulty sleeping
  • Android rating: 4.4 stars
  • Price: $

Racing thoughts and ruminations are hallmarks of anxiety, but you can slow down, breathe deeply, and clear your thoughts with the gentle sounds and sights of nature in this app.

There is something for everyone from thunder and rain to crackling fires and bird sounds. If you want to start your day with a soothing sound, set the app timer to listen while you sleep or set one of the tracks as your morning alarm.

A 2019 review suggests that listening to nature sounds can help reduce stress, so this app may be an easy way to lower your anxiety.

The features on this app are free. You can get more sounds with one-time purchases.

Pros

  • “helps people get a good night’s rest.”
  • There are a variety of sounds.
  • To use is simple.

Cons

  • Some users had technical issues.
  • Premium plan comes with timer.
Download Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep

Best meditation app for People of Color

Shine

  • Who it’s best for: people who are looking for a community
  • iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
  • Android rating: 4.6 stars
  • Price: $$$

Depending on your cultural background, the way you experience and express anxiety can be different. The Women of Color designed the Shine app to address the specific concerns of their communities. The app offers a lot of resources to help you manage your anxiety, such as meditation practices, podcasts, and community forums.

Shine requires a subscription to use most of the features, but it does give daily mood- boosting audio recordings and gratitude check-ins without a subscription. You can use a 7-day free trial before purchasing a subscription.

Pros

  • thoughtfully and intentionally.
  • A relevant, personal experience is delivered.
  • “It’s great for connecting with others.”

Cons

  • lacks meditations of different lengths
  • “Can’t save readings.”
Download Shine

Best anxiety app for breathing techniques

Breathwrk

  • Who it’s best for: people who want to learn about breathing exercises
  • iPhone rating: 4.8 stars
  • Price: $

If you have anxiety, you’ve probably tried a breathing exercise or two to help calm yourself. The Breathwrk app takes the science of breathing exercises even further by curating a collection of breathing exercises based on your goal: falling asleep, feeling relaxed, feeling energized, or alleviating stress.

The app can send you daily reminders to do the exercises, and it walks you through how to do them.

Most breathing exercises are free. With a small monthly fee, you can gain access to more exercises and have unlimited access to track your breathing habits all month long. Breathwrk has the most cost-friendly subscription on the list and offers a 7-day trial before you sign up.

Pros

  • Excellent breathing exercises.
  • ideal for all ages
  • scholarships to offset the cost of pro plan

Cons

  • “Some breathwork doesn’t sync.”
  • scholarships are available
Download Breathwrk

Best anxiety app game

AntiStress Anxiety Relief Game

  • Who it’s best for: people who fidget and love games
  • iPhone rating: 4.5 stars
  • Android rating: 4.1 stars
  • Price: $

You know those little gadgets and tools on the fidget cubes to keep you focused? The AntiStress app is a full of fun things.

This app is great for taking your mind off what is making you anxious, and it has many games that are mindless. The best part? This app is free.

Pros

  • There are different games.
  • No win-or-loss games.
  • “It’s easy to spend time with yourself.”

Cons

  • meditations are a bit misleading & closer to breathing exercises
  • Graphics are not as good.
Download AntiStress Anxiety Relief Game

Best anxiety app for journaling

Moodnotes

  • Who it’s best for: people who want to learn techniques between therapy appointments
  • iPhone rating: 4.7 stars
  • Price: $$

Moodnotes lets you document your entire experience with anxiety in all of its forms. Built on CBT techniques and positive psychology, this app lets you understand and manage the entire experience of anxiety.

Moodnotes has a lot of techniques to help you manage your anxiety. You can take a picture of your face, write down your thoughts at the moment you start feeling anxious, or read educational materials that will help you get out of the cycle of thinking traps.

A 7-day free trial is available for Moodnotes, but it requires a subscription to use most of the features.

Pros

  • It helps to easily detect patterns.
  • It can help to change negative patterns when used consistently.
  • It is an ideal complement or alternative to therapy.

Cons

  • It is easy to not add detail to moods.
  • The user experience could be better.
Download Moodnotes

Best for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

MindShift CBT

  • Who it’s best for: people who feel like they’re stuck in negative thought patterns
  • iPhone rating: 4.3 stars
  • Price: $

A type of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying and reconstructing negative thought patterns. MindShift CBT is an app that provides daily mood check-ins, guided relaxation and meditation, and tips for dealing with general worry, social anxiety, and more for free, all for users of CBT.

There is a community board for people to interact with and support each other. The app has a 4.3-star rating from users who love MindShift.

Pros

  • very informative & helpful in managing anxiety
  • The interface is simple and user-friendly.
  • Space for goals and schedules was thought out.

Cons

  • lacks a social element
  • More medium besides text could benefit.
Download MindShift CBT

Anxiety apps Price Available devices What it’s best for Customer rating
Calm $$$ – iPhone
– Android 		any range of meditation experience – iPhone: 4.8 stars
– Android: 4.3
Colorfy $$ – iPhone
– Android		 creative types – iPhone: 4.7 stars
– Android: 3.8 stars
What’s Up? A Mental Health App $ – iPhone
– Android 		people needing an easy way to track thoughts and feelings – iPhone: 4.4 stars
– Android: 3.8 stars
Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep $ Android people who have difficulty sleeping Android: 4.4 stars
Shine $$$ – iPhone
– Android		 people looking for shared community – iPhone: 4.7 stars
– Android: 4.6 stars
Breathwrk $ iPhone people who have difficulty breathing easily – iPhone: 4.8 stars
AntiStress Anxiety Relief Game $ – iPhone
– Android		 people who fidget and love games – iPhone: 4.5 stars
– Android: 4.1 stars
Moodnotes $$ iPhone people who might benefit from virtual therapy iPhone: 4.7 stars
MindShift CBT $ iPhone people stuck in negative thought patterns iPhone: 4.3 stars

It can be difficult to know which mental health app is the best for you. The truth is that people will benefit from each app differently, so trial and error is the best way to know what is right for you. A free trial period or low cost plan is what most apps come with.

When shopping around, think about what you want out of the app experience, such as guided meditation, relaxation techniques, or an engaging, intuitive way to record thoughts and feelings. This can help you decide which app is best for you.

If you are experiencing symptoms, talk to a doctor.

  • Irritability or sadness is ongoing.
  • Mood swings are very extreme.
  • Social withdrawal.
  • Eating or sleeping habits change.
  • anxiety prevents you from living your life
  • panic attacks or anxiety attacks.

Mental health professionals are trained to help you. It is important to remember that using an app is not a substitute for seeing a mental health professional or taking medication.

How effective are apps for anxiety?

Depending on how often you use your apps of choice, they can be highly effective in helping to lower feelings of anxiety, stress, and panic. Many of these apps use evidence-based techniques of mindfulness and grounding. According to a 2012 review, these techniques have been found to calm the sympathetic nervous system, effectively reducing stress and creating a more relaxed body.

“Mental health professionals don’t replace anxiety apps. They are mainly designed to be a distraction in times of panic or therapy appointments.”

What are the benefits of apps for anxiety?

There are apps for anxiety.

  • convenient.
  • “It’s mostly free or low cost.”
  • “If you have a phone, it’s accessible.”

They can help with moods and provide healthy mechanisms.

Is there anyone who shouldn’t use apps for anxiety?

Anyone who is living with a serious mental health condition or addiction or feeling suicidal should, first and foremost, consult with their doctor or healthcare professional. In an emergency, contact a crisis hotline, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, or 911.

Mental health apps are not meant to diagnose a condition or take the place of a mental health professional.

Many of the anxiety apps on the market aim to help ease anxiety in a number of different ways. Pick the app that works best for you.

“Some of these apps may not work for you, so it is important to keep that in mind. If you find that an app isn’t successful, try a different one.”

It is important to note that the apps listed here are not meant to replace mental health sessions with trained mental health professionals.

If you find that you need more mental health support, you should schedule an appointment with a trained professional.