Tried, Tested, and Expert-Approved: The 10 Best Apps for Anxiety

We tested this service and were impressed with its wide range of resources. We were specifically interested in exploring how Insight Timer could offer support for anxiety and sleep hygiene concerns. After using it for a month, we were pleased to notice our day-to-day stress levels had decreased and we were getting more sleep than ever. 

Signing up is super easy. The website states that the app costs $10 a month; however, we didn’t find a monthly subscription option when getting set up with the app. Despite this, the annual cost of $60 is a great value and comes out to just $5 per month, which is fantastic for all it brings. As soon as we logged into the app, we saw an inspirational quote. Below the quote were a range of emoticons, ranging from a sad face to a happy face. Turns out, this was a mood tracker. This is perfect for results-driven folks who want to see how their anxiety symptoms subside after using the app. 

Once logged into the app, there was a search function available where we were able to search specifically for resources for stress, anxiety, and sleep. From there, we were presented with a range of breathwork exercises, guided visualizations, bedtime stories, and educational talks. While we preferred the guided meditations and bedtime stories, the educational talks are perfect for those who are eager to learn about why their mind and body respond to anxiety in the way that they do. All in all, this app is the best for those who want to get the most bang for their buck and are interested in approaching their anxiety in a variety of ways. 

Insight Timer is $10 a month or $60 a year. We were unable to find the option for monthly payments, so we opted for the annual option. 

You can also opt for a free week-long trial. There is a free version of the app as well; however, you are extremely limited in how much of the app you are able to access.

There are many anxiety apps on the market, which can leave us both overwhelmed and jaded. When it came to trying out Headspace, we were aware it was one of the more popular platforms but were eager to learn what set it apart from others. We learned that it isn’t necessarily that Headspace offers resources that are significantly different from others on the market. It is that everything Headspace does offer is absolutely excellent. 

Let’s start with the sign-up process. It only took a few minutes and consisted of us inputting our name, email address, and password. From there, we were prompted to select whether we wanted a monthly or annual billing plan (we opted for the monthly). We were also pleasantly surprised to learn that students can get an annual Headspace subscription for just $10. Once we were all signed up, we could get started with a symptom tracker. This tracker worked by getting general information about how we were feeling. Two weeks later, we were prompted to fill out the tracker again and were pleasantly surprised to learn our anxiety levels had decreased.

There are various meditations to choose from. Some are guided, meaning a pre-recorded voice will walk you through the meditation, while others may use soothing music and visuals to induce calming effects. Additionally, there is a section dedicated to parenting that focuses on reducing work-related stress.

We love that this app is great for those who are short on time, too. You can get to meditating within just four minutes. Our only gripe with the app is that it may opt to share your information with third parties for advertising purposes. While we don’t love that, it is a pretty common practice. “There are always privacy concerns when using technology, especially technology that is based on you providing personal information (such as mood tracking),” explains subject matter expert Hannah Owens, LMSW. She suggests reading the privacy policies before signing up to make sure you’re on board with how your data may be used.

There are two different subscription plans. One costs $13 per month and comes with a one-week free trial. The other is $70 per year with a two-week free trial. If you’re a student, you’re in luck—an annual subscription costs just $10.

When it comes to focusing solely on meditation content for anxiety symptoms, the bar is high. We were interested in seeing expert-created content that is easy to use and, most importantly, effective. We found all of that and then some when using Aura. You can think of Aura as Spotify for meditation. It features various audio tracks that are recorded meditations, talks, hypnosis, and even CBT exercises. It also uses artificial intelligence to customize its content—meaning, the more we used the app, the better our personalized recommendations were.

After downloading Aura, we were invited to select what we wanted to work on while using the app. Options included boosting energy, improving focus, relaxation, managing stress, sleep, dealing with anger, and more. This already was impressive; anxiety can be impacted by each of these aspects, so we felt encouraged by this list. Once we made our selections, we were taken to our homepage where we could track our moods and check out our suggested tracks. While we liked having personalized recommendations, we appreciated that we were also free to roam the app as we pleased. 

The use of artificial intelligence to develop a unique algorithm for each user is what really sets this app apart from the others when it comes to meditation offerings. It isn’t uncommon to feel overwhelmed when beginning to meditate. Some get turned off by the idea of it all together after a few lackluster experiences. However, you’re bound to find a track that gets you hooked when using Aura. 

There are various plans available:

• $12 per month
• $70 per year
• $120 for an annual family plan
• $400 for life
  

Heads up, though: You can only access a free 7-day trial if you sign up for the $70 annual plan.

You’ve likely heard of therapy app giant BetterHelp. Its advertisements are popular on social media and podcasts, plus it has made its rounds in the media, both for being at the forefront of mental health tech and for its mismanagement of client data. Due to our awareness of the controversy surrounding BetterHelp, we were eager to test the platform, and did so in five different U.S. states (Missouri, Massachusetts, California, New York, and Kansas) and in the U.K. We were pleasantly surprised and received excellent care, for the most part, throughout our experience with the company. We weren't the only ones—we surveyed 105 BetterHelp users and 86% gave the platform a positive rating. 

BetterHelp advertises that it has providers who specialize in anxiety, and we found that we received good support and treatment for our anxiety. Whether we had issues with parenting or anxiety related to our ADHD symptoms, we felt like our therapists were able to address our concerns.

We loved how easy the sign-up process was. We had to fill out a simple but thorough questionnaire, share our payment information, and then wait to be matched with a therapist. In less than 48 hours, we were matched with therapists who had up to 20 years of experience. Overall, our sessions went well and we felt our providers were attuned to our needs. Additionally, we were left with tangible tools for navigating our stressors. However, we did run into a few issues. We felt that one of our providers was ableist, assuming that we were seeking therapy because of a physical disability, which was not the case. We also experienced some technical problems with some of our video sessions, with staticky video and unreliable audio. But the good news was that switching providers was easy. We could do so within the app and were matched with someone new immediately. 

BetterHelp offers one standard plan that includes unlimited messaging with your therapist and one 45-minute session per week. Pricing varies from $70 to $100 per week, billed monthly. The exact price of your plan will depend on where you live, since BetterHelp participates in surge pricing. Surge pricing is where pricing is determined based on the demand for therapy and availability of providers in your area, and can lead to some paying more than others for the same services.

We tested Circles twice, and what we love most about it is its convenience. Signing up is super easy. We had to download the app, share our name and contact information, and then check off the topics we were interested in attending support groups on. Some of these topics included sobriety, parenting, body image, chronic illness, and divorce—all of which can be anxiety-provoking. Once we indicated what we were interested in, we were officially signed up and could join any of the groups running.

We did have a brush with a group that was nearly empty, but that is to be expected when there are various groups running at any given time. Despite that instance, we had an excellent experience in a group about boundary setting. The facilitator really broke down how to set boundaries in a way that felt easy to manage. We imagine this sort of content would be helpful for someone who has anxiety specifically about implementing boundaries. Plus, the option of being able to start your own group is great to have. Finally, we loved that some groups are run by clinicians and experts, offering a strong range of peer and expert support on the app.

Circles offers three plans: $29 per month if paid monthly, $20 per month if paid every six months, and $15 per month if paid yearly.

Calm offers something that its competition doesn’t: an extensive children's section. From classic bedtime stories like Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan to meditations that will get even the wiggliest of kids to settle down, we are confident you’ll find something to help your kiddo navigate their anxious feelings. 

We were pleased to notice that there was an extensive library that we could browse by category, goal (like falling asleep or improving focus), or length of time. It was good to know there was plenty that we could explore, but we headed straight to the kids' section. There were mindfulness programs that are like Zen cartoons, lullabies to help parents with newborns, and movement exercises that can help with bedtime, navigating anger, and building confidence. This makes Calm a great investment for parents, especially those with multiple children, because there is something for the whole family. 

When signing up, though, we initially were a bit thrown off by the process. To begin, you have to sign up for a free trial. But, there’s a catch. When you sign up for the free trial, you’re automatically enrolled in an annual subscription that will begin after your trial. The only way to avoid this is to cancel before your trial ends. This felt a bit misleading, but we opted to cancel the trial before the seven days was over and then subscribe to the monthly plan. All in all, it was just an extra step in the process, but it feels like it could have been easily avoided. 

There are various plans you can choose from.

• $13 per month with a free one-week trial
• $70 per year with a free one-week trial
• $400 for lifetime access
• $100 per year for a family plan (six premium accounts; all members must be 18 or older)
• $9 per year and a free three-month trial for students
  

Meditation and mindfulness exercises all tend to incorporate your breath, which is fantastic for soothing the nervous system and calming anxious feelings. However, exercises that focus specifically on breathwork have been clinically proven to support those who are suffering from anxiety. Breathwork is a lot more than simply inhaling and exhaling. There is a particular cadence and frame of mind to approach the practice with to receive the best results possible. This is where the Breathwrk app comes in.

Signing up was simple. We could opt for a free version of the app where we could access about 50 classes, or we could pay for a monthly or annual plan. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you can reach out to Breathwrk to see if you’re eligible for a grant that will allow you a free membership. Once we were in the app, and once we signed up for a paid plan, we could choose from over 100 exercises and classes. 

The exercises are specific techniques that we could practice for a minute or two. This was great because it allowed us to get comfortable with certain breathing techniques so we could use them outside of the app. There are also classes that range from three to 15 minutes long. The classes are more in-depth and focus on how to use a specific breathing technique for a common stressor, like calming down when panicking. 

You can use the app for free; however, you’ll only be able to access about 50 classes. Otherwise, you can expect to pay $12 per month or $69 per year.

Discounts are available for teachers, students, military, veterans, and first responders.

You’ve likely noticed that most of the apps on this list include some exercise or another for sleep struggles. While that is fantastic, some sleep concerns need a targeted approach. Sleep Reset offers just that. This is a program built upon cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia principles, making it more akin to a virtual sleep clinic experience. We got started by filling out a 10-minute sleep quiz on the Sleep Reset website. This quiz gathered information on our specific sleep struggles, how long we are actually sleeping, the bedtime habits we’ve accumulated, and more. Once it was completed, we were prompted to download the company’s app. 

Upon doing so, we were introduced to our personal sleep coach. She provided a program tutorial, which set our expectations for the program. Basically, we would log in every day and answer questions about our sleep the night before, complete a daily lesson, and touch base with her if we had any questions. After talking with our sleep coach, we received an assessment based on the initial sleep evaluation we completed. It included good, albeit general, information like avoiding caffeine and naps and developing a morning routine. 

Heads up: This program does take some time and effort. The daily logs only take a couple of minutes, but you’ll then need to factor in another five minutes for your daily lesson, and time for connecting with your coach. After a few weeks, you can expect to receive a sleep reset plan, which will push you to put new routines into place. We definitely found this tricky at times. but were able to reach out to our coach for support, which made all the difference.

You’re able to try out the program with a seven-day trial and choose how much you’d like to pay, ranging from $9 to $29. The full eight-week program costs $297.

Real is a brand new app that just came out in August 2023. Backed by therapists, the app offers live events that function as virtual support groups, educational talks from mental health experts, and exercises that you can use on a daily basis to navigate stressors. We realize that attending psychotherapy for mild anxiety symptoms may take more time than many have, so this app may be a great fit for those who just need an extra boost of support each day. 

We signed up as soon as the app launched and selected our membership option. While we would have preferred a free trial to see if the app’s contents were worth the cost, we compared the fee to what online therapy costs and forged ahead. Once we selected our membership, we filled out a brief questionnaire where we identified the issues and feelings we wanted to explore. We selected anxiety as well as body image and family dynamics as some of our key issues. 

The questionnaire continued with a cool feature we had never seen before: being able to identify how we were feeling by selecting images. For example, the image for feeling distracted was leaves blowing in the wind. We found this to be a creative take on a typical mood check-in. Once we were done signing up, we were in the app and could roam the content. We loved that the talks led by therapists lasted two to 23 minutes and had interesting topics, like “What to do with all this anxiety.” In addition to the talks, there was a section dubbed “Learn a skill in under 10 minutes.” Under this tab, we could learn how to stop a thought process. There is a section titled “Help me feel better on my own” that is actually a crisis resource section. While we liked this was included in the app, we wish it was labeled more clearly.

You have two options for membership: a monthly fee of $24 or an annual fee of $165. There is no free version or trial period.

We were mindful of including anxiety apps of varying price ranges, but we understand that sometimes you just need a free, easy, and simple resource to get you through anxious moments. Medito accomplishes just that. This meditation app is free, doesn’t have any ads, and doesn’t even require you to sign up. You can simply download it and get to feeling better. It has hundreds of content options to choose from, including breathing exercises, walking meditations, educational courses, sleep stories, and sleep meditations.

To get started, all we had to do was download the app and begin perusing its content. There are nine different courses that focus on the basics of meditation. This option makes the app accessible to even mindfulness novices. There is also something called “packs,” which is a curated set of guided meditations that hone in on particular goals, like managing pain, navigating challenging relationships, and increasing your compassion. There are only 30 packs, so Medito falls short when compared to larger apps that require a subscription. Still, we were pleased with the overall volume of resources. 

Medito is free to use. You can opt to donate to help the app sustain itself.