
Are you looking for a convenient and cost-effective way to look after your mental health and well-being? If you’re too busy to see a therapist or would like to supplement your current mental health treatment with additional support, mental health apps represent an excellent solution.
According to research and analysis by Deloitte, many clinical studies exploring the efficacy of mental health apps show they can alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
In one study, app users felt more positive emotions after just 10 days of consistent use. However, with thousands of mental apps on the market, it can be tricky to know which will work for you.
To help you navigate the confusing world of digital wellbeing, we’ve listed some of 2022’s best mental health apps, including their key benefits and limitations.
Remember to weigh your options carefully before investing in a new service and make the most of free trials, if possible.
1. BetterHelp
Best for: Dealing with long-term mental health issues
BetterHelp represents one of the most popular services in the digital mental health space – and for good reason! The company offers affordable online counselling and therapy sessions to clients across the world.
Thousands of highly qualified, licensed therapists deliver valuable sessions via BetterHelp’s intuitive platform, helping clients tackle a wide range of mental health challenges.
As the company’s reviews page demonstrates, BetterHelp therapists have helped people through relationship problems, grief, crises of self-esteem, trauma, career troubles, and much more.
What are the benefits?
Key benefits of BetterHealth’s intuitive app include:
- You can get in touch with a professional care team via video, audio, or text-messaging
- It’s easy to find detailed information about individual therapists via the app
- Clients are free to send unlimited messages to their therapists
Are there any drawbacks?
While BetterHelp has quickly become a go-to resource for people struggling with mental health issues, it has a few limitations, including:
- There are no free trials
- BetterHelp’s therapists aren’t permitted to diagnose conditions
- The platform doesn’t allow users to select their preferred therapists
- Clients can’t access prescriptions with BetterHelp
2. Calm
Best for: Treating insomnia and calming racing thoughts
Do you struggle to sleep, concentrate, or calm your racing thoughts? You’re not alone! Around 10% of Australians have minor insomnia at any given time, and almost everyone struggles to concentrate from time to time.
Calm aims to help users take control of their thoughts through a range of meditation courses and calming music playlists. Subsequently, Calm is the Winner of Apple’s 2017 App of the Year award, Calm has racked up thousands of five-star reviews and millions of downloads.
Thanks to its attractive interface and intuitive navigation system, this app is likely to remain at the top of the app charts for many months to come.
What are the benefits?
Some of the top reasons to download Calm include:
- It’s perfect for beginners and offers a wide range of breathing exercises, mindfulness tips, and more
- Calm offers a seven-day free trial
- The app offers a vast array of lo-fi tunes to help users concentrate throughout the day
Are there any drawbacks?
While Calm has a large fanbase, there are a few issues that require addressing, including:
- The app features a range of distracting celebrity cameos, which could detract from the calming experience
- The number of free courses is limited, and they’re often difficult to find
- Calm is not suitable for advanced meditators
- Some reviewers claim that the app’s customer service is poor
3. Moodfit
Best for: All-round wellness
Moodfit helps users take control of their negative thoughts through a wide range of mindfulness and well-being tools.
In addition, Moodfit’s customisable features include a mood journal, mindfulness exercises, breathing exercises, cognitive behavioural therapy, a gratitude journal, activity tracking, wellbeing insights, and much more!
While Moodfit is packed full of valuable information, it’s less interactive than others mentioned in this list, many of which offer more video and audio content.
Furthermore, being largely text-based and less technologically sophisticated than competitors, many reviewers praise Moodfit for its detailed analytics and tailored features.
What are the benefits?
Moodfit’s best features include:
- Daily push notifications (if desired) reminding users to complete set goals
- Some of the best analytics features on the market
- Easy to use
Are there any drawbacks?
As well as being less technically impressive unlike the other apps, Moodfit doesn’t allow users to connect with trained mental health professionals.
4. Better Stop Suicide
Best for: Addressing acute mental health crises
While many people view apps as trivial or inconsequential, platforms such as Better Stop Suicide demonstrate their potential to save lives and have a measurable impact on the world. Developed using cutting-edge psychological research, the app is free to download on Apple and Android devices.
It should be noted that the app developers stress the importance of contacting emergency services if you’re at risk of harming yourself, the app represents a vital resource for those having distressing and intrusive thoughts.
Last but not the least, its key features include calming audio messages written by qualified psychologists, important contact lists to use in a crisis, and exercises to boost your mood.
What are the benefits?
As well as being free, Better Stop Suicide has many grateful reviews on Google Play from people who used the app during a crisis.
While it may not represent a golden bullet, it plays a vital and unusual role in the mental health app landscape.
Are there any drawbacks?
Currently, there are a limited number of features on the app.
5. iBreathe
Best for: Reducing stress
Boasting an impressive rating of 4.9/5 on the App Store, iBreathe is a free resource designed to alleviate stress through a library of deep breathing exercises.
The app’s interface is sleek and intuitive, ensuring users don’t feel overwhelmed or distracted. Users can also set up daily exercise reminders to tackle stress over the long term.
What are the benefits?
Some of the iBreathe’s benefits include:
- It’s free and won’t take up much space on a device
- Its blue interface is attractive and calming
- It’s easy to use
Are there any drawbacks?
iBreathe only offers one feature, so users may need to download other apps if they require help with multiple mental health issues.
6. Happify
Best for: Gamers looking to improve their mental health
Happify is a game-based app designed to strengthen users’ resilience, tackle negative thoughts, and beat burnout. Therefore, if you enjoy playing games and find most mental health resources a little dull, this app could represent the perfect mood-boosting solution.
With an App Store rating of 4.3, Happify enjoys hundreds of loyal followers, although some users complain the app is too slow, expensive, or difficult to navigate.
What are the benefits?
The main reasons to download Happify include:
- You can select the problems on which you would like to work, including conquering negative thoughts, pursuing career success, building confidence, and coping with stress
- The app comes with a free version and is relatively easy to use
- Happify was developed by experts, including licensed therapists
Are there any drawbacks?
For all its benefits, Happify has a few drawbacks, including:
- Some app users complain that the app’s interface is too busy and overwhelming
- Happify sets deadlines to help users reach their goals, a feature that can generate stress
- The paid version of the app is rather costly
7. Days Since
Best for: Busting annoying habits
Are you trying to quit smoking, drinking, or caffeine? Perhaps you’re trying to overcome a pesky Netflix addiction or stop spending money on unnecessary clothes?
Days Since is a simple mental health app designed to help you take control of your undesirable habits through tracking and accountability features.
Apart from this, it’s built using high-end security features, the app is free, beautifully designed, and simple to operate.
What are the benefits?
According to user reviews, the best thing about Days Since is its simplicity. For example, tracking how many cigarettes you’ve smoked or beers you’ve consumed is a great way to hold yourself accountable and get motivated to quit.
Are there any drawbacks?
Conversely, Days Since doesn’t offer any education or support for quitting. If you’ve struggled with addiction for several years, you should seek specialist help at a support group, rehab centre, or medical facility.
Looking to create the next award-winning mental health app?
The platforms listed above represent just a tiny slice of the mental health app market. As you can see, there’s a range of targeted and generalised apps available to help users take control of their mental health with a few simple clicks.
However, the space is constantly developing, and there are always opportunities for disruptive new apps to emerge. If you’ve got an idea for a cutting-edge mental health resource, DreamWalk is here to make it a reality.
Harnessing the power of app UI design, our team are on-hand to create a visually appealing platform that engages users and offers sophisticated features that genuinely work.
To find out more or obtain a free, no-obligation quote, contact us today!

About the Author
Joseph Russell is an award-winning app designer, app strategist and founder of DreamWalk. Over his 11 year career, Joseph has helped hundreds of businesses and startup founders plan, design, develop and launch successful apps.
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