Didn’t try but wish to.
Response from developer
Drynosaur is an alcohol tracker, so this is a bit like complaining that a clothes shop doesn’t sell sandwiches.
Inspiration
excellent daily motivator
Response from developer
Hi friedgrits, Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm delighted you're enjoying Drynosaur. It's great to hear the daily check-ins are helping, and that you've found the games relaxing when you need a distraction or a bit of calm. I'm also really grateful that you decided to stick around for the year. As a solo developer, support like that allows me to keep improving the app and adding new features. Congratulations on staying AF, and I wish you all the best on your journey. Gareth
Oh so its not free
Response from developer
Hi Krab67, The App Store listing shows “In-App Purchases” directly beneath the download button, and the description also mentions that a subscription is required, so this information is available before downloading. I’m a solo developer, and the subscription helps fund the ongoing art, development, writing, and design that go into creating and improving the app. If you think it’d be a nice fun sober tracker, give it a shot. I update Drynosaur regularly and love hearing what users want to see in the app. Gareth
Focus
Response from developer
Hi Marie, thanks for the review! Day 5 is just the beginning, keep it up! Feel free to drop me a line anytime - gareth@drynosaur.com, I’d love to hear how you’re getting on :)
Waste of time until they obligate you to pay for it
But instead of advertising it on the beginning, they make a bunch of questions about your habits and goals, then make you create a pet (choose between 3 basics dinosaurs and name it)... then you gotta pay 5$ per week or 20$ per year. No free features at all. They are just like all the others moneysuckers apps who just want your money and that's all.
There's way better apps to help you keep sober and its for free, so go search for it... otherwise just keep drinking instead of wasting money on it lol
Response from developer
Hi Yohan, I want to clear up a few things: I’m a solo developer building Drynosaur entirely on my own. The pixel art, animations, design, writing, and development all take time. The subscription supports that, and my hope is to eventually work on Drynosaur full time. An app like this cannot be built, maintained, and improved long term without a sustainable way to support it. The App Store clearly states there are in-app purchases before you download the app, and the subscription is mentioned in the app’s description. The app is not advertised as free anywhere. If you prefer free alternatives, that’s completely fine, but saying there are better apps than this one and giving it 1 star when you haven’t used it is a strange conclusion to draw. Advising people who are trying to track their sobriety to “just keep drinking” probably isn’t the most helpful note to end on either. Gareth
Doesn’t work
Response from developer
Hi Ivan. This one's a new one for me, I can't reproduce it on my end. Please email me with more details: gareth@drynosaur.com and I'll dig into it for you. Thanks, Gareth
No Free Trial
People struggling can't get through a pay wall.
Response from developer
Hi Zach, I’m a solo developer building Drynosaur entirely on my own. The pixel art, animations, design, writing, and development all take time. My hope is to eventually work on Drynosaur full time, and an app like this cannot be built, maintained, and improved long term without a sustainable way to support that work. I understand that you would prefer an ad-supported version, but I don’t think ads belong in an app built around sobriety, reflection, and encouragement. I’d rather support Drynosaur through a clear subscription than introduce ads into that experience. Gareth
Not a good start
Response from developer
Hey Jake, Appreciate the feedback! I will take what you’ve said onboard and tweak the onboarding questions. As for the price, I’m a one person team and work on it full time so there are ongoing costs that need to be covered unfortunately. Totally get it if that’s not for you, but I hope you’ll try it again someday. Gareth
Do NOT waste your money on this app!!!
Really not all that sure what I like about it. It seemed a lot cooler or interactive than it actually is. Especially for the cost for even a year. There are 100's of sobriety clocks, timers, calendars and calculators out there that are free and have ALOT more substance to them I'm very dissatisfied and sure do feel like I not only wasted money, but that whomever is leaving such positive reviews have done the same.
- What could be better?
Pretty much everything. Maybe AA or recovery tools and or info. Motivational content. AlANYTHING REALLY. All this does is say how many days you "check in" and didn't drink the previous day or since last checked in. Such a waste.
- Any feature ideas?
Don't charge for an app that is beyond basic. Maybe be free or suggest people go to better sobriety apps? There are some really great feee ones out there both AA and non AA related
I hope this review finds you BEFORE downloading. It will force you to buy not even a trial period. It's a huge waste of money. It's got 3 basic games that any old Nokia phone had. And 3 "mindfulness" activities that are as basic as they come. Save your time and money there are much better FREE apps out there to support you in sobriety!!!!
Response from developer
Developer Update (May 2026): Hi Jason, a lot has changed since February, so I wanted to update this response to better reflect where Drynosaur is now. Since your review, I’ve continued improving and expanding the app based on user feedback. Your Drynosaur now lives in an unlockable habitat with new pixel art scenes, and you can interact with it more directly by feeding and petting it. Widgets have also been added, check-in insights now surface patterns in your data over time, and Expedition Trails provide guided reflections built around different parts of the recovery journey. I understand Drynosaur wasn’t the right fit for you at the time, and I respect that. If you ever decide to give it another look, it is now a meaningfully different app from the one you reviewed. Gareth ------------------------------------------------------------------ Orginal response (February 8th 2026): Hi Jason, Thank you for the feedback. I’m sorry Drynosaur wasn’t the right fit for your needs. The app includes: • Daily check-ins and mood tracking • Journaling • Recovery resources (Daily Strategies, Understanding Recovery, Self-Care Tools) • Calendar view and progress visualization • Milestones, achievements, and era progression with associated health benefits • Urge management timer • Mindfulness exercises and coping tools • Multiple games for distraction As stated in the app’s description, Drynosaur is not a substitute for alcohol dependency recovery programs. I’m actively working on improving feature discoverability and adding new functionality based on user feedback. Best, Gareth
Eh
Paywall after ~4 days
Drymazing
This is going to go far
Response from developer
Thank you so much for your kind words, appreciate it!
