Comparison

Moodnotes vs Calm Urge

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Moodnotes

This app helps you track your mood, identify triggers, and improve your thinking habits using principles of cognitive behavior therapy. It offers tools for self-awareness, reducing anxiety, and developing healthier perspectives for increased well-being.

Highlights
  • Track mood and identify triggers
  • Automatic face scanning for mood capture
  • Journaling with photos and notes
  • Self-awareness articles by experts
  • Develop healthier thinking habits
  • Reduce anxiety and enhance well-being
Features
Read full description

Don’t let your mood affect your life. Take control over it! Meet Moodnotes - a super easy mood tracker & journaling app to capture your mood and help you improve your thinking habits. Moodnotes empowers you to track your mood over time, avoid common thinking traps, and develop perspectives associated with increased happiness and well-being. Created by design experts and clinical psychologists (creators of MoodKit), Moodnotes is grounded in the scientifically-supported content of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and positive psychology. Includes Apple Watch app and iCloud sync/backup. KEY FEATURES: Moodnotes helps you to: - Track your mood and identify what triggers it - Scan your face automatically using device camera - Keep your memories with photos or pictures - Read self-awareness articles written by mental health experts - Develop healthier thinking habits - Learn about “traps” in your thinking and how to avoid them - Reduce anxiety and enhance your sense of well-being - Bring new, helpful perspectives to situations - Increase your self-awareness Exclusively featured by Apple in the App Store Today tab story "All The Feels". MOODNOTES PREMIUM Become a Premium member to unlock the following features: - Make unlimited entries per day - Monitor your personal statistics and check your mood insights - Add notes to enrich your mood entries - Get access to “Notable insights” section to learn more about your mood - Find more full-text articles to understand yourself * Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase. * Subscriptions will automatically renew and payment will be charged to your iTunes account unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal depends on your Subscription Plan. Our standard Subscription Plans are: * 1-month Subscription * 1-year Subscription * Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. You can cancel or manage your free trial's auto-renewal in your Account Settings after purchase. The cancellation will take effect 24-hours after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. * Please note: any unused portion of a free trial period (if offered) will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. If you have any questions or suggestions on how we can improve the application, please do not hesitate to contact us at moodnotes@bendingspoons.com Privacy Policy: https://support.bendingspoons.com/privacy.html?app=1019230398 Terms of Service: https://support.bendingspoons.com/tos.html?app=1019230398

About

Calm Urge

This app provides tools and activities to help users resist self-harm urges. Track emotions, identify patterns, and utilize calming exercises like breathing techniques and music to manage feelings and stay in control. Secure your data with a password and access emergency contacts for support.

Highlights
  • Emotion and worry tracking
  • Identify emotional patterns
  • Develop coping mechanisms
  • Calming activities (breathing, music, drawing)
  • Password protection for privacy
  • Communication card for expressing feelings
  • Emergency contact integration
Features
Read full description

Calm Urge is the perfect app to help you resist the urge to self-harm. With a range of activities and tools, you can keep track of your emotions and worries, and develop new coping mechanisms to help you stay calm and in control. With a daily record of your feelings, you can easily identify patterns and trends in your emotions and concerns, helping you to build a better understanding of your triggers and responses. And with a range of calming activities, including breathing exercises, Tibetan bowls, musical instruments, and drawing tools, you can find the perfect way to soothe and distract yourself when the urge to self-harm strikes. You can also create a private password to keep your information completely secure, and use a communication card to let others know how you're feeling when you're not able to talk about it. Plus, with the ability to add emergency contacts, you can always have someone to call when you need help the most. So if you're looking for a powerful new tool to help you manage your emotions and resist the urge to self-harm, download Calm Urge today and start taking control of your life. Terms of Use: https://wisefoxapps.wordpress.com/terms-of-service/

Screenshots

Moodnotes4 screens
Calm Urge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Moodnotes at none against Calm Urge's shown. Moodnotes also leads on ratings volume (11K vs 2K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Calm Urge's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 65%) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Moodnotes sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Calm Urge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Moodnotes against 4.7 for Calm Urge. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Moodnotes has 11K ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Moodnotes's written reviews are positive against 83% of Calm Urge's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Moodnotes ships an update every 4 weeks, Calm Urge every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Moodnotes versus Calm Urge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoodnotesCalm Urge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (11K ratings)4.7 (2K ratings)
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews82.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11K — better2K
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size146 MB142 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMosaic S.r.l.Shining Muffin LLC

Customer experience

Moodnotes

All ratings10,959 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews362 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral10.5%
Negative24.0%

Calm Urge

All ratings2,045 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews254 reviews
Positive82.7%
Neutral10.2%
Negative7.1%

User reviews

Moodnotes

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Quick mood logging
  • 💡 Helpful CBT techniques
  • 📊 Insightful data and analytics
  • 🙌 Transformative for mental health

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Limited free features
  • 🔁 Repetitive prompts
  • 💻 Needs better iPad support
  • 🔍 Difficulty customizing feelings

Calm Urge

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for self-harm recovery
  • 🚀 Lots of free features
  • 🔒 Password protection for privacy
  • 💡 Variety of calming activities
  • 👍 Tracks progress and mood

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes or won't open
  • 💰 Premium features behind paywall
  • 🔍 Concerns about parents accessing app
  • 🔍 Ads can be poorly timed
  • 🔍 Limited emotion tracking options

Bugs and requests

Moodnotes

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Notification issues on iOS updates
  • Occasional data loss or syncing problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add custom feelings and activities
  • More detailed data visualization
  • Integration with other health apps
  • Offline mode for journaling

Calm Urge

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Forgot password feature not working
  • Inconsistent app performance issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add milestones/achievements tracking
  • Improve sound/audio functionality
  • Allow customizing mood/emotion options
  • Provide more free access to analytics

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Moodnotes

Subscriptions11
  • Moodnotes Pro$2.997 Days
  • Moodnotes Pro - Free Trial7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Month2 variants$9.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Month$14.991 Month
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Year7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Year7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Year1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Year$69.991 Year
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Year7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Moodnotes Pro - Free Trial7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Moodnotes Premium 1 Year7 Days trial$89.991 Year
2 purchases

Calm Urge

Subscriptions2
  • Premium7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Premium$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Moodnotes free?
Moodnotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Calm Urge free?
Calm Urge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Moodnotes or Calm Urge?
Moodnotes and Calm Urge are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 11K and 2K ratings respectively.
Do Moodnotes or Calm Urge have ads?
Calm Urge shows ads; Moodnotes does not.
Which is updated more often, Moodnotes or Calm Urge?
Moodnotes ships an update every 4 weeks, and Calm Urge every 8 days. Most recently, Moodnotes was updated on September 24, 2026 and Calm Urge on September 23, 2026.

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