Comparison

Sea Hero Quest vs Nerva

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

Head to head
About

Sea Hero Quest

This game uses your gameplay to measure spatial navigation skills. The data collected helps researchers understand cognitive decline and brain health.

Highlights
  • Game-based brain health testing
  • Measures spatial navigation ability
  • Helps detect cognitive decline
  • Contributes to scientific research
  • Play to improve brain health understanding
Features
Read full description

Sea Hero Quest is a daily navigation game, building on the success of the original citizen science project. When you play, you're contributing your data to ongoing research into how humans navigate. Gameplay from Sea Hero Quest has already supported over 30 peer-reviewed studies. A new quest is available free, every day. Plus subscribers also see their personal spatial navigation score the next day, alongside how it compares with others of the same demographics. This is an early release, so expect changes as we keep building. Thanks for taking part. Terms of Use (EULA): https://seaheroquest.com/terms

About

Nerva

This program helps manage gut-brain disorders like IBS and bloating by retraining the nervous system. It offers daily sessions, practical tools, and personalized guidance to improve digestive comfort and reduce symptoms.

Highlights
  • Daily 15-minute retraining sessions
  • Flare-up tools for specific symptoms
  • Long-term maintenance plan
  • AI-driven personalization
  • Evidence-based gut-brain techniques
Features
Read full description

Address the miscommunication between your gut and brain. Designed for people living with IBS, functional dyspepsia (FD), GERD, bloating symptoms, and other gut–brain disorders - as well as those seeking additional support alongside IBD care - Nerva is a personalized gut–brain program that supports symptom management through daily sessions, practical tools, and structured guidance. Target the root cause Many people spend years cutting out foods in an effort to calm their gut - a difficult path that can miss what’s really driving symptoms. In disorders of gut–brain interaction (DGBIs), the root cause is gut–brain hypersensitivity. After a trigger like illness, antibiotics, or prolonged stress, the nerves in the gut can become over-reactive. Even once the gut tissue heals, the nervous system may keep the alarm turned up. Normal digestion, gas, or movement are then misread as danger - leading to pain, bloating, reflux, urgency, constipation, or diarrhea. Diets and medications can reduce symptoms temporarily, but they don’t retrain this signaling system. That’s why symptoms often return or shift over time. Lasting relief means calming the nervous system and restoring healthy gut–brain communication - where the symptoms actually start. How Nerva helps Nerva is a structured gut–brain program that helps you practice brain-gut techniques shown to support a calmer response to gut sensations. Over the program you'll learn to: - Respond differently to uncomfortable gut signals - Practice calming the gut–brain stress response - Build daily habits that support digestive comfort Tailored to you No two guts are the same. Nerva adapts your program to your symptoms, triggers, and progress - using AI to adjust the coaching and guidance as you go. The sessions, the tools you receive, and the coaching you follow are all shaped around your experience. Evidence-based Unlike most apps, Nerva is built on clinical research. In a randomized controlled trial at Monash University, Nerva helped 81% of people significantly manage their gastrointestinal symptoms. Since then, more than 300,000 people have used Nerva, and over 11,000 healthcare providers recommend it. Features of Nerva - Daily 15-minute sessions designed to retrain gut-brain miscommunication - Flare-up tools for pain, bloating, constipation, reflux and diarrhea - Long-term maintenance plan to keep symptoms under control after the program - AI personalization to tailor the program to your selected triggers and progress Who is the team behind Nerva? Nerva was built by Dr. Simone Peters, GI psychophysiologist, together with clinicians, dietitians, and researchers. Many of us live with gut conditions ourselves. Member stories “Nerva has really worked for me. I’ve been using the app for several months now, and I’ve noticed that I’m experiencing less negative instances with my stomach. I would highly recommend to anyone - absolutely worth the subscription” Disclaimer: Nerva is a self-guided program that may help people self-manage and live well with a diagnosed disorder of the gut-brain interaction. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, diagnosis, or treatment, and has not been evaluated by the FDA, TGA, MHRA, or equivalent bodies. Do not change prescribed medication or treatment without professional advice. Some content is personalized or generated by AI for educational and wellness purposes only. It is not therapy or mental health care, is not from a licensed professional, and is not monitored in real time. If you are in distress or thinking of harming yourself or others, call your local emergency number right away. Subscription and trial 7-day free trial After the trial, your account is charged according to the plan you choose Subscriptions renew until cancelled Cancel anytime in iOS Settings, Apple ID, Subscriptions Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.mindsethealth.com/privacy

Screenshots

Sea Hero Quest3 screens
Nerva4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Sea Hero Quest at free against Nerva's free with in-app purchases. Sea Hero Quest also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 73%). Nerva's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (15K vs 3.1K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Sea Hero Quest sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month and Nerva sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $99.00 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 — 4.6 for Sea Hero Quest against 4.7 for Nerva. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.1K and 15K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Sea Hero Quest's written reviews are positive against 73% of Nerva's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sea Hero Quest ships an update monthly, Nerva weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sea Hero Quest versus Nerva: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSea Hero QuestNerva
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.1K ratings)4.7 (15K ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.7% of reviews — better72.6% of reviews
Number of ratings3.1K15K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB139 MB
Age rating4++12
DeveloperGLITCHERS LTDMindset Health Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Sea Hero Quest

All ratings3,099 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.6%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews934 reviews
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.5%

Nerva

All ratings15,173 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews891 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral5.8%
Negative21.5%

User reviews

Sea Hero Quest

From 3.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun and challenging
  • 👍 Helps with important research
  • 💡 Unique concept
  • 🚀 Engaging gameplay
  • 👍 Cute and polished graphics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls
  • 🐛 Difficulty in steering the boat
  • 🐛 Glitches and crashes
  • 🐛 Lack of clear instructions
  • 🐛 Motion sickness issues

Nerva

From 15K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective for symptom reduction
  • 👍 Calming and relaxing sessions
  • 💡 Helpful for managing stress and anxiety
  • 👍 Positive affirmations and education
  • 🚀 Quick improvements seen by some users

Room to improve

  • 🔁 Repetitive nature of sessions
  • 💰 Expensive subscription cost
  • 🔍 Lack of customization options
  • 🐛 Technical issues with app functionality

Bugs and requests

Sea Hero Quest

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Levels not loading properly
  • Entire screen turning pink
  • Boat not responding to user input

Requested features

6 requests
  • More game modes and levels
  • Ability to adjust volume
  • Clearer instructions on game mechanics
  • Improved boat controls and responsiveness
  • Customization options for the boat
Show 1 more
  • Ability to play with friends or family

Nerva

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App getting stuck on certain days
  • Difficulty accessing previous sessions
  • Inconsistent user experience across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More variety in guided visualizations
  • Ability to skip or replace certain sessions
  • Maintenance plan with reduced pricing
  • Offline access to recordings

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sea Hero Quest

Subscriptions1
  • Plus Subscription$7.991 Month
4 purchases

Nerva

Subscriptions4
  • Nerva IBS program (Monthly)7 Days trial$99.001 Month
  • Nerva IBS program (3 Month)7 Days trial$149.003 Months
  • 30% Off Nerva IBS (3 Month)7 Days trial$149.003 Months
Show 1 more
  • Nerva Full Access7 Days trial$199.001 Year

Questions

Is Sea Hero Quest free?
Sea Hero Quest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nerva free?
Nerva is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sea Hero Quest or Nerva?
Nerva is rated higher. Sea Hero Quest averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while Nerva averages 4.7 from 15K ratings.
Do Sea Hero Quest or Nerva have ads?
Neither Sea Hero Quest nor Nerva shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sea Hero Quest or Nerva?
Sea Hero Quest ships an update monthly, and Nerva weekly. Most recently, Sea Hero Quest was updated on November 2, 2026 and Nerva on November 6, 2026.

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