Comparison

Behave Buddy vs Thumsters

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

Head to head
About

Behave Buddy

This app acts as a personal behavior coach for children, helping them identify areas for improvement and offering tips to correct negative behaviors. Children earn points for good conduct, which can be redeemed for non-monetary rewards, and parents can track progress and approve reward redemptions.

Highlights
  • Behavior improvement tips
  • Points for good behavior
  • Customizable non-monetary rewards
  • Badge collection system
  • Daily mini-game for bonus points
  • Behavioral insights and stats
  • Parental reward approval
Features
Read full description

Behave Buddy is our Behave companion app that is designed specifically for your kids. Parents use the Behave app, kids use the Behave Buddy app. Behave Buddy is your child's behavior coach. Your child will be able to clearly identify which behaviors need improvement and will be presented tips to correct bad behavior. Behave Buddy will always notify your child when their behavior needs improvement and what they can do to improve. Your child will earn behave points for exhibiting good behavior. They can then choose from a selection of non-monetary rewards or you can create your own rewards that fit your families needs. You'll be notified on your device that your child has redeemed a reward and can approve it when you're ready. We feel it's important that these rewards aren't material, such as toys or money. Some examples include: 1 on 1 time with mom or dad Stay up 15 minutes past bedtime Extra internet or video game time Choose a family activity No chores for a day & more Yes there are badges There are a ton of badges your kids can earn to encourage them to keep up their good behaviors. Our study has shown that this works incredibly well. Your child will continue to try to earn good behavior points to collect all the badges. Daily Engagement To keep your child motivated to open the app every day we've included a mini game. Once per day your child can spin the wheel to earn bonus points. Behavior Insights. behave keeps track of all the good and the bad so you can can see the complete picture. Your kids will have access to these stats as well. It's good for them to be aware of what they need to work on. We'll take it from there and notify your child why they lost points and even help coach them with tips on how to improve their behavior. Praise is key. Naturally we don't praise our kids enough. When your kids exhibit good behavior, let them know. We'll notify your child for all the awesome things they do. You can even award bonus points for reasons we haven't thought of. You see what they see. The behavior meter is a powerful tool in keeping your child aware of their behavior. A great tactic we've seen parents use is that as long as this meter is yellow or green their child can go to or have that sleepover they've been asking about. Bad behavior isn't rewarded. We follow this rule in behave as well. Kids cannot redeem rewards while their behavior is poor.

About

Thumsters

This app helps parents foster positive behavior and build stronger connections with their children through a reward-based tracking system. It offers tools for habit formation, emotional coaching, and consistent parenting across multiple caregivers, designed for children aged 4-12.

Highlights
  • Real-time behavior tracking (thumbs up/down)
  • Kid-friendly chore list and reward system
  • Emotional coaching and awareness tools
  • Multi-device syncing for caregivers
  • Customizable reward system
  • Designed for ages 4-12
Features
Read full description

You didn’t sign up for tantrums, power struggles, or endless nagging. You just want your kids to listen, without losing your cool. Meet Thumsters – the award-winning parenting app that helps you build better behavior, calmer routines, and deeper connection with your kids. Whether you’re dealing with defiance, meltdowns, or chore resistance, Thumsters gives you a proven, easy-to-use system based on positive reinforcement and emotional coaching—not yelling or punishment. WHY PARENTS LOVE THUMSTERS Track behavior in real-time – Log thumbs up/down and reasons to see patterns at a glance. Create better habits – Reinforce routines and tasks with a kid-friendly chore list and reward system. Coach, don’t correct – Build your child’s confidence and emotional awareness with our Emotions Tracker. Stay consistent – Sync across multiple devices for caregivers, co-parents and therapists. Backed by science – Built with child professionals and recommended by therapists worldwide. HOW IT WORKS Use Thumsters to log your child’s behavior choices—good or bad. Assign tasks or daily routines. Set goals and rewards. Thumsters builds a clear picture of their progress, helping you parent with purpose and coach your child toward better emotional regulation and decision-making. BUILT FOR REAL FAMILIES Works with multiple kids & carers Includes a customizable reward system Designed for ages 4–12 Used by families, teachers, and therapists Recognized by the US National Library of Medicine for behavior support Join thousands of families who’ve said goodbye to chaos and hello to calm and connection. Download Thumsters today and transform your home—one thumbs up at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.thumsters.com/legal/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Behave Buddy4 screens
Thumsters4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thumsters at 69% against Behave Buddy's 15%. Thumsters also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.2) and ratings volume (873 vs 9). Behave Buddy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Thumsters sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Behave Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thumsters holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thumsters has 873 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of Behave Buddy's written reviews are positive against 69% of Thumsters's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Behave Buddy ships an update every 4 weeks, Thumsters fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Behave Buddy versus Thumsters: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBehave BuddyThumsters
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (9 ratings)4.7 (873 ratings) — better
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews68.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9873 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS6.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB92 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperApplauz Media SolutionsKØBEN digital

Customer experience

Behave Buddy

All ratings9 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral44.4%
Negative55.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral30.8%
Negative53.8%

Thumsters

All ratings873 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral5.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive68.7%
Neutral14.9%
Negative16.4%

Bugs and requests

Behave Buddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Thumsters

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when adding child profiles
  • Sync issues between devices
  • Thumbs up/down disappearing or not registering properly
  • Inconsistent behavior after app updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow kids to track their own progress
  • Add more customization options for goals and rewards
  • Implement better reporting and analytics
  • Improve Apple Watch integration
  • Simplify the process of giving thumbs up/down

In-app purchases

None

Behave Buddy

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Thumsters

Subscriptions7
  • Weekly Premium Subscription$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription14 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • 6 Month Premium Subscription3 Days trial$39.996 Months
  • Yearly Premium Subscription7 Days trial$47.991 Year
  • 6 month premium subscription14 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • ThumbsUp full account - 1 year14 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Behave Buddy free?
Behave Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thumsters free?
Thumsters is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Behave Buddy or Thumsters?
Thumsters is rated higher. Behave Buddy averages 2.2 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Thumsters averages 4.7 from 873 ratings.
Do Behave Buddy or Thumsters have ads?
Neither Behave Buddy nor Thumsters shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Behave Buddy or Thumsters?
Behave Buddy ships an update every 4 weeks, and Thumsters fortnightly. Most recently, Behave Buddy was updated on October 4, 2026 and Thumsters on October 15, 2026.

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