# 12 Steps Guide vs Mood Journal

The clearest difference is monetization model: Mood Journal at free with in-app purchases against 12 Steps Guide's subscription. Mood Journal also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). 12 Steps Guide's advantage is ratings volume (3.3K vs 17) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 12 Steps Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Mood Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for 12 Steps Guide against 4.8 for Mood Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 12 Steps Guide has 3.3K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two.

12 Steps Guide ships an update every 3 months, Mood Journal every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 12 Steps Guide | Mood Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/12-steps-guide/id1238097883/reviews) | **[4.8 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mood-journal-just-for-today/id6747355776/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.3K** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | 92.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 35 MB | 100 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tushar Bhagat](https://appshunter.io/developer/901932809) | [Rai Adriano](https://appshunter.io/developer/1695766732) |

## What reviewers say

### 12 Steps Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/12-steps-guide/id1238097883)

This app provides a comprehensive guide to the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, featuring audiobooks of key recovery tapes and literature. It includes prayers, readings, a sobriety calculator, and the complete Big Book text for a structured recovery journey.

**Highlights:** 12-step program guide, Audiobooks of recovery tapes, Complete Big Book text, Sobriety calculator, Included prayers and readings, AA literature

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Donate | $2.99 | one-time |
| Donate | $4.99 | one-time |
| Donate | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great recovery resource
- 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
- 💡 Comprehensive AA literature in one place
- 🙏 Helpful prayers and daily reflections

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads still present after paid upgrade
- 🤔 Lack of dark mode option
- 💤 Difficulty retaining information from reading

**Reported bugs**

- Daily reflections page not working
- App crashes on older devices

**Requested features**

- Add sobriety tracker
- Include 12 & 12 book content
- Improve bookmarking and page saving


### Mood Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mood-journal-just-for-today/id6747355776)

This app provides a daily space for setting intentions, tracking emotions, and practicing gratitude. It helps users cultivate mindfulness, gain emotional clarity, and build resilience through simple daily reflections. The experience is designed to be private, secure, and free from ads.

**Highlights:** Daily intention setting, Three-step mood check-in, Gratitude journaling tool, End-of-day reflection, Mood trend insights, Thoughtful daily notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Support | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly Support | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 12 Steps Guide free?

12 Steps Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mood Journal free?

Mood Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 12 Steps Guide or Mood Journal?

Mood Journal is rated higher. 12 Steps Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Mood Journal averages 4.8 from 17 ratings.

### Do 12 Steps Guide or Mood Journal have ads?

Neither 12 Steps Guide nor Mood Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 12 Steps Guide or Mood Journal?

12 Steps Guide ships an update every 3 months, and Mood Journal every 3 weeks. Most recently, 12 Steps Guide was updated on November 6, 2026 and Mood Journal on November 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*