# 12 Steps Guide vs Sober Sunrise

The clearest difference is monetization model: Sober Sunrise at freemium against 12 Steps Guide's subscription. Sober Sunrise also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 3 months). 12 Steps Guide's advantage is review sentiment (92% vs 67%) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 50). 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 Sober Sunrise sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. 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 4.9 for Sober Sunrise. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 12 Steps Guide has 3.3K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of 12 Steps Guide's written reviews are positive against 67% of Sober Sunrise's.

12 Steps Guide ships an update every 3 months, Sober Sunrise every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 12 Steps Guide | Sober Sunrise |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/12-steps-guide/id1238097883/reviews) | **[4.9 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sober-sunrise/id6770203116/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.3K** | 50 |
| Positive reviews | **92.0% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 35 MB | 127 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Tushar Bhagat](https://appshunter.io/developer/901932809) | [Salt Flats Analytics, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896723906) |

## 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

**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


### Sober Sunrise

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sober-sunrise/id6770203116)

This app helps users maintain sobriety by tracking sober time, celebrating milestones, and offering a supportive companion for questions and reflections. It provides tools for journaling, finding meetings, and connecting with a recovery support network.

**Highlights:** Sobriety counter with milestone tracking, Recovery coins and premium designs, Sober Companion for AA questions, Hundreds of recovery talks, Daily pledge and journaling tools, Meeting schedules and directions, Home Screen widgets

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Sober Companion Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium - Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Sober Companion Yearly | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 12 Steps Guide free?

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

### Is Sober Sunrise free?

Sober Sunrise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 12 Steps Guide or Sober Sunrise?

Sober Sunrise is rated higher. 12 Steps Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Sober Sunrise averages 4.9 from 50 ratings.

### Do 12 Steps Guide or Sober Sunrise have ads?

Neither 12 Steps Guide nor Sober Sunrise shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 12 Steps Guide or Sober Sunrise?

12 Steps Guide ships an update every 3 months, and Sober Sunrise every 2 months. Most recently, 12 Steps Guide was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sober Sunrise on October 25, 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.*