Comparison

12 Steps Guide vs Live Free

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

Head to head
About

12 Steps Guide

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
Read full description

Work the Twelve Steps one day at a time, with a practical guide to every Step and Tradition, the Big Book and over 90 hours of recovery audio, in one calm, easy-to-read app. THE STEPS AND TRADITIONS - A guide to each of the Twelve Steps, with an introduction and a conclusion, written from personal experience in plain language - A guide to each of the Twelve Traditions - See how far you've read: a quiet percentage while you read, and a tick when you finish THE BIG BOOK - Every chapter, from the Doctor's Opinion to A Vision for You - Personal stories from the first and second editions - Printed page numbers, so you can follow along in a meeting - A clean list of chapters and stories with a tick for each one you've read, and "Continue reading" to pick up where you left off PRAYERS AND READINGS - The Serenity Prayer, the Third, Seventh and Eleventh Step prayers and more - How It Works, the Promises, the Preamble, Just for Today, On Awakening and other readings - Sobriety tips, including how to find a sponsor, and a link to the day's Daily Reflection RECOVERY AUDIO - 138 recordings in 11 albums: Big Book studies, speaker tapes and meditation bells, including Joe and Charlie, Chuck C., Sandy B., Clarence S. and Father Martin - Read along with the transcript of the Joe and Charlie and Big Book recordings - Choose your playback speed, from 0.75× to 2× - Keeps playing with the screen locked, with controls on the lock screen - Premium: download recordings and listen offline YOUR RECOVERY - Count your days from your recovery date. It stays on your phone. - Optional hourly reminders between the times you choose, each with a thought for the hour COMFORTABLE TO READ - Choose your text size; the app also follows your iPhone's text size - Light and dark themes, or follow your iPhone's setting - Designed for iPad too, with readings beside their list FREE, WITH A PREMIUM OPTION Reading and listening are free and supported by adverts. Premium removes the adverts and lets you download recordings for offline listening. Premium is an annual subscription with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the trial ends, and the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account's subscription settings. No account is needed. Your recovery date and your reading stay on your device. Terms of use: https://ibyteapps.com/apps/12-step-guide/terms Privacy policy: https://ibyteapps.com/apps/12-step-guide/privacy 12 Step Guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous or A.A. World Services, Inc.

About

Live Free

This app helps you stay sober by tracking your progress, offering daily check-ins, and providing access to support. It allows you to revisit your motivations and find local recovery meetings.

Highlights
  • Daily sobriety counter with milestones
  • Morning and afternoon check-ins
  • Personalized 'why' reminders
  • Local recovery meeting finder
  • One-tap access to support
  • Daily steadying reflections
  • Track time and money reclaimed
Features
Read full description

Live free, one day at a time. Live Free is a sobriety and recovery companion built for the ordinary moments: the ones where your reasons get quiet and you need them loud again. Whether you're on day one or day one thousand, it helps you stay close to why you started and reach out before a hard moment becomes a relapse. No judgment. No lectures. Just a steady companion in your pocket. What you can do with Live Free: • Count every day free: watch your days add up, with milestones and a countdown to the next one. • Check in daily: a 30-second morning and afternoon check-in to stay honest with yourself. • Hold onto your why: set your goal and write the real reasons you're doing this, then revisit them when it counts. • Find a meeting near you: see recovery meetings nearby on a map, with times and details. • Get help the moment you need it: support is always one tap away. • Read something steadying: a short daily reflection to start from a calmer place. • See what you've reclaimed: time sober and money saved, shown plainly. Live Free works alongside any program, 12-step or not, and for any addiction you're working to leave behind. Your information stays private. Live Free is a support tool, not a substitute for professional treatment or medical care. If you're in crisis, please reach out to a professional right away, in the U.S., call or text 988.

Screenshots

12 Steps Guide4 screens
Live Free4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Live Free at none against 12 Steps Guide's 4. Live Free also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months). 12 Steps Guide's advantage is ratings volume (3.3K vs 12). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. 12 Steps Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Live Free asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Live Free holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 12 Steps Guide has 3.3K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of 12 Steps Guide's written reviews are positive against 100% of Live Free's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

12 Steps Guide ships an update every 3 months, Live Free every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
12 Steps Guide versus Live Free: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter12 Steps GuideLive Free
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.3K ratings)5.0 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.3K — better12
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB65 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperTushar BhagatYou Are Accountable, LLC

Customer experience

12 Steps Guide

All ratings3,299 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews251 reviews
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.0%

Live Free

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

12 Steps Guide

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Daily reflections page not working
  • App crashes on older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add sobriety tracker
  • Include 12 & 12 book content
  • Improve bookmarking and page saving

Live Free

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

12 Steps Guide

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time3
  • Donate$2.99
  • Donate$4.99
  • Donate$9.99
None

Live Free

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 12 Steps Guide free?
12 Steps Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Live Free free?
Live Free is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 12 Steps Guide or Live Free?
Live Free is rated higher. 12 Steps Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Live Free averages 5.0 from 12 ratings.
Do 12 Steps Guide or Live Free have ads?
Neither 12 Steps Guide nor Live Free shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 12 Steps Guide or Live Free?
12 Steps Guide ships an update every 3 months, and Live Free every 8 days. Most recently, 12 Steps Guide was updated on November 6, 2026 and Live Free on November 5, 2026.

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