# PE Coach 2 vs FreeCBT

The clearest difference is review sentiment: FreeCBT at 96% against PE Coach 2's 20%. FreeCBT also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (170 vs 27). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

FreeCBT holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FreeCBT has 170 ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of PE Coach 2's written reviews are positive against 96% of FreeCBT's.

PE Coach 2 ships an update every 10 months, FreeCBT every 9 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | PE Coach 2 | FreeCBT |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pe-coach-2/id1281266434/reviews) | **[4.7 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freecbt/id1516063390/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 27 | **170** |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **96.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 9 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 29 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)](https://appshunter.io/developer/430646305) | [Evan Rosson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516063389) |

## What reviewers say

### PE Coach 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pe-coach-2/id1281266434)

This app assists individuals undergoing Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD. It guides users through therapist-assigned exercises, tracks progress, and offers distress-reduction techniques like controlled breathing. Users can also record and review therapy sessions.

**Highlights:** Guided PE therapy exercises, Progress tracking and recording, Distress tolerance techniques, Controlled breathing exercises, Therapy session reminders, Audio recording of sessions

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### FreeCBT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freecbt/id1516063390)

This app provides a digital thought diary to practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It helps users identify and challenge negative automatic thoughts, retrain their brains, and ultimately improve mood and behavior. It's an open-source tool for self-help and as a companion to traditional therapy.

**Highlights:** Thought diary, Challenge automatic thoughts, Identify cognitive distortions, Train alternative thoughts, Open source, CBT self-help tool

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 💰 Completely free with no ads or subscriptions
- 🎯 Effective CBT methodology in 3-column format
- ⚡ Quick and easy to use in the moment
- 🔒 Private and secure thought tracking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Swipe navigation causes accidental distortion selection
- 💾 Data loss issue after app updates
- ⌨️ Keyboard covers input area while typing
- 📱 Limited cross-device synchronization
- 🎨 Missing dark mode option

**Reported bugs**

- Swiping from distortion page selects/deselects distortions unintentionally
- App update deleted all past user entries
- Keyboard covers answer input area on some screens
- Swipe navigation doesn't work properly on certain screens
- Inconsistent touch response during navigation

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Analytics to track thoughts and patterns over time
- Export feature to share entries with therapist or notes app
- Cross-device synchronization
- Bottom navigation bar


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PE Coach 2 free?

PE Coach 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is FreeCBT free?

FreeCBT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PE Coach 2 or FreeCBT?

FreeCBT is rated higher. PE Coach 2 averages 2.5 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while FreeCBT averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.

### Do PE Coach 2 or FreeCBT have ads?

Neither PE Coach 2 nor FreeCBT shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PE Coach 2 or FreeCBT?

PE Coach 2 ships an update every 10 months, and FreeCBT every 9 months. Most recently, PE Coach 2 was updated on November 3, 2026 and FreeCBT on November 3, 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.*