# Happiful vs Lightly

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Happiful at none against Lightly's 10. Happiful also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (96% vs 81%). Lightly's advantage is ratings volume (5.2K vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lightly sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Happiful asks for nothing beyond the download.

Happiful holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightly has 5.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Happiful's written reviews are positive against 81% of Lightly's.

Happiful ships an update every 2 months, Lightly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Happiful | Lightly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/happiful/id1281540146/reviews)** | [4.8 (5.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightly-wellbeing-companion/id6575383588/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **5.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **95.8% of reviews** | 81.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Memiah Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1122429250) | [Reface Lithuania UAB](https://appshunter.io/developer/1736165250) |

## What reviewers say

### Happiful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/happiful/id1281540146)

Access every edition of a positive mental health magazine on your mobile device. Discover expert-reviewed content, inspiring stories, and practical advice on wellbeing, lifestyle, and self-care.

**Highlights:** All editions of Happiful Magazine, Expert-reviewed content, Mental health advice, Self-care tips, Mindfulness techniques, Nutrition guidance

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lightly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightly-wellbeing-companion/id6575383588)

This app provides AI-powered mental health journaling to help you release stress, clear your head, and understand your moods. It offers gentle prompts and personalized insights to guide your reflections and build habits for better wellbeing.

**Highlights:** AI-powered journaling, Stress release, Mood tracking insights, Personalized wellbeing plans, Voice reflection summaries, Emotional trend analysis, Private and secure data storage

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Annual Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent voice-to-text functionality
- 📊 Insightful analysis and feedback
- 🕰️ Helpful journaling prompts and reminders
- 🎨 Beautiful and user-friendly interface
- 🤖 Powerful AI assistant

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable saving of entries
- 🔍 Inconsistent transcription accuracy
- 🔒 Limited trial period, no free version
- 🔧 Compatibility issues with Apple Pencil
- 🤔 Unclear next steps after initial journaling

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Errors when trying to upload/save journal entries

**Requested features**

- Ability to import journal entries from other apps
- Option to have multiple journals
- Improved syncing between devices
- More customization options for journal prompts


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Happiful free?

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

### Is Lightly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Happiful or Lightly?

Happiful is rated higher. Happiful averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Lightly averages 4.8 from 5.2K ratings.

### Do Happiful or Lightly have ads?

Neither Happiful nor Lightly shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Happiful or Lightly?

Happiful ships an update every 2 months, and Lightly every 2 weeks. Most recently, Happiful was updated on November 3, 2026 and Lightly on November 4, 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.*