# Gratitude vs Self

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Self at none against Gratitude's 10. Self also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%). Gratitude's advantage is ratings volume (45K vs 7) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gratitude sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Self asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Gratitude against 5.0 for Self. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gratitude has 45K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Gratitude's written reviews are positive against 100% of Self's.

Gratitude ships an update every 8 days, Self every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gratitude | Self |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (45K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gratitude-self-care-journal/id1372575227/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/self-caring/id6748835046/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **45K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 99 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hapjoy Technologies Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1372575226) | [The Self-Care Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827539650) |

## What reviewers say

### Gratitude

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gratitude-self-care-journal/id1372575227)

This self-care application offers a gratitude journal, positive affirmations, and vision boards to enhance mental well-being and self-love. It provides daily motivation, prompts, and customizable tools to help users cultivate a positive mindset and achieve their goals.

**Highlights:** Gratitude journal with prompts, Positive daily affirmations, Customizable vision boards, Daily motivation and quotes, Voice recording for entries, Add photos to journal entries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly pro plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly pro: Free trial | $4.99 | per month |
| Gratitude Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Quarterly pro plan | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual pro plan | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Gratitude Pro | $34.99 | per year |
| Gratitude Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Gratitude Pro | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Simple and easy to use
- 🎨 Beautiful and customizable interface
- 🔍 Helpful prompts and challenges
- 📚 Useful affirmations and daily quotes
- 🗓️ Convenient daily journaling

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription fees for full access
- 🔧 Some features not fully customizable
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or bugs
- 🔍 Limited search functionality for affirmations

**Reported bugs**

- Affirmation playback issues
- Inconsistent font changes after updates
- Difficulty canceling subscriptions

**Requested features**

- Allow editing of past journal entries
- Expand vision board capabilities
- Add option to change journal background color
- Improve affirmation playback and customization
- Integrate with more cloud storage options


### Self

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/self-caring/id6748835046)

Access your self-care courses and community sanctuary on the go. This app brings your learning and practices directly to your mobile device, making self-care accessible anywhere.

**Highlights:** Access self-care courses, Connect to The Self-Care Sanctuary, Mobile learning, On-the-go practices, Personalized self-care tools

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gratitude free?

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

### Is Self free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Gratitude or Self?

Self is rated higher. Gratitude averages 4.9 out of 5 from 45K ratings, while Self averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Gratitude or Self have ads?

Neither Gratitude nor Self shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Gratitude or Self?

Gratitude ships an update every 8 days, and Self every 3 weeks. Most recently, Gratitude was updated on November 9, 2026 and Self on October 30, 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.*