Comparison

Virtual MotivAider vs Understanding Behavior BCBA

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

Head to head
About

Virtual MotivAider

This tool helps users achieve desired behavioral changes by sending personalized prompts. It replicates the functionality of a dedicated device, reminding you to act on your goals with custom messages and adjustable notification intervals.

Highlights
  • Personalized message triggers
  • Customizable prompt types (vibration, sound, text)
  • Adjustable prompt frequency and intervals
  • Automatic prompt duration setting
  • Pause and resume prompting
  • Multiple behavior change projects
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Virtual MotivAider® is designed to help users of all ages make desired changes in their own behavior and habits. ​ This app is intended to replicate much of the functionality of the MotivAider®, an ingeniously simple dedicated electronic device invented by a clinical psychologist. Since 1987, the MotivAider® device has helped thousands of people in over 50 countries make a wide range of desired behavioral changes. Like the MotivAider® device, Virtual MotivAider® corrects for a largely overlooked glitch in the design of the human mind -- the lack of a dependable mechanism for keeping good intentions "on the front burner" of your mind. By repeatedly sending you signals or prompts that remind and urge you to act in accord with any chosen behavioral objective or goal, the app prevents your good intentions from getting lost in the shuffle. To use the app, you first devise a brief personal message – a word, phrase or image -- that serves as a trigger to remind and urge you to take a specific action required to achieve your goal. Next, you simply associate your personal message with the app’s signals or prompts, so that whenever you receive the prompt, you'll automatically think your personal message and be reminded and urged to take the desired action. Then, you set the app to send you prompts – and therefore your personal message – as often as it takes to get the best possible results. By design, Virtual MotivAider® is simple and straightforward. It has no bells and whistles to distract you from its singular purpose, which is to keep your attention focused on making whatever change in behavior you decide to make. Virtual MotivAider® lets you: • Choose the type(s) of prompts you’d like to receive – from a simple vibration signal (if your device is capable of vibration) and/or a sound (you can even record your personal message in your own voice) and/or a text notification with your personal message. • Get prompts as often as you want – from as often as once every few seconds to as seldom as once a day. • Choose whether to get prompts at Regular intervals (for example, once every 5 minutes), at Average intervals (for example, from 15 minutes to one hour apart with an Average of 30 minutes apart), or even at Random intervals (for example, at random intervals that are no less than 10 seconds apart and no more than 10 minutes apart). • Choose how long to have prompting continue before stopping automatically. • Pause and resume prompting whenever you want. • Create and save multiple behavior change projects. (To achieve the best results, however, we recommend that you work on only one project at a time). • Access the same free habit change resources that help users of the dedicated MotivAider® device achieve great results.

About

Understanding Behavior BCBA

Prepare for your BCBA/BCaBA certification exam with this comprehensive study tool. Access free practice questions, mini mock exams, and courses. Connect with a supportive community and find affordable study materials to help you pass.

Highlights
  • Free mini mock exams
  • Free fluency questions
  • Free courses (coming soon)
  • Notifications for free study groups
  • Access to paid study products
  • Community interaction
Features
Read full description

Prepare for your BCBA/BCaBA exam on the go with the Understanding Behavior App!! Nick's expertise has brought 1000s of BCBAs through the finish line to pass that BEAST of an exam. Want to be next? You're in the right place! Try out our FREE mini mocks, fluency questions, and courses created by an instructor with over 7 years experience teaching BCBA exam prep (and over 13 years of being a bona fide behavior geek!) Liking what you try? Our materials are affordable and effective and can be accessed directly through the app to study on the go!! In this app enjoy: -FREE mini mocks -FREE fluency questions -FREE courses (coming soon) -Notifications of FREE study groups (3+ weekly!!) -Convenient access to paid Understanding Behavior products -A supportive and welcoming community to interact with! -And MORE!!! What are you waiting for? Download the app and start training to crush the beast now!!

Screenshots

Virtual MotivAider4 screens
Understanding Behavior BCBA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Understanding Behavior BCBA at 100% against Virtual MotivAider's 23%. Understanding Behavior BCBA also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (5.0 vs 2.9). Virtual MotivAider's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#125 vs unranked). On ads and device support 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

Understanding Behavior BCBA is free to download; Virtual MotivAider costs $3.99 up front. Understanding Behavior BCBA sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Virtual MotivAider asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Understanding Behavior BCBA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Understanding Behavior BCBA has 89 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Virtual MotivAider's written reviews are positive against 100% of Understanding Behavior BCBA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Virtual MotivAider ships an update every 8 months, Understanding Behavior BCBA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Virtual MotivAider versus Understanding Behavior BCBA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVirtual MotivAiderUnderstanding Behavior BCBA
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating2.9 (7 ratings)5.0 (89 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings789 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#125 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.2
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB119 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBehavioral Dynamics, Inc.Understanding Behavior LLC

Customer experience

Virtual MotivAider

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive23.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative76.9%

Understanding Behavior BCBA

All ratings88 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Virtual MotivAider

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Understanding Behavior BCBA

One-time4
  • Study Hall Notes & Recordings$19.99
  • Fluency Questions$39.99
  • Mini Mocks UB$99.00
Show 1 more
  • Comprehensive BCBA Exam Course$324.99

Questions

Is Virtual MotivAider free?
Virtual MotivAider costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Understanding Behavior BCBA free?
Understanding Behavior BCBA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Virtual MotivAider or Understanding Behavior BCBA?
Understanding Behavior BCBA is rated higher. Virtual MotivAider averages 2.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Understanding Behavior BCBA averages 5.0 from 89 ratings.
Do Virtual MotivAider or Understanding Behavior BCBA have ads?
Neither Virtual MotivAider nor Understanding Behavior BCBA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Virtual MotivAider or Understanding Behavior BCBA?
Virtual MotivAider ships an update every 8 months, and Understanding Behavior BCBA every 2 months. Most recently, Virtual MotivAider was updated on October 25, 2026 and Understanding Behavior BCBA on October 20, 2026.

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