# DBT Coach vs FreeCBT

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FreeCBT at none against DBT Coach's 3. FreeCBT also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 69%). DBT Coach's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 170). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. DBT Coach sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. FreeCBT asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for DBT Coach against 4.7 for FreeCBT. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DBT Coach has 1.7K ratings behind it against 170, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of DBT Coach's written reviews are positive against 96% of FreeCBT's.

DBT Coach ships an update fortnightly, FreeCBT every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DBT Coach | FreeCBT |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dbt-coach/id1452264969/reviews) | **[4.7 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freecbt/id1516063390/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 170 |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | **96.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 139 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Resiliens Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1295868545) | [Evan Rosson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516063389) |

## What reviewers say

### DBT Coach

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dbt-coach/id1452264969)

Learn and practice Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills to manage emotions, build resilience, and improve relationships. This app offers expert-created lessons, interactive exercises, and progress tracking to support personal growth and emotional well-being.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive DBT skills library, Interactive video lessons and animated guides, AI-powered personalized skills coach, Intuitive diary card for mood tracking, Progress visualization and clinician sharing, Guided meditations and self-reflection questionnaires, Crisis support hotlines

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $11.99 | per month |
| Family Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Six Month Subscription | $59.99 | per 6 months |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent interface and packed with skills and tools
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🌟 Helpful for managing BPD, anxiety, and depression
- 📚 Comprehensive DBT content and lessons
- 💻 Seamless integration with therapist's app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription, especially for those with limited means
- 🔒 Paywall blocks access to important features like crisis support
- 🐛 Frequent bugs, crashes, and login issues
- 🔄 Constantly logging users out, requiring re-authentication
- 📝 Editing and customization options are limited

**Reported bugs**

- Diary card entries not saving properly
- Inability to log food or physical activity
- Apple Health integration not working
- Certain meditations and lessons not functioning
- Inconsistent performance and unexpected crashes

**Requested features**

- Allow more customization of diary card and tracked items
- Improve stability and reduce bugs
- Offer more affordable subscription options
- Add ability to share diary entries with multiple providers
- Improve navigation and make the app more user-friendly


### 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 DBT Coach free?

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

### Is FreeCBT free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DBT Coach or FreeCBT?

FreeCBT is rated higher. DBT Coach averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while FreeCBT averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.

### Do DBT Coach or FreeCBT have ads?

Neither DBT Coach nor FreeCBT shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DBT Coach or FreeCBT?

DBT Coach ships an update fortnightly, and FreeCBT every 9 months. Most recently, DBT Coach was updated on October 26, 2026 and FreeCBT on October 23, 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.*