Comparison

Coping Coach by VA vs CalmiGo

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

Head to head
About

Coping Coach by VA

This app offers tools and resources to help users build resilience, manage stress, and improve well-being during challenging times. It provides customized support for coping, staying healthy, and navigating life changes like parenting or working from home. Users can track their mood and access additional help.

Highlights
  • Build resilience
  • Manage stress
  • Increase well-being
  • Coping resources
  • Mood tracking
  • Progress visualization
Features
Read full description

Life can be overwhelming, and we all face moments of stress, uncertainty, and change. Coping Coach is designed to help you build resilience, manage stress, and increase your well-being whenever you need it most. The app is free, secure, and connects you to important resources for coping and adapting through life's challenges. Customized tools are available to help you cope with stress, stay well, and stay connected whether you're navigating daily pressures, caregiving responsibilities, or major life transitions. You can track your mood, visualize your progress, and find resources to seek additional help and support. No account or password is required and user data is not collected. Coping Coach was made by the mobile mental health team of the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination & Training Division.

About

CalmiGo

This app guides you through techniques to reduce stress and anxiety using a connected device. It offers personalized breathing, multi-sensory stimulation, and calming scents for immediate relief and long-term well-being.

Highlights
  • Personalized breathing regulation
  • Multi-sensory stimulation
  • Calming scents
  • Guided wellness journey
  • Interactive game for safe environment building
  • Tutorial for device usage
Read full description

TAKING BACK CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE WITH CALMIGO. The stress of daily life gets to us all. Family, relationships, past trauma, career, health factors, and the general state of the world can make achieving a state of calm and productivity challenging for so many of us. If you suffer from anxiety-related challenges, please remember that you are not alone. Meet CalmiGo CalmiGo is a patented technology-based wellness device that provides immediate natural relief in moments of stress, anxiousness, and distress. Proven Science, New Technology 3 proven techniques to decrease stress hormone levels by enabling your body to quiet the “stressful” nervous system (sympathetic system) and activating the “calming” nervous system (parasympathetic system) - Personalized Breathing Regulation - Multi-Sensory Stimulation - Calming Scents EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE CALM IN 3 MINUTES - Follow our cues, we'll take care of the results - Enjoy the experience of mental health improvement - Calming tools you can use anywhere, anytime - Get rewarded for your progress - Rely on CalmiGo to help you in moments of distress CALMIGO APP Our app was designed to help you achieve immediate as well as long-term relief by delivering a unique and personalized solution, taking the burden off your shoulders. FEATURES INCLUDE: - Tutorial An easy-to-follow guide on how to use CalmiGo. No prior knowledge needed. - Journey screen Follow the cues and let our app guide you on your way toward improved well-being. - Game screen Build and expand your safe environment in a fun and engaging way. CalmiGo has been featured in Forbes, KTLA 5, ABC 10, and Living Well Magazine. Please note: You must have a CalmiGo device to use this app. You can order your device from www.calmigo.com CalmiGo is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness. It All Starts With One Exhale.

Screenshots

Coping Coach by VA4 screens
CalmiGo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Coping Coach by VA at free against CalmiGo's free with in-app purchases. Coping Coach by VA also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 76%) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 458). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Coping Coach by VA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 458 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Coping Coach by VA's written reviews are positive against 76% of CalmiGo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Coping Coach by VA versus CalmiGo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoping Coach by VACalmiGo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better4.6 (458 ratings)
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews — better75.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better458
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size197 MB107 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUS Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)Dendro Technologies Inc

Customer experience

Coping Coach by VA

All ratings1,542 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral8.3%
Negative4.2%

CalmiGo

All ratings427 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.5%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral6.4%
Negative17.9%

User reviews

Coping Coach by VA

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🛟 Helpful for mental health
  • 💯 Effective coping strategies
  • 🆓 Free and ad-free
  • 🎯 Tracks progress well

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Not compatible with iPhone
  • 🌐 Limited offline functionality

CalmiGo

From 458 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😌 Helps with anxiety and stress
  • 🧘‍♀️ Promotes mindful breathing
  • 🎖️ Recommended for veterans
  • 😌 Provides a sense of calm
  • 😌 Helps with panic attacks

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App occasionally buggy
  • 🐛 Daily rewards not granted
  • 🐛 App requires frequent syncing
  • 🐛 Device locked out if not synced
  • 🐛 Subscription mandatory for app use

Bugs and requests

Coping Coach by VA

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Login issues on some devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • COVID-19 screening feature
  • More customization options

CalmiGo

Reported bugs

26 issues
  • App greets with initial setup screen
  • Unable to access app after setup
  • No option to login to existing account
  • Daily Rewards not granting any rewards
  • App requires syncing every couple weeks or device locks out
Show 21 more
  • Device does not sync
  • Takes too long for weak reward
  • Customer service is hardly adequate
  • App won't synchronize with device
  • 7 day streak feature doesn't work
  • App stuck on day one streak
  • The lights instead of blue could be yellow
  • Cannot set timer for less than 3 minutes
  • App is a game that distracts from core function
  • Device broke in less than 3 weeks
  • Horrible customer service
  • Poorly managed app
  • Did not get email containing activation code
  • Support is practically non existent
  • App is horrible and won't synchronize
  • No fix available for sync issues
  • The app is disappointing, expecting tracking and data
  • Daily time lock prevents progression
  • App is absurd and required for anxiety device
  • Login screen freezes
  • App crashes

Requested features

8 requests
  • Allow adjustment of session timer below 3 minutes
  • Integrate with smartwatches for heart rate monitoring
  • Add more features to the app
  • Make the 'game' an optional feature
  • Provide data and insights on breathing patterns
Show 3 more
  • Correlate the 'game' with breathing during sessions
  • Change blue light to yellow for sleep disruption
  • Allow users to manage subscriptions directly

In-app purchases

None

Coping Coach by VA

No in-app purchases

None

CalmiGo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Coping Coach by VA free?
Coping Coach by VA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CalmiGo free?
CalmiGo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Coping Coach by VA or CalmiGo?
Coping Coach by VA is rated higher. Coping Coach by VA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while CalmiGo averages 4.6 from 458 ratings.
Do Coping Coach by VA or CalmiGo have ads?
Neither Coping Coach by VA nor CalmiGo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Coping Coach by VA or CalmiGo?
Coping Coach by VA ships an update every 2 months, and CalmiGo every 2 months. Most recently, Coping Coach by VA was updated on November 3, 2026 and CalmiGo on November 7, 2026.

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