Comparison

Vaping and Health Study vs Surfacing

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

Head to head
About

Vaping and Health Study

This research app collects data for a Harvard study on vaping and health. It allows remote participation through health and wellbeing surveys and provides a dashboard to track participant progress. Interested individuals can contact the study organizers for more information.

Highlights
  • Health and wellbeing surveys
  • Remote participation
  • Progress tracking dashboard
  • Data collection tool
Features
Read full description

The Vaping and Health Study app was designed using AppLab as the data collection tool for the Harvard Vaping and Health Study, a research project looking at the relationship between vaping and health. The app administers a series of health and wellbeing surveys to allow remote participation and engagement. In addition to administering surveys, the app provides a dashboard to track participants' progress. If you would like to learn more about the study or are interested in participating, please contact vhs@hsph.harvard.edu

About

Surfacing

This app allows you to privately track your mental health symptoms, including triggers, intensity, and coping mechanisms. It helps you identify patterns over time and securely share encrypted reports with your therapist. Designed for privacy with no account or internet connection required.

Highlights
  • Log symptoms, intensity, feelings, and triggers
  • Track coping skills and their effectiveness
  • Identify personal mental health patterns
  • Organize tracking for 40+ specific conditions
  • Export encrypted, password-protected reports
  • Private, offline, and ad-free design
Features
Read full description

A pause in the moment. A record for therapy. Surfacing is a private mental health symptom tracker. When something hits, log what happened, how intense it was, what set it off, and what you did about it. Over time your entries show your patterns, and you can share them with your therapist as an encrypted report. No account, no internet connection, and your data stays encrypted on your phone. https://surfacingapp.com LOG IT IN THE MOMENT • What happened, how intense it was (1-10), feelings and physical symptoms • What set it off, any numbing behavior, and the coping skill you used, plus whether it helped • Questions specific to your condition, for PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression, BFRBs, and more SEE YOUR PATTERNS • Intensity over time, when episodes happen, and your most common triggers and feelings • Which coping skills you rated as helpful • Segments: save date ranges to keep separate periods apart, like a run of episodes or a time of grief • Filter by date, intensity, and time of day, or build your own charts SHARE WITH YOUR THERAPIST • Export an encrypted, password-protected report that opens in any browser, no app required • Interactive charts, filters, and the full entry history, plus CSV and AI-readable JSON • Send everything, or just one segment CONDITIONS SUPPORTED Surfacing organizes 40+ conditions into 10 clinical groups, so tracking matches your actual diagnosis: • Trauma & Anxiety: PTSD, complex PTSD, GAD, panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias, agoraphobia • Mood: major depression, bipolar I and II, dysthymia, cyclothymia, seasonal affective disorder, PMDD • OCD Spectrum: OCD, health anxiety, contamination, harm, symmetry, and relationship OCD • Neurodevelopmental: ADHD, autism, Tourette and tic disorders • Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: trichotillomania, skin picking, nail biting, body dysmorphia • Eating Disorders: anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, ARFID • Behavioral & Impulse: intermittent explosive disorder, ODD, substance use, gambling • Psychotic Spectrum: schizophrenia, schizoaffective, dissociative disorders • Personality & Relational: borderline personality disorder, rejection sensitive dysphoria • Somatic & Sleep: migraine, insomnia, chronic pain Don't see yours? Add a custom condition. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account or email required • Works offline. Nothing leaves your device unless you export it • AES-256 encrypted database • Unlocks with Face ID, fingerprint, or a PIN • HIPAA-aligned security practices • No ads, no analytics, no tracking of any kind • Device loss means data loss, so keep your exports somewhere safe Surfacing is a personal tracking and self-monitoring tool, not a medical device. It does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or clinical advice. Always work with a qualified mental health professional for your care.

Screenshots

Vaping and Health Study4 screens
Surfacing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Surfacing at every 4 days against Vaping and Health Study's every 2 months. Surfacing also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). Vaping and Health Study's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Vaping and Health Study against 5.0 for Surfacing. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vaping and Health Study ships an update every 2 months, Surfacing every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Vaping and Health Study versus Surfacing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVaping and Health StudySurfacing
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB40 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHarvard UniversityCorrick Knight

Customer experience

Vaping and Health Study

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Surfacing

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Vaping and Health Study

No in-app purchases

None

Surfacing

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vaping and Health Study free?
Vaping and Health Study is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Surfacing free?
Surfacing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Vaping and Health Study or Surfacing?
Vaping and Health Study and Surfacing are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Vaping and Health Study or Surfacing have ads?
Neither Vaping and Health Study nor Surfacing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Vaping and Health Study or Surfacing?
Vaping and Health Study ships an update every 2 months, and Surfacing every 4 days. Most recently, Vaping and Health Study was updated on November 4, 2026 and Surfacing on November 9, 2026.

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