Vaping and Health Study vs Surfacing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Health and wellbeing surveys
- Remote participation
- Progress tracking dashboard
- Data collection tool
Read full descriptionHide 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
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Vaping and Health Study | Surfacing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Harvard University | Corrick Knight |
Customer experience
Vaping and Health Study
Surfacing
In-app purchases
Vaping and Health Study
No in-app purchases
Surfacing
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Vaping and Health Study free?
Is Surfacing free?
Which has better reviews, Vaping and Health Study or Surfacing?
Do Vaping and Health Study or Surfacing have ads?
Which is updated more often, Vaping and Health Study or Surfacing?
Other comparisons















