# FreeCBT vs Safety Plan

The clearest difference is rating: Safety Plan at 5.0 against FreeCBT's 4.7. Safety Plan also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). FreeCBT's advantage is update cadence (every 9 months vs every 22 months) and ratings volume (170 vs 23). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Safety Plan holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FreeCBT has 170 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of FreeCBT's written reviews are positive against 100% of Safety Plan's.

FreeCBT ships an update every 9 months, Safety Plan every 22 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | FreeCBT | Safety Plan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freecbt/id1516063390/reviews) | **[5.0 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safety-plan/id1663044514/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **170** | 23 |
| Positive reviews | 96.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 months** | Every 22 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 35 MB | 90 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Evan Rosson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516063389) | [US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)](https://appshunter.io/developer/430646305) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Safety Plan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safety-plan/id1663044514)

This app guides users through creating a personalized safety plan to manage suicidal thoughts and self-harm urges. It offers tools for crisis moments, mood tracking, and access to support resources for individuals and their loved ones.

**Highlights:** Step-by-step safety plan creation, Shareable safety plans, Crisis intervention tools, Mood tracking, Access to crisis support, Informational resources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FreeCBT free?

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

### Is Safety Plan free?

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

### Which has better reviews, FreeCBT or Safety Plan?

Safety Plan is rated higher. FreeCBT averages 4.7 out of 5 from 170 ratings, while Safety Plan averages 5.0 from 23 ratings.

### Do FreeCBT or Safety Plan have ads?

Neither FreeCBT nor Safety Plan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FreeCBT or Safety Plan?

FreeCBT ships an update every 9 months, and Safety Plan every 22 months. Most recently, FreeCBT was updated on November 3, 2026 and Safety Plan on November 3, 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.*