# FreeCBT vs CBT Thought Diary App

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FreeCBT at none against CBT Thought Diary App's 2. FreeCBT also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 85%) and ratings volume (170 vs 26). CBT Thought Diary App's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CBT Thought Diary App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. FreeCBT asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for FreeCBT against 4.8 for CBT Thought Diary App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FreeCBT has 170 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of FreeCBT's written reviews are positive against 85% of CBT Thought Diary App's.

FreeCBT ships an update every 9 months, CBT Thought Diary App every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FreeCBT | CBT Thought Diary App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freecbt/id1516063390/reviews) | **[4.8 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbt-thought-diary-app/id6478697575/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **170** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **96.2% of reviews** | 84.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 35 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Evan Rosson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516063389) | [Aly Bairamov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1156046797) |

## 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


### CBT Thought Diary App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbt-thought-diary-app/id6478697575)

This app helps you track and transform your thoughts and emotions using the ABC model of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Log your experiences, gain insights into patterns, and challenge negativity for improved mental well-being. Securely store your data and export progress for personal review or sharing with professionals.

**Highlights:** ABC model thought logging, Historical emotional insights, PDF progress export, Privacy-focused data storage, Positive thinking guidance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CBT Premium Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| CBT Premium Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FreeCBT free?

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

### Is CBT Thought Diary App free?

CBT Thought Diary App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, FreeCBT or CBT Thought Diary App?

CBT Thought Diary App is rated higher. FreeCBT averages 4.7 out of 5 from 170 ratings, while CBT Thought Diary App averages 4.8 from 26 ratings.

### Do FreeCBT or CBT Thought Diary App have ads?

Neither FreeCBT nor CBT Thought Diary App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FreeCBT or CBT Thought Diary App?

FreeCBT ships an update every 9 months, and CBT Thought Diary App every 3 months. Most recently, FreeCBT was updated on October 29, 2026 and CBT Thought Diary App on October 25, 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.*