Comparison

FreeCBT vs ReframeKit

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

Head to head
About

FreeCBT

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
Read full description

FreeCBT is an open source thought diary for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the "gold standard" of psychotherapy and is widely considered to be one of the most effective, evidence backed treatments for depression, anxiety, and panic. If you go into just about any therapist or psychiatrist, CBT will likely be one of the first treatments they try. FreeCBT is a companion and self-help app for one of the most common formats of CBT. You may have heard it called "the three column technique" or "catch it, check it, change it." Your brain is really good at making you feel exactly what you're thinking. Often, we find ourselves thinking "automatic negative thoughts" that lead us to fume on something that may not be true. That can cause us to feel depressed or anxious. CBT helps you record "automatic thoughts," challenge them with cognitive distortions and then train your brain with an alternative thought. If you do it enough, you can change your thoughts, your moods and your behavior. FreeCBT, a fork of Quirk, is open source under the GPL. You can find the code on Github at: https://github.com/erosson/freecbt

About

ReframeKit

Read full description

When anxious thoughts spiral, ReframeKit gives you a calm space to slow down and reframe them. Built for CBT practice and cognitive restructuring — at home, on your device, without ads or accounts. Each Reframe walks you through the situation that set things off, the emotions it provoked, the automatic thoughts behind them, the cognitive distortions at play, and the reframed thoughts you put in their place. Whether you're working alongside a therapist or building self-awareness on your own, ReframeKit gives you a calm, focused space to slow down and think clearly. What it helps with - Anxiety and anxious overthinking - Low mood and depressive thought patterns - Stress and overwhelm - Self-criticism and harsh inner dialogue - Practice between therapy sessions Features - Guided Reframes — A step-by-step process that captures the situation, the emotions you felt (and how strongly), your automatic thoughts, the cognitive distortions at play, and the reframed thoughts that result. - Cognitive Distortion Library — Learn to recognize common distortions like catastrophizing, mind reading, and all-or-nothing thinking, with built-in descriptions for each. - Emotion Tracking with Intensity Ratings — Name what you feel and rate how strongly, so you can see shifts in mood over time. - Draft Autosave — Your in-progress Reframe is continuously saved automatically. Quit midway and pick up exactly where you left off. - Past Reframes — Revisit past Reframes to spot recurring patterns and notice your growth. - Full-Text Search — Quickly search across your Reframes — situations, automatic thoughts, challenges, and reframed thoughts alike. - Recently Deleted — Deleted Reframes are kept for 30 days, so accidental deletions are easy to restore. - Backup & Restore — Your data is yours. Back up your Reframes for safekeeping or restore them onto a new device. - Helpful Tips — Gentle in-app guidance helps you get the most out of each step. - Simple, Focused Interface — A clean, distraction-free design that keeps you grounded in the reflection process. A note from the developer ReframeKit is free — genuinely free, with no ads, no subscriptions, and no accounts. I built it because MoodKit, an app I relied on for years, is no longer available, and I wanted that kind of tool to exist again. Your Reframes stay on your device. ReframeKit is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're in crisis, please reach out to a qualified professional or local emergency services.

Screenshots

FreeCBT3 screens
ReframeKit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ReframeKit at every 3 days against FreeCBT's every 9 months. ReframeKit also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). FreeCBT's advantage is ratings volume (170 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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

ReframeKit 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FreeCBT ships an update every 9 months, ReframeKit every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
FreeCBT versus ReframeKit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFreeCBTReframeKit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (170 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews96.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings170 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better26
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB10 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperEvan RossonTSZ HO JASPER WANG

Bugs and requests

FreeCBT

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

12 requests
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • Ability to tag or categorize thoughts by topic
  • Filter and view thoughts by category
  • Evidence section with for/against columns
  • Worst case scenario section with probability assessment
  • More detailed examples for alternative thought step
  • Additional cognitive distortion options (jumping to conclusions)
  • Better help documentation and explanations

ReframeKit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

FreeCBT

No in-app purchases

None

ReframeKit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FreeCBT free?
FreeCBT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ReframeKit free?
ReframeKit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FreeCBT or ReframeKit?
ReframeKit is rated higher. FreeCBT averages 4.7 out of 5 from 170 ratings, while ReframeKit averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do FreeCBT or ReframeKit have ads?
Neither FreeCBT nor ReframeKit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FreeCBT or ReframeKit?
FreeCBT ships an update every 9 months, and ReframeKit every 3 days. Most recently, FreeCBT was updated on October 23, 2026 and ReframeKit on October 24, 2026.

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