Comparison

The Self Compassion App vs Attention Training

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

Head to head
About

The Self Compassion App

This app offers scientifically-validated practices from Compassion Focused Therapy to help users feel happier, calmer, and more connected. It provides over 50 tools, including guided meditations, breathing exercises, and journaling prompts, to manage stress, anxiety, and self-criticism.

Highlights
  • Compassion Focused Therapy practices
  • Guided meditations and mindfulness audio
  • Breathing tools for present moment awareness
  • Journaling for positivity habits
  • Reflective exercises for difficult emotions
  • Progress tracking surveys
  • Sleep stories and yoga videos
Features
Read full description

The Self-Compassion App is for you if you want to feel happier, calmer & more connected. Whether you get caught up in cycles of stress and anxiety, regularly give yourself a hard time or struggle to relax and enjoy the moment – this app can help. The app includes scientifically-validated practices from Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), with 50+ tools to help you when life gets hard. Be guided by Drs Chris Irons and Elaine Beaumont – leading authorities on self-compassion, who collectively have 40+ years of experience as therapists and have helped tens of thousands of people. This app has undergone a nationwide study, with participants showing significant reductions in stress, anxiety, self criticism, and increases in wellbeing. Anyone can develop self-compassion and enjoy all its benefits – we look forward to showing you how. Why self-compassion? We are often our own harshest critic, talking to ourselves in ways that we would never do our close friends. Given that we spend more time with ourselves than anyone else, isn’t it strange that many of us don’t treat ourselves with the same level of kindness, care and support as we do our close friends? Now is your time to start. With evidence based ideas and exercises from CFT, this app will teach you how to cultivate compassion for yourself and others. Through the course, you’ll learn how to strike a balance between self improvement & self acceptance: teaching you how to have a realistic but kind view of difficulties that arise in life, and giving you the confidence you need to achieve your goals in life, work and relationships. A toolkit for managing the ups and downs of life. Reduce anxiety, stress & depression Improve mood & wellbeing Reduce feelings of shame & low self-esteem Better understand yourself Increase your confidence Improve your productivity Appreciate the good in every day Develop your relationships Feel calm & grounded Be kinder to yourself And more... There’s something for everyone: Visual breathing tools to bring you back to the present Sleep stories & meditations HIIT and yoga videos to get you moving Mindfulness audio guides Cutting-edge tools to measure & improve your heart rate variability Journaling to create habits of positivity Step-by-step reflective exercises to help you manage difficult emotions Surveys to measure your progress And more! About Chris Irons & Elaine Beaumont Dr Chris Irons and Dr Elaine Beaumont are leading therapists and researchers in the field of CFT and compassionate mind training. They have written extensively about the topic, publishing the best seller The Compassionate Mind Workbook: A Step by Step Guide to Cultivating your Compassionate self. Join our community We’re so excited to see you all loving the app – we’re passionate about the benefits of self-compassion and feel very lucky to be able to share the joys of it with others. "I've had a problem with low self-esteem, always thinking that I'm not good enough and this app has helped me immensely." Stacey Hodkinson "It's been really helpful and made me much more aware of my negative thought patterns ... I'm feeling more confident and more courageous." Patricia Quinn "It's almost like 28 therapy sessions, but with tools to support you when you need." Dan Stone We know how tricky it can be on your own to turn advice into action. That’s why we’ve created this app – to guide you into applying the best insights from CFT to your own life in daily, actionable steps so that you can create meaningful change. We know therapy isn’t an option for everyone – our mission is to create an app that is more effective than a book, and more accessible than therapy. Terms of use https://www.psyt.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/

About

Attention Training

This app offers guided exercises based on the Attention Training Technique to help you develop greater control over your focus. It aims to reduce rumination and overthinking by strengthening attentional flexibility. Regular practice can lead to improved concentration and intentional attention direction.

Highlights
  • Attention Training Technique (ATT) exercises
  • Guided focus training
  • Develop attentional flexibility
  • Reduce rumination and overthinking
  • Improve concentration
  • Direct attention intentionally
Features
Read full description

Train your attention. Quiet your mind. Take back control of your focus. Built around the Attention Training Technique (ATT), this app provides a structured way to practise attention training and develop greater control over where your focus goes. Through guided exercises, you learn to shift attention deliberately rather than becoming stuck in worries, distractions, overthinking or repetitive thoughts. Originally developed as part of metacognitive approaches to mental wellbeing, ATT helps strengthen attentional flexibility by training you to move, sustain and broaden your focus. Regular practice can help you become less caught up in rumination and more able to direct your attention intentionally. Whether you’re looking to improve concentration, reduce overthinking, or build greater control over your attention, Attention Training: ATT Timer provides a simple and practical way to practise.

Screenshots

The Self Compassion App4 screens
Attention Training4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Self Compassion App at Free against Attention Training's $1.99. The Self Compassion App also leads on ratings volume (243 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.4). Attention Training's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, update cadence and device support 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

The Self Compassion App is free to download; Attention Training costs $1.99 up front. The Self Compassion App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $56.99 per year. Attention Training asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Attention Training holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Self Compassion App has 243 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of The Self Compassion App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Attention Training's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Self Compassion App ships an update monthly, Attention Training every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Self Compassion App versus Attention Training: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Self Compassion AppAttention Training
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.8 (243 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings243 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size476 MB37 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPSYTJames Edwards

Customer experience

The Self Compassion App

All ratings243 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews135 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative4.4%

Attention Training

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

The Self Compassion App

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Abrupt ending of audio sessions
  • Occasional issues with sound and connectivity

Requested features

3 requests
  • Quarterly payment plan option
  • Improved synchronization across devices
  • Simpler version with fewer features

Attention Training

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Self Compassion App

Subscriptions2
  • Self-Compassion Premium7 Days trial$56.991 Year
  • Self-Compassion App Premium3 Days trial$56.991 Year
None

Attention Training

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Self Compassion App free?
The Self Compassion App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Attention Training free?
Attention Training costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Self Compassion App or Attention Training?
Attention Training is rated higher. The Self Compassion App averages 4.8 out of 5 from 243 ratings, while Attention Training averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do The Self Compassion App or Attention Training have ads?
The Self Compassion App shows ads; Attention Training does not.
Which is updated more often, The Self Compassion App or Attention Training?
The Self Compassion App ships an update monthly, and Attention Training every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Self Compassion App was updated on October 16, 2026 and Attention Training on October 10, 2026.

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