A Survivor's Guide vs esse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
A Survivor's Guide
This app offers 31 days of inspirational stories and expert advice to help users overcome life's challenges and discover their purpose. It provides tools for managing emotions like anxiety, depression, and stress, with actionable steps for personal growth. Additional features include soothing sounds and links to further learning resources.
- 31 days of inspirational stories
- Expert advice from therapists
- Action steps for overcoming challenges
- Soothing sounds for relaxation
- Progress tracking for action steps
- Links to online learning resources
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Explore 31 days of encouragement from motivational speaker Jon Pritikin. Listen as he shares inspirational stories with heart and authenticity. Find tools for overcoming challenges and discovering your purpose in life. Each story Jon tells is paired with expert advice from a licensed marriage and family therapist, who has included Action Steps for overcoming each challenge. This app was created with teens in mind, but it can benefit anyone in need of encouragement. From parents to educators, and students to professionals. The app provides links to additional learning resources online, including resources specifically for parents. Proceed directly to one of the topics below, or follow the 31 day plan. With a topic for each day of the month, find encouragement for when you're feeling: Alone Angry Anxious Bitter Broken Bullied Depressed Discouraged Disconnected Embarrassed Empty Frustrated Guilty Hurt Hopeless Insecure Less-than Numb Out of Control Overwhelmed Paralyzed Purposeless Rejected Sad Scared Scattered Stressed Suicidal Traumatized Unlovable Worthless Additional App Features: Soothing sounds for relaxation and sleep Track progress of action steps in the Thrive section Links to additional online learning resources Links to find a therapist/counselor
esse
This app helps you define your personal vision and values, set meaningful intentions, and track daily actions and gratitude. It guides you to reflect and adjust weekly, fostering coherence between your aspirations and daily life.
- Define personal vision and values
- Set intentions connected to identity
- Log daily actions and gratitude
- Weekly reflection and adjustment
- Connects vision, intention, and action
- Focuses on identity building
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Most personal development apps start with what you do. esse starts with who you want to be. esse is an active intention system that connects four elements in one thread: your personal vision, your intentions, your daily actions, and your gratitude. Everything answers one question: does this bring me closer to who I want to become? HOW ESSE WORKS: - Visualize Your Future. Create dynamic vision boards that keep your goals, dreams, and core values front and center. - Intentions in Action. Go beyond passive. Assign tasks to each intention so you make progress every single day. - Cultivate Gratitude. Celebrate every win along the way. Record daily gratitude entries to maintain alignment, focus, and a positive mindset. - Reflect and adjust. Each week, reflect on your progress. esse analyzes and suggests realistic adjustments. Not perfection — coherence. Made for those who design their life intentionally.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: A Survivor's Guide at 12.4 against esse's 15.0.0. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 A Survivor's Guide against 5.0 for esse. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
A Survivor's Guide ships an update every 6 weeks, esse every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | A Survivor's Guide | esse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 15.0.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BRIAN E. BOYD | Claudia Marcela Calvo Amador |
Customer experience
A Survivor's Guide
esse
In-app purchases
A Survivor's Guide
No in-app purchases
esse
No in-app purchases









