12 Steps Companion vs AA 12 Steps Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
12 Steps Companion
This app provides a modernized digital version of the Big Book for Alcoholics Anonymous members. It features a sobriety calculator, notes, contact database, and a powerful search function to aid in recovery.
- Modernized Big Book reader
- Dark mode and adjustable font size
- Enhanced sobriety calculator with widgets
- AA contacts database with integrated maps
- Powerful search and concordance tool
- Collection of prayers and promises
- Note-taking and sharing capabilities
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First developed in 2008, 12 Steps Companion was the world’s first recovery app. It is a reader, sobriety tracker, and recovery toolkit. The reader covers the first 164 pages of Alcoholics Anonymous, plus more than 60 personal stories, the original forewords, and the appendices from the First and Second Editions. Dark mode, highlighting, adjustable type, a concordance search, and a built-in dictionary are included. Also available: 12 Steps Speakers, for talks recorded by members around the world. KEY FEATURES UNIVERSAL • Built for iPhone and iPad • Cloud-themed design and a quiet, discrete home-screen icon SOBRIETY CALCULATOR & WIDGETS • Sobriety length on the launch screen • Home-screen widgets with years, months, days, and hours THE READER • Dark mode • Highlight and unhighlight text • Adjustable font size • Full-screen reading in portrait or landscape • First 164 pages, plus 60+ stories from the 1st and 2nd editions • Original forewords and appendices • Page numbers and quick page jump • Tap any word to define it • Collapsible index • Return to a bookmark from any note SEARCH • Full concordance • Results highlighted in place PRAYERS & PROMISES • Morning and night prayers • Prayers from the Twelve Steps • Prayer of St. Francis • Promises collected from the text NOTES • Highlight a passage and attach a note • Share via Messages, Mail, and other apps • App attribution is added when you share CONTACTS • U.S. central offices, areas, districts, and answering services • Tap to call, email, or open a website • Maps and directions • Add your own contacts SUPPORT Questions or feedback: www.deanhuff.com Only stories from the 1st and 2nd editions are included • This app is available to U.S. customers only Not affiliated with AA World Services, Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous and The Big Book are registered trademarks of AA World Services, Inc. Please support A.A. by purchasing a printed copy from your local central office.
AA 12 Steps Guide
This app offers a concise interpretation of the 12 steps for sober living, compiled by early members of the organization. It provides guidance through the 12-step program and helps users find nearby meetings.
- 12 Step Guide interpretation
- Sober living rules
- Search for meetings
- Concise explanations
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AA 12 Steps Guide - For Alcoholic Anonymous is intended as a simple, short and concise interpretation of the rules for sober living as compiled by the earliest members of the organization. Great care has gone into the preparation of the pamphlet. Most of the ideas and explanations were brought out in a series of instruction classes conducted by veteran members of AA. - Follow the 12 step Guide for guidance - Search for meetings near you Optimized for iOS 10, iPhone 7, 7 Plus or earlier.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: 12 Steps Companion at 4.5 against AA 12 Steps Guide's 3.4. 12 Steps Companion also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 40%) and ratings volume (144 vs 5). AA 12 Steps Guide's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $2.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
12 Steps Companion costs $2.99 and AA 12 Steps Guide $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
12 Steps Companion holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 12 Steps Companion has 144 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of 12 Steps Companion's written reviews are positive against 40% of AA 12 Steps Guide's.
12 Steps Companion ships an update every 2 months, AA 12 Steps Guide every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 12 Steps Companion | AA 12 Steps Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (144 ratings) — better | 3.4 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.8% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 144 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #5 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Dean Huff | MTPHoldings LLC |
Customer experience
12 Steps Companion
AA 12 Steps Guide
Bugs and requests
12 Steps Companion
Reported bugs
17 issues- Search feature kicks user off the app
- App crashes after using search feature
- Lost bookmarks after deleting and reinstalling
- Lost all data after deleting and reinstalling
- Sobriety counter is off by a day or more
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- Page numbers do not correspond to the printed Big Book
- Table of contents does not list page numbers
- Highlighting a passage sometimes deletes it
- App not working in newer iOS versions
- Sobriety date changes by mistake when changing time zones
- Notes do not save or travel between devices
- Text resizing not working
- Calculator not calculating correctly
- App does not save sobriety date on new installations
- Search by page number not working
- Typographical errors in the text
- Incorrect wording in the 5th Tradition
Requested features
27 requests- Add newer editions of AA literature
- Include specific missing stories (e.g., acceptance prayer, resentment prayer, Dr. Paul's story, Acceptance is the Answer)
- Update preamble and conference-approved material
- Include the 12x12 text
- Add the AA World Service Manual
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- Add the Concepts
- Add push notifications for morning/evening prompts
- Add page numbers to the index
- Make page numbers match the printed Big Book
- Allow text resizing/font adjustment
- Improve notes functionality (saving, syncing, visibility)
- Add different highlight colors
- Allow notes within the text (e.g., word definitions)
- Add the Preface and Forewords from newer editions
- Update the app for current OS versions
- Allow annotation of text with notes
- Enable multitasking feature or disable splash screen
- Add contacts for areas, intergroups, and hotlines
- Include other appendices, specifically the Traditions appendix
- Add Dr. Paul's story from the third edition
- Add the 12x12 book
- Add the 24 book
- Improve the sobriety calculator accuracy and appearance
- Allow multiple, named bookmarks
- Add highlighting feature
- Landscape book reading
- Central office contacts linked to apps
AA 12 Steps Guide
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
12 Steps Companion
No in-app purchases
AA 12 Steps Guide
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 12 Steps Companion free?
Is AA 12 Steps Guide free?
Which has better reviews, 12 Steps Companion or AA 12 Steps Guide?
Do 12 Steps Companion or AA 12 Steps Guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, 12 Steps Companion or AA 12 Steps Guide?
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