Comparison

mindswarms vs Just Checking In.

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

Head to head
About

mindswarms

Participate in research studies and earn money by sharing your opinions through short video responses. Get paid quickly via PayPal for your insights.

Highlights
  • Participate in research studies
  • Earn money for opinions
  • Record short video responses
  • Receive PayPal payments
  • Get paid within 24 hours
Features
Read full description

Join the mindswarms community and earn money participating in research studies. It’s simple - Complete your profile, browse studies, apply, and we’ll notify you with studies right for you. Share your wisdom - Record 40-60 second videos of yourself responding to study questions. Get paid - Receive $10 to $50 (and sometimes more) per study in 24 hours via PayPal.

About

Just Checking In.

Stay connected with loved ones by sharing your well-being status with simple check-ins. Receive notifications if a check-in is missed, ensuring safety and peace of mind for both you and your contacts. Strengthen bonds and support mental health with this convenient companion app.

Highlights
  • Simple check-ins to share well-being
  • Notifications for missed check-ins
  • Customizable check-in reminders
  • Create circles of friends and family
  • Emergency text alerts for missed check-ins
  • Vacation mode
Features
Read full description

Know how the people you love are really doing. Just Checking In is a private daily emotional check-in app that helps you, your family, friends, and trusted circle share how you feel, stay connected, and know when it may be time to reach out. With one tap, let the people you choose know you’re okay without another phone call or crowded text thread. If someone suddenly stops checking in, their circle can be notified. Premium can also send a missed check-in SMS to a chosen alert contact, even if that person does not have the app. No pressure. No performance. Just an honest emotional check-in and a simple way to show you care. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose how you’re feeling. 2. Share your check-in with your private circle. 3. Build a consistent emotional wellness habit. 4. If a scheduled check-in is missed, the right people can be notified. FEATURES DAILY EMOTIONAL CHECK-INS Share your emotional status in one tap. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Only the people you choose can see your check-ins. TRUSTED CIRCLE Create a private group of family members, friends, and supporters. MOOD TRACKER AND HISTORY Review your check-ins over time, notice emotional patterns, and build greater self-awareness. CUSTOM REMINDERS Choose a daily check-in time that fits your routine. Premium supports multiple check-in times. MISSED CHECK-IN ALERTS Your circle can be notified when a scheduled check-in is missed. Premium can also alert a chosen contact by SMS, even if they do not use the app. PRIVATE CHAT Stay connected with your circle inside the app without starting another group text. VACATION MODE Pause scheduled check-ins while traveling or off the grid to avoid unnecessary alerts. FULL CONTROL Manage your circle, check-ins, and account. Delete your account anytime. CHOOSE YOUR PLAN FREE • Multiple daily check-in times (scheduled or surprise) • Add All Friends and Family • 30-day check-in history • 30-day chat history • Core in-app notifications PREMIUM • Stored check-in history • Stored chat history • Annual Check-In Pattern • Missed check-in SMS alerts WHO IT’S FOR Just Checking In is designed for people living alone, families separated by distance, aging parents and the people who care about them, students away from home, veterans, close friends, and anyone building a daily emotional wellness or safety check-in routine. It is also for the friend group that promised to check on one another more often and wants an easy way to follow through. Just Checking In supports real human connection, emotional awareness, and peace of mind. It is not therapy, medical care, an emergency service, a safety guarantee, or a crisis line. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or crisis, contact local emergency services or an appropriate crisis resource. Because the people who care about you shouldn’t have to wonder. Download Just Checking In and start your first emotional check-in today. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Premium is offered as an auto-renewing annual subscription. Pricing varies by location and is shown before purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime through your App Store. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy [support@justcheckingin.co]

Screenshots

mindswarms4 screens
Just Checking In.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: mindswarms at none against Just Checking In.'s 5. mindswarms also leads on ratings volume (381 vs 86). Just Checking In.'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (76% vs 68%). On price, rating, ads 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

Both are free to download. Just Checking In. sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. mindswarms asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for mindswarms against 4.1 for Just Checking In.. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 381 and 86 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of mindswarms's written reviews are positive against 76% of Just Checking In.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

mindswarms ships an update every 2 months, Just Checking In. weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
mindswarms versus Just Checking In.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermindswarmsJust Checking In.
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (381 ratings)4.1 (86 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.5% of reviews75.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings381 — better86
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB57 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMindSwarms, Inc.Heraclius LLC

Customer experience

mindswarms

All ratings381 ratings
Positive76.4%
Neutral5.0%
Negative18.6%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive67.5%
Neutral7.5%
Negative25.0%

Just Checking In.

All ratings86 ratings
Positive79.1%
Neutral11.6%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral11.4%
Negative12.7%

User reviews

mindswarms

From 381 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💰 Good pay for surveys
  • ⚡ Fast payment
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🤑 Legitimate earnings

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Rare survey opportunities
  • 🤔 Inconsistent experiences
  • 🤷‍♂️ Lack of communication
  • 🤬 Payment issues

Just Checking In.

From 86 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy-to-use interface
  • 💡 Innovative concept for mental health tracking
  • 🔗 Effective support circle/accountability feature
  • ⏰ Customizable reminder notifications
  • 📊 Mood history and tracking capability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app freezing and crashes
  • 🐛 Setup/onboarding process broken
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Unreliable notification system
  • 🐛 Missing check-in alerts

Bugs and requests

mindswarms

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App freezing/crashing
  • Issues with video uploads

Requested features

3 requests
  • More frequent survey opportunities
  • Push notifications for new surveys
  • Better customer support

Just Checking In.

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App freezes during onboarding/tour
  • Cannot scroll through setup screens
  • Keyboard covers input fields during registration
  • Inconsistent reminder notifications
  • False alerts about missed check-ins
Show 6 more
  • Check-in data not syncing to circle members
  • Random data deletion
  • App crashes when checking in
  • Emergency contact feature not working properly
  • Subscription pricing confusion
  • UI freezing and locking up

Requested features

16 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Mental health articles and educational content
  • Mood trend graphs and analytics
  • Direct messaging between circle members
  • Suggested mood descriptors/prompts
Show 11 more
  • Self-care activity suggestions
  • Motivational quotes based on mood
  • Task/checklist functionality
  • Meditation and breathing exercise reminders
  • Community forums for peer support
  • Contact import from phone
  • Multiple fixed check-in times per day
  • Adjustable alert windows (not just 24 hours)
  • Activity tracking correlated with mood
  • Better contact discovery within app
  • Engagement features between circle members

In-app purchases

None

mindswarms

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Just Checking In.

Subscriptions5
  • JCI Premium Account$4.991 Month
  • Duo Plan$30.001 Year
  • Advocate$42.001 Year
Show 2 more
  • Premium$42.001 Year
  • Family Plan$80.001 Year

Questions

Is mindswarms free?
mindswarms is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Just Checking In. free?
Just Checking In. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, mindswarms or Just Checking In.?
Just Checking In. is rated higher. mindswarms averages 4.0 out of 5 from 381 ratings, while Just Checking In. averages 4.1 from 86 ratings.
Do mindswarms or Just Checking In. have ads?
Neither mindswarms nor Just Checking In. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, mindswarms or Just Checking In.?
mindswarms ships an update every 2 months, and Just Checking In. weekly. Most recently, mindswarms was updated on October 7, 2026 and Just Checking In. on October 11, 2026.

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