Distraxt vs Arete
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Distraxt
This app offers quick, interactive activities to help break cycles of overthinking and calm racing thoughts. It provides instant mental relief through playful, science-inspired tools designed to redirect attention and reset your mind.
- Tap to distract activities
- Motion-based focus games
- Quick relief for stress
- Minimal input required
- Designed for anxiety and mental reset
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Feeling stuck in a loop of overthinking? Distraxt is your quick fix to break free. With fast, interactive activities designed to shift your focus, Distraxt helps calm racing thoughts and reset your mind—anytime, anywhere. Why Distraxt Works When your thoughts won’t stop, even a few seconds of distraction can make a difference. Distraxt gives you instant mental relief through playful, science-inspired tools that redirect attention and interrupt overthinking patterns. Inside Distraxt: - Tap to Distract: Pop bubbles, clear shapes, burst stress. - Tilt and Focus: Use motion-based mini-games to shift your attention. - Quick Relief: Activities built for short, high-stress moments. - Minimal Input: No logins, no pressure—just open and play. - Feel the Change: Designed for anxiety, stress, or simple mental reset. Distraxt is your pocket tool for mental clarity. No fluff. Just fast, effective distraction when you need it most. Download now and stop overthinking—one tap at a time. Terms of Use: https://shiningmuffin.com/terms-and-conditions/
Arete
This AI-powered personal development app uses Stoic philosophy to guide self-improvement. Interact with historical figures as your personal counselors to challenge your thinking, build disciplines, and hold yourself accountable to your ideal self.
- AI-powered personal development
- Cabinet of 23 historical counselors
- Customizable daily routines
- Discipline streak tracking
- Personalized essays
- Focus timer and deep work tracker
- Journaling and goal setting
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Arete: Be Who You Want to Be Most self-improvement apps tell you what to do. Arete asks who you want to become. Arete is an AI-powered personal development app built on Stoic philosophy. At its core is your Cabinet — a council of 23 philosophers, warriors, leaders, and thinkers who know you, challenge you, and hold you to the standard you set for yourself. Speak with Marcus Aurelius about what's keeping you stuck. Ask Epictetus why you keep making the same mistake. Bring a decision to the full Cabinet and hear it debated from every angle. The conversations are grounded in the actual writings of each counselor — not generic advice dressed in historical costume. What's inside Arete: The Cabinet — 23 counselors across Stoics, warriors, athletes, builders, writers, and spiritual traditions. Each one has a distinct voice, philosophy, and way of pushing back. Daily Routine — Customizable morning and evening checklists. Build the disciplines that matter and keep the chain unbroken. Days of Discipline — A streak that tracks whether you showed up fully, every day. Your Scrolls — Personalized essays written in your counselor's voice on the topics that matter to you right now. Focus Timer — A reading and deep work tracker that logs your sessions and pages over time. Journal — Capture reflections, quotes, ideas, and beliefs. Let Socrates examine them. Goals — Set goals by category, track progress, and let your counselors hold you accountable. Arete is built for the person who genuinely wants to close the gap between who they are and who they ought to be. Not who they want others to think they are. Who they ought to be. That is what this is for. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arete at none against Distraxt's 2. Arete also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Distraxt's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Distraxt sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Arete asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Distraxt against 5.0 for Arete. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
Distraxt ships an update every 2 weeks, Arete every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Distraxt | Arete |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 109 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shining Muffin LLC | Kyle Emery |
Customer experience
Distraxt
Arete
In-app purchases
Distraxt
- Unlock Your Best Self$9.991 Month
- Try Your Best Self7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Arete
No in-app purchases









