Comparison

Trouble Tree vs Examined Self

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

Head to head
About

Trouble Tree

This app helps you process life's challenges and foster emotional growth. Log troubles, reframe thoughts, and practice gratitude to cultivate a visual representation of your journey. Access past reflections and gain insights into your progress.

Highlights
  • Log daily troubles
  • Reframe thoughts and take action
  • Practice gratitude
  • Visualize emotional growth
  • Access past reflections
  • Optional therapist export
Read full description

Grow through what you go through. Plant your experiences. Release your troubles. Nurture gratitude. Trouble Tree™ helps you turn life’s challenges into emotional growth—one branch, one root, one moment at a time. 7 days free! How it works: - Log your daily troubles and express what’s on your mind - Reframe your thoughts and take meaningful action - Practice gratitude to strengthen your emotional roots - Reflect, release, and renew - Watch your tree evolve over time as a visual reflection of your journey - Access past trees to revisit progress and gain insight - Optional therapist export for deeper support Why Trouble Tree™? Because emotional growth should be seen, felt, and celebrated. Let your challenges become the soil for something stronger. Subscription Details To unlock the full experience, a subscription is required: - $4.99/month - $39.99/year - Founding Members: $29.99/year — for first year of subscription All options include a 7 days free trial. Early adopters benefit from reduced pricing in the first month of release. By subscribing, you'll gain full access to exclusive features, personal growth tools, and continual updates designed to support your well-being. - Terms of Service: https://www.troubletree.com/_files/ugd/9822f1_136d3cdacf9249f5a35c7bdba62f9e3c.pdf Let Trouble Tree™ help you become more resilient, mindful, and rooted.

About

Examined Self

Read full description

Welcome to Examined Self — a journal for people who want more than just a place to write. It’s a system for thinking, helping you reflect on life’s important questions and apply time-tested wisdom to your own challenges and priorities. Your notes become the starting point for personalized insights that connect your thinking to philosophy, psychology, and powerful mental models — revealing deeper patterns as the system learns from your writing. Begin with a free trial. Continued access requires a subscription. --- WHAT MAKES EXAMINED SELF STAND OUT Many powerful ideas from philosophy, psychology, and decision science can change how we see our lives — but they often remain abstract. Examined Self aims to make those ideas practical and personal, helping people think more clearly about purpose, priorities, decisions, and how to live well. PERSONALIZED INSIGHTS FROM YOUR WRITING As you write, Examined Self generates insights and questions tailored to your notes — helping you see patterns in your thinking and approach challenges more clearly. APPLY TIME-TESTED WISDOM TO YOUR LIFE Ideas from philosophy, psychology, and decision science appear directly in your insights — connecting your writing to ideas that have guided thinkers, creators, and decision-makers for generations. A TIMELINE FOR YOUR THINKING Your writing builds into a timeline of key ideas and reflections, helping you see your thinking across time and return to what matters most. GUIDED BY A LIBRARY OF POWERFUL IDEAS Explore a growing library of concepts, mental models, and prompts designed to deepen reflection and support wiser decisions. INSPIRATION FROM REAL STORIES Learn from thinkers, creators, and historical figures whose stories illuminate your own path. --- SUBSCRIPTIONS & TERMS Examined Self offers a free trial so you can explore everything before subscribing. After the trial, continued use requires a subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel anytime in your App Store settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://www.examinedself.app/privacy

Screenshots

Trouble Tree4 screens
Examined Self4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Trouble Tree at 3 against Examined Self's 1. Trouble Tree also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Trouble Tree sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Examined Self sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trouble Tree ships an update fortnightly, Examined Self every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Trouble Tree versus Examined Self: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrouble TreeExamined Self
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB50 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJeremy DownsPedro Vasconcelos

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Trouble Tree

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Examined Self

Subscriptions3
  • Examined Self Premium – Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Premium Subscription Monthly3 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Premium Subscription Yearly7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Trouble Tree free?
Trouble Tree is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Examined Self free?
Examined Self is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Trouble Tree or Examined Self have ads?
Neither Trouble Tree nor Examined Self shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trouble Tree or Examined Self?
Trouble Tree ships an update fortnightly, and Examined Self every 3 weeks. Most recently, Trouble Tree was updated on October 28, 2026 and Examined Self on October 28, 2026.

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