BGC Next vs Sona by Pelago
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BGC Next
Conduct advanced auditory and cognitive tests from home. Developed by Northeastern University's Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-being.
- Auditory testing
- Cognitive testing
- Home-based assessments
- Mental fitness tracking
- Developed by university researchers
Read full descriptionHide full description
Advanced auditory and cognitive testing at home, with B.G.C. Next! Brought to you by the Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-being at Northeastern University.
Sona by Pelago
This AI-powered coach offers a voice-first approach to mental well-being, providing a non-judgmental space to process thoughts and feelings anytime. It learns your patterns to offer personalized support for managing anxiety, building habits, and improving sleep.
- Voice-first conversations
- Personalized AI learning
- Non-judgmental listening
- Habit building support
- Anxiety management
- Sleep improvement
- Always available check-ins
Read full descriptionHide full description
Sona is your personal AI coach — available anytime you need to talk. Life gets overwhelming. Racing thoughts at 2am. Stress before a big meeting. That nagging feeling you're not doing enough. Sona is here for all of it. Talk, don't type. Sona is voice-first. Have a real conversation — like calling a friend who always picks up. No typing, no forms, no waiting. She actually remembers you. Sona learns who you are over time. Your goals, your patterns, what's been on your mind. Every conversation builds on the last. No judgment. Ever. Sona isn't here to fix you or tell you what to do. She's here to listen, help you think things through, and support you in becoming who you want to be. Built around your life. Whether it's managing anxiety, building better habits, improving sleep, or just processing your day — Sona adapts to what matters to you. Check in anytime. 5 minutes or 15 minutes. Morning or midnight. Sona is always ready when you are. Sona uses ElevenLabs to power your voice conversations. Your voice audio and conversation text are sent to ElevenLabs for speech processing and AI responses. Your data is processed solely to deliver the conversation experience and is not used for advertising, data mining, or model training. You will be asked for explicit consent before any data is shared. For details, see our Privacy Policy. --- Sona is not a replacement for therapy or medical treatment. If you're in crisis, please contact a mental health professional or call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sona by Pelago at 4.7 against BGC Next's 1.0. Sona by Pelago also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (27 vs 1). BGC Next's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sona by Pelago holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sona by Pelago has 27 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
BGC Next ships an update every 2 months, Sona by Pelago weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BGC Next | Sona by Pelago |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.7 (27 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 83.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 27 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 522 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Northeastern University Information Services | Digital Therapeutics Ltd |
In-app purchases
BGC Next
No in-app purchases
Sona by Pelago
No in-app purchases








