Mark Manson vs Building a Second Brain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mark Manson
This app provides a daily action system and exclusive content to help users achieve tangible progress in personal growth. It fosters a supportive community for individuals focused on self-improvement, offering practical strategies for confidence, boundaries, and career advancement.
- Daily action system
- Exclusive content access
- Private growth community
- Monthly courses and challenges
- Live Q&As and rewards
- Accountability and progress tracking
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The Mark Manson App is the only place on the internet where smart, growth-minded people can gather without the usual self-help B.S. HERE’S THE HARSH TRUTH Most people wait for motivation. They read a bunch of self-help books, take a bunch of notes, and then… do nothing. But inside the Mark Manson app—you’ll be forced out of that cycle and nudged into real, tangible progress every day. Yes, this is the only personal growth platform designed to eliminate excuses and keep you accountable for changing your life. Inside is The Solved Membership, a community that helps you strengthen your habit of consistently taking action. No more overthinking. No more waiting for motivation. Just a simple, effective system to actually improve your life. Whether you want to be more confident, set better boundaries, stop procrastinating, or finally start seeing progress in your career—this is where it actually happens. WHAT YOU GET As a member, you’ll have full access to: THE SOLVED MEMBERSHIP BY MARK MANSON – A DAILY ACTION SYSTEM + One clear, simple action every day—no fluff, no overthinking, just real progress. + Monthly courses, challenges, and resources to make changing your life simple, practical, and yeah… even fun. + A private, growth-driven community to keep you accountable and engaged. + Daily discussions on self-discipline, confidence, emotional resilience, and more. + Live Q&As, challenges, and rewards to reinforce your wins. MARK MANSON'S BEST SELF-IMPROVEMENT CONTENT + Access to exclusive Mark Manson content designed to take you from learning to action–you won’t find this anywhere else. + Breakdowns on The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck principles, applied to real life. + Practical strategies to build real resilience and stop second-guessing yourself. A COMMUNITY THAT ACTUALLY GIVES A DAMN + Connect with ambitious, growth-minded people who are committed to real change. + Join thoughtful discussions on confidence, relationships, mindset, and personal growth. + Be part of a space built for action—where insight turns into real progress. APP-BASED DELIVERY FOR EASY ACCESS + Jump in anytime, anywhere—do your action step and start stacking wins. + No doom-scrolling, no distractions—just a focused space that makes growth exciting. OUR MEMBERS SAY… “I look forward to opening the app every day.” “This is the first personal development tool that’s actually helped me build momentum, instead of making me feel like I have to overhaul my entire life before lunch.” “This has been the best investment in time (and money) I've spent toward improving my mental health. I love my therapist so much, but I get an hour every other week. With this, I'm constantly moving forward.” WHY IT MATTERS Because self-improvement doesn’t happen in your head—it happens through action. When you start taking small, meaningful actions every day, here’s what happens: Your mindset shifts. You stop seeing obstacles as problems and start seeing them as challenges. Your confidence skyrockets. Because confidence isn’t something you think about—it’s something you earn through action. Excuses disappear. No more waiting for the "right time." Every day becomes an opportunity to take action and move forward. Your habits stick. Because real change doesn’t come from one big effort—it comes from small wins that build unstoppable momentum. This isn’t another self-help app or passive course. It’s a system designed to get you moving, keep you accountable, and create real, lasting change—rooted in what actually works. Start today. One action at a time. Download the Mark Manson App and take your first step now. -- Terms of Use: mn.co/terms-of-use
Building a Second Brain
This app helps you manage information overload and achieve your goals through personal knowledge management. Connect with a community focused on productivity and digital organization for a more peaceful and purposeful life.
- PARA Method Mini-Course
- Community Hub
- Exclusive event invitations
- Notetaking and creativity resources
- Gateway to comprehensive courses
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Building a Second Brain is your learning community to help you transform information overload into clarity and consistent progress toward your most important goals. Here, you’ll connect with individuals who thoughtfully turn productivity, personal knowledge management, and digital organization into tools for living a more peaceful, purposeful, and fulfilling life. WHAT’S INSIDE: PARA Method Mini-Course: Learn the simple, intuitive system to tame your digital chaos and find any information right when you need it. Community Hub: Get exclusive event invitations, updates, and content—including videos and resources focused on all things notetaking, creativity, and working more intentionally. Gateway to Learning: The app is your entry point into our comprehensive courses and broader community of like-minded learners. When you master the flow of information through your life, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. But if you continue to rely on your fragile biological brain, you’ll likely become ever more overwhelmed by the explosive growth in the complexity of your life. Download the app and start building your Second Brain today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Building a Second Brain at none against Mark Manson's 6. Building a Second Brain also leads on ads (none vs shown). Mark Manson's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (60% vs 50%). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. Mark Manson sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month. Building a Second Brain asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Mark Manson against 4.7 for Building a Second Brain. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 51 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Mark Manson's written reviews are positive against 50% of Building a Second Brain's.
Mark Manson ships an update weekly, Building a Second Brain every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mark Manson | Building a Second Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (51 ratings) — better | 4.7 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 135 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Infinity Squared Media LLC | Forte Labs, LLC |
Customer experience
Mark Manson
Building a Second Brain
In-app purchases
Mark Manson
- Monthly Plan3 variants$24.991 Month
- Annual Plan$199.991 Year
- Annual Plan2 variants$249.991 Year
Building a Second Brain
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mark Manson free?
Is Building a Second Brain free?
Which has better reviews, Mark Manson or Building a Second Brain?
Do Mark Manson or Building a Second Brain have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mark Manson or Building a Second Brain?
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