Comparison

Rapid Cycling vs Bipolar Bear

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

Head to head
About

Rapid Cycling

Features
Read full description

This app is designed to support individuals living with bipolar and unipolar mood disorders by helping them track and better understand their behavioral patterns. Log your daily mood, energy, sleep, and activity levels using an intuitive emoji-based system with a legend to guide interpretation. View your progress through weekly, monthly, and yearly charts, and reflect on your entries in a comprehensive daily journal. Add personal notes, record specific emotions tied to real-life situations, and take clinically recognized assessments: the Beck Depression Inventory and the Young Mania Rating Scale. All test results are saved to your journal. Easily export your journal entries to a PDF for any date range - ideal for sharing with your therapist or doctor during consultations. All data is stored securely on your device only. Your responses are private and will never be automatically shared by the app. Disclaimer: This app is not intended to provide medical diagnosis or treatment. It is designed for personal tracking and informational purposes only. Please consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions based on information from this app.

About

Bipolar Bear

This app helps individuals manage bipolar disorder by tracking moods, energy, and sleep. It provides personalized insights, a survival kit for difficult times, and an anonymous community for support. Data is encrypted and kept private on the device.

Highlights
  • Mood, energy, and sleep logging
  • Personalized pattern insights
  • Apple Health sleep integration
  • Customizable survival kit
  • Anonymous community board
  • Private, encrypted data storage
  • PDF export for care teams
Features
Read full description

Bipolar Bear is a free, private mood journal and mood tracker built for people living with bipolar disorder. Log your moods, energy and sleep day by day, spot the patterns that matter, and keep a survival kit for the hard days. TRACK WHAT MATTERS Log your mood, energy, sleep, anxiety and custom fields every day. It takes less than a minute, and gentle reminders and streaks help you keep the habit without the pressure. UNDERSTAND YOUR PATTERNS See your mood over time with charts and personalised insights. Spot what's affecting your next-day mood — sleep, alcohol, exercise and more — worked out privately on your device. SYNC WITH APPLE HEALTH Pull your sleep in from Apple Health, so your sleep log fills itself in. BUILD YOUR SURVIVAL KIT Keep the strategies, medications, goals, memories and crisis resources that help you through hard times, all in one place. On overwhelming days, focused mode strips the app back to just what you need. SHARE WITH YOUR CARE TEAM Export a clean PDF summary for your doctor or psychiatrist. ANONYMOUS COMMUNITY Connect with others who get it. Share your thoughts without sharing your identity on the optional anonymous community board. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Journal entries are encrypted on your device before they leave it. Turn on Private journal and only you can read them: not even we can. Insights stay on your device. No ads, and we never sell your data. Bipolar Bear is for people living with bipolar disorder, their families, and anyone who wants to understand their mental health better. Bipolar Bear is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It's a tool to help you notice, reflect and stay connected, alongside the care of your health professionals. Built by James Markey MBE and hosted by UNI·SIM.

Screenshots

Rapid Cycling4 screens
Bipolar Bear4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bipolar Bear at every 5 days against Rapid Cycling's every 6 weeks. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rapid Cycling ships an update every 6 weeks, Bipolar Bear every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Rapid Cycling versus Bipolar Bear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRapid CyclingBipolar Bear
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.217.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB62 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMichal HorowicJames Markey

In-app purchases

None

Rapid Cycling

No in-app purchases

None

Bipolar Bear

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rapid Cycling free?
Rapid Cycling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bipolar Bear free?
Bipolar Bear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Rapid Cycling or Bipolar Bear have ads?
Neither Rapid Cycling nor Bipolar Bear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rapid Cycling or Bipolar Bear?
Rapid Cycling ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bipolar Bear every 5 days. Most recently, Rapid Cycling was updated on October 7, 2026 and Bipolar Bear on October 22, 2026.

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