Comparison

VocalCalm vs DBT Skills Guide

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

Head to head
About

VocalCalm

Features
Read full description

Still replaying a conversation when everything else is quiet? Say it out loud instead of turning it over in your head. VocalCalm gives adults a structured voice space to talk things through with an AI wellness coach. No typing required. NOT JUST ANOTHER CHATBOT Designed by experienced clinicians, VocalCalm is a structured voice coaching system built around nine established approaches, guided practices and continuity between sessions — for difficult moments, everyday reflection and progress worth noticing. A COACH THAT REMEMBERS WHAT MATTERS Your coach retains important context between sessions — your goals, recurring patterns, milestones and skills you have practised — so you do not have to start from zero each time. It uses selected insight-level memories to adapt future sessions to your goals, progress and circumstances. PRIVACY, EXPLAINED CLEARLY No human coach joins your live session. VocalCalm saves selected structured insights for continuity. Specialist providers process the data needed to operate the service; see the privacy policy for details. A VOICE THAT FEELS CLOSER TO HOME Choose your preferred coach voice and region. VocalCalm matches regional voice accents for the UK and Ireland, the US and Canada, or Australia and New Zealand. Different coaching approaches use voices chosen to suit their style. NINE COACHING APPROACHES Complete the questionnaire or choose an approach yourself: • Cognitive Behavioural (CBT) • Dialectical Behaviour (DBT) • Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) • Interpersonal (IPT) • Psychodynamic • Humanistic • Solution-Focused • Trauma-Informed • Integrative GUIDED PRACTICES AND PROGRESS • 4-7-8 Breathing • Body Scan • 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding • Loving Kindness • Optional mood check-ins • Session summaries, recommendations and trends START WITH 2 FREE SESSIONS Every registered account includes 2 lifetime voice sessions, up to 30 minutes each, with no payment details required. VOCALCALM PREMIUM After your included sessions, Premium provides 4 voice sessions per billing month, up to 30 minutes each. Eligible new subscribers receive Apple’s paid introductory price for their first 3 months; the regular monthly price applies after that. The subscription has no free trial. Prices are shown in your local currency before purchase. Subscriptions renew unless cancelled in App Store settings. IMPORTANT VocalCalm provides wellness coaching, not therapy, diagnosis, crisis care or medical treatment. It is not a replacement for professional help. If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services. Helpful resources for your region are available in the app. Terms: vocalcalm.com/terms Privacy: vocalcalm.com/privacy

About

DBT Skills Guide

Access DBT skills for distress tolerance and mindfulness offline, anytime. Features quick access buttons, widgets, searchable skills, and explanatory sessions. Includes private worksheets and daily reminders.

Highlights
  • Offline DBT skills access
  • Quick access button and widget
  • Searchable skill index
  • Mindfulness and distress tolerance modules
  • Private, fillable worksheets
  • Explanations of skill efficacy
  • Optional daily reminders
Features
Read full description

The moment you need a DBT skill is rarely the moment you can go looking for one. DBT Skills Guide puts them where you can reach them: on your phone, fully offline, no account, nothing to set up. A Right Now button on the first screen, and a widget for your home or lock screen, go straight to the skills for a hard moment without any navigating. WHAT IS INSIDE An index of every skill, searchable by name or by what is inside it, for when you remember the skill but not which session taught it. Twelve sessions covering the mindfulness and distress tolerance modules of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Mindfulness: Wise Mind, the What skills (Observe, Describe, Participate) and the How skills (Non-judgmentally, One-mindfully, Effectively), plus a deeper set of Observe practices you can do anywhere. Distress tolerance: STOP, for the moment before you act on an urge. TIP, for when your body needs to come down fast. ACCEPTS and IMPROVE, for getting through without making things worse. Self-soothing through the five senses. Radical Acceptance and Half-Smiling, for pain you cannot change. Three worksheets you can fill in and keep. WHY EACH SKILL WORKS Every skill carries a short explanation you can tap open: what it is doing, and how strongly the evidence actually supports it. TIP rests on well-established physiology. Wise Mind is a teaching model rather than something anyone can measure. We say which is which, because knowing why a skill works makes you more likely to reach for it. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything stays on your device. No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no network requests of any kind. Practice reminders are scheduled locally and nothing leaves your phone. A DAILY REMINDER, IF YOU WANT ONE Off until you turn it on. Pick a time and the app nudges you once a day. A NOTE This is a practice aid, not therapy, and not a substitute for care from a professional. If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line.

Screenshots

VocalCalm4 screens
DBT Skills Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DBT Skills Guide at none against VocalCalm's 2. VocalCalm's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. VocalCalm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. DBT Skills Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VocalCalm ships an update every 5 days, DBT Skills Guide every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
VocalCalm versus DBT Skills Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVocalCalmDBT Skills Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB20 MB
Age rating17+12+
Developerehealth systems ltdpouya zarpak

In-app purchases

2 purchases

VocalCalm

Subscriptions2
  • VocalCalm Premium — Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • VocalCalm Premium — Annual$99.991 Year
None

DBT Skills Guide

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VocalCalm free?
VocalCalm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DBT Skills Guide free?
DBT Skills Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VocalCalm or DBT Skills Guide have ads?
Neither VocalCalm nor DBT Skills Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VocalCalm or DBT Skills Guide?
VocalCalm ships an update every 5 days, and DBT Skills Guide every 2 weeks. Most recently, VocalCalm was updated on November 8, 2026 and DBT Skills Guide on October 31, 2026.

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