Comparison

Shadow Work & CBT vs Shadow Work

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Work & CBT

Explore your inner world with daily journaling prompts and AI-powered insights. Uncover hidden patterns, triggers, and emotional healing through guided self-discovery. Features curated categories for deeper exploration.

Highlights
  • Daily shadow work prompts
  • AI-generated personalized insights
  • Tailored reflection questions
  • Curated prompt categories
  • Private journaling space
Features
Read full description

Unlock your inner world with a Shadow Work Journal — your companion for deeper self-discovery and emotional healing. Each day, receive a powerful journaling prompt to explore your thoughts, triggers, and hidden patterns. After you write, our AI analyzes your entry and returns personalized insights—helping you uncover what lies beneath the surface. Want to dive deeper? Get reflection questions, tailored to your unique experience. Feeling called to explore something specific? Browse curated prompt categories like Inner Child Healing, Triggers, Anxiety, Family Patterns, and more. Whether you're a seasoned journaler or just starting out, a Shadow Work Journal provides a safe, private space to meet yourself with honesty, compassion, and curiosity. Features: - Daily shadow work prompts - AI-generated insights based on your entry - Personalized follow-up reflection questions - Curated prompt categories - A private, judgment-free journaling space Begin your healing journey — one reflection at a time. Privacy Policy: https://embernext.com/privacy-policy/hollowlight_shadow_work Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Shadow Work

Explore your inner self through interactive stories and guided conversations. Uncover hidden strengths and recurring patterns by engaging with archetypal guides and reflecting on daily prompts. Integrate the parts of yourself you've pushed away to foster personal growth.

Highlights
  • Interactive daily stories with choices
  • Conversations with Jungian archetypal guides
  • Dream journaling and symbol exploration
  • Personalized insights archive
  • Journaling prompts and tarot cards
  • Spirit Animal personality test
Read full description

Shadow work often means facing a blank page and hard questions on your own. Bayun makes it easier. You step into short stories, make choices, and talk things through with guides who help you see what's beneath the surface. ◆ WHAT IS SHADOW WORK Carl Jung called the shadow the parts of ourselves we push away. It isn't only our dark side. It also holds strengths we learned to hide, like confidence, creativity, and authenticity. Pushed into the unconscious, these parts don't disappear. They show up as triggers, projections, and patterns that keep repeating. Jung warned that what we don't face within ourselves meets us outside as fate. Shadow work isn't about fixing yourself. It's about noticing the parts of you that have been hidden, and learning to integrate them. ◆ HOW BAYUN WORKS ▸ DAILY STORIES Each day, a new story puts you inside a moment that might feel familiar. At key points you choose what to do, and each choice reveals an insight and a question to reflect on. ▸ INNER GUIDES Talk by voice or text with four guides based on Jung's archetypes: the Persona about how you show up around others, the Shadow about your triggers, the Anima about your emotions, and the Self about your direction in life. ▸ DREAM JOURNAL Your dreams may be trying to tell you something. Jung saw them as messages from the unconscious. Record them and explore what their symbols might mean. ▸ YOUR ARCHIVE Over time, Bayun collects your insights, so you can see which triggers and patterns keep coming back. ◆ ALSO INSIDE - Shadow work prompts for journaling - Collectible tarot cards and archetypal symbols - Spirit Animal personality test - Tales for Midlife: classic stories retold for the middle years, with a new theme every month ◆ TRY IT FREE Your first three stories are free. If they speak to you, unlock the full journey. Terms of Use: https://catbayun.com/terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://catbayun.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Shadow Work & CBT4 screens
Shadow Work4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shadow Work at 90% against Shadow Work & CBT's 22%. Shadow Work also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.2) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Shadow Work & CBT's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Shadow Work & CBT sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Shadow Work sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shadow Work holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadow Work has 76 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Shadow Work & CBT's written reviews are positive against 90% of Shadow Work's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Work & CBT ships an update every 2 months, Shadow Work weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shadow Work & CBT versus Shadow Work: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow Work & CBTShadow Work
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (11 ratings)4.8 (76 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews90.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1176 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB194 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperEmber Next LLCOleg Azbukin

Customer experience

Shadow Work & CBT

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative66.7%

Shadow Work

All ratings76 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Shadow Work & CBT

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Premium$4.997 Days
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$39.99
3 purchases

Shadow Work

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Premium$14.99

Questions

Is Shadow Work & CBT free?
Shadow Work & CBT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow Work free?
Shadow Work is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shadow Work & CBT or Shadow Work?
Shadow Work is rated higher. Shadow Work & CBT averages 3.2 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Shadow Work averages 4.8 from 76 ratings.
Do Shadow Work & CBT or Shadow Work have ads?
Neither Shadow Work & CBT nor Shadow Work shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Work & CBT or Shadow Work?
Shadow Work & CBT ships an update every 2 months, and Shadow Work weekly. Most recently, Shadow Work & CBT was updated on October 30, 2026 and Shadow Work on November 5, 2026.

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