Comparison

Settle vs Ground5

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

Head to head
About

Settle

This app offers science-backed tools for nervous system regulation, helping users reduce anxiety, calm stress, and recover from trauma. It provides personalized plans based on a nervous system quiz and features over 70 expert-designed practices like breathwork, EFT tapping, and guided meditations.

Highlights
  • Nervous System Quiz & Score
  • Personalized Regulation Plans
  • Breathwork & Breathing Exercises
  • EFT Tapping & Somatic Tools
  • Vagus Nerve & Polyvagal Practices
  • Guided Meditations & Visualizations
  • Progress Tracking & Daily Streaks
Features
Read full description

Settle is the #1 app for nervous system regulation. Reduce anxiety, calm stress, recover from trauma, and find balance with science-backed tools. Backed by neuroscience and based on research from Stanford, Harvard and UCLA. Take the Nervous System Quiz to discover your Nervous System Score. See if your body is stuck in survival mode and get a personalized plan to regulate. Many people living with stress, trauma, or chronic illness experience nervous system dysregulation — Settle helps you track your score and build steady progress toward recovery. In just 2 minutes a day, Settle helps you reset your nervous system and feel more resilient. Explore 70+ expert-designed practices including breathwork, EFT tapping, vagus nerve exercises, grounding techniques, somatic movement, and guided meditations. Join thousands already using Settle to regulate their nervous systems and transform daily life. SETTLE FEATURES NERVOUS SYSTEM QUIZ & SCORE - Take a quick quiz to discover your Nervous System Score - See if you are stuck in survival mode and get a personalized plan - Track your nervous system health and watch your score improve over time BREATHWORK & BREATHING EXERCISES - Practice 4-7-8 Breathing, Box Breathing, Resonance Breathing, Physiological Sigh and more - Reduce anxiety, improve focus, and sleep deeper with guided breathing sessions - Choose from short resets or longer calming practices EFT TAPPING & SOMATIC TOOLS - Step-by-step tapping exercises for stress, anxiety and trauma release - Explore somatic tools like shaking, gentle rocking, pendulation and havening - Support trauma recovery and chronic illness regulation with body-based resets VAGUS NERVE & POLYVAGAL PRACTICES - Daily exercises to activate and tone the vagus nerve - Polyvagal-based grounding tools to move out of fight-or-flight - Learn to restore balance and feel safer in your body MEDITATION & VISUALIZATION - Short calming meditations and visualizations for anxiety and overwhelm - Guided practices to rewire your limbic system and support recovery - Build daily resilience with self-compassion and grounding techniques TRACK YOUR PROGRESS - Nervous System Score updates as you practice - Daily streaks and progress tracking to keep you consistent - Personalized recommendations based on your state and goals Subscription pricing and terms: Settle offers an auto-renewing monthly subscription and an auto-renewing yearly subscription, providing unlimited access to Settle while you maintain an active subscription. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes Account when you confirm the initial purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal in Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Terms of service: https://withsettle.com/terms-of-service Privacy policy: https://withsettle.com/privacy-policy

About

Ground5

This app guides you through the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to help manage anxiety and panic. It offers a simple, one-tap start with no login required, using soft visuals and breathing pauses to bring you back to the present moment.

Highlights
  • 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique
  • One-tap start
  • No login or setup required
  • Offline functionality
  • Soft visuals and gentle vibrations
  • Breathing pauses
Features
Read full description

Panic or anxiety rising? Tap once and Ground5 guides you through the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise, one calm step at a time. No sign-up, works offline. Ground5 helps you calm down by gently guiding your attention back to the present moment. Ground5 is built around the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, a simple and widely used method to reduce panic and anxiety by focusing on your senses. The app guides you step by step, so you don’t need to remember what to do or make decisions when you’re already feeling distressed. With soft visuals, gentle vibrations, and short breathing pauses, Ground5 helps shift your focus away from anxious thoughts and back to what’s real and steady around you. How Ground5 works • Tap once to start • Follow the guided sensory steps • Breathe slowly between phases • Finish feeling more present and grounded Designed for difficult moments Ground5 is meant to be used during a panic or anxiety episode: • No login or setup • No instructions to read • The core grounding exercise works offline. • Free to download and use with ads. An optional one-time purchase removes ads. No subscriptions. There are no subscriptions and no pressure. Just a calm, simple tool when you need it. Take a moment. Breathe slowly. Reconnect with the present. Ground5 does not diagnose or treat medical conditions. It is a self-help wellness app designed to support grounding and relaxation. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gtnjstudios.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Settle4 screens
Ground54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Ground5 at free with in-app purchases against Settle's subscription. Ground5 also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Settle's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (202 vs 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Settle sells 23 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Ground5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ground5 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Settle has 202 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Settle's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ground5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Settle ships an update every 9 days, Ground5 every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Settle versus Ground5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSettleGround5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (202 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings202 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB26 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSola Studios, LLCShantanu Sarkar

Customer experience

Settle

All ratings174 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Ground5

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

23 purchases

Settle

Subscriptions23
  • Weekly Premium7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Weekly Premium$4.997 Days
Show 20 more
  • Weekly Premium$6.997 Days
  • Weekly Premium$9.997 Days
  • Yearly Premium$24.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium$49.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium1 Month trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium$69.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium$79.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium1 Month trial$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$119.991 Year
1 purchases

Ground5

One-time1
  • Ground5 Adfree$3.99

Questions

Is Settle free?
Settle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ground5 free?
Ground5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Settle or Ground5?
Ground5 is rated higher. Settle averages 4.6 out of 5 from 202 ratings, while Ground5 averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Settle or Ground5 have ads?
Both Settle and Ground5 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Settle or Ground5?
Settle ships an update every 9 days, and Ground5 every 2 months. Most recently, Settle was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ground5 on October 24, 2026.

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