CBT for Beginners vs The Lightly App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CBT for Beginners
This app offers a structured, science-based approach to managing anxiety and overthinking. It guides users through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to improve emotional regulation and develop healthier thinking patterns. Features include thought analysis, mood tracking, and personalized daily plans.
- Structured thought processing
- Emotional progress tracking
- Science-based CBT techniques
- Personalized daily plan
- AI-generated suggestions
- Expert articles on mental wellness
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CBT Therapy: Mental Health Journal is a structured, science-based tool designed to help you reduce overthinking, manage anxiety, and develop healthier thinking patterns. Based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the app guides you through proven techniques that support emotional regulation, clearer thinking, and long-term mental wellness. This journal is built for users who want a practical, evidence-based approach to understanding and improving their thoughts, emotions, and daily reactions. What the app offers Clear and organized thought processing Write freely or use structured CBT prompts to analyze situations, challenge distortions, reframe negative thoughts, and build more balanced perspectives. Tracking emotional progress Monitor your mood, thought patterns, progress indicators, and long-term trends. Understand how your mindset changes over time. Science-based CBT techniques Access a library of practical tools, including thought reframing, anxiety reduction exercises, grounding strategies, stress-management techniques, and cognitive restructuring. Personalized daily plan Follow a structured, goal-oriented plan built around your needs, whether you aim to reduce overthinking, manage anxiety, improve self-awareness, or strengthen emotional resilience. AI-generated suggestions Receive personalized, context-aware recommendations based on your journal entries. AI provides practical next steps rooted in CBT principles. Expert articles and educational content Explore clear, accessible explanations of CBT, emotional regulation, stress, anxiety, cognitive distortions, and thought management. This app is not a medical device and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or therapy. *EULA*: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Use: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VOv3UmT0DFJfL1vxY3gHq0W8C_umJ9v8tKzQ1H8MafE/edit?usp=sharing Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yWoYqTDPyGKYWc_IySIl6N3jdS6v5j1_HnjfMU3ScL4/edit?usp=sharing
The Lightly App
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The Lightly App helps you notice what pulls you out of presence, and gives you a way back. Many meditation apps practise presence with a timer. Lightly takes another route: it asks what is pulling you away right now, and hands you a key for that exact pull. Worried, or lost in the future: a short flow that ends in complete trust. Guilt, regret or a grudge: a short flow that ends in complete forgiveness. Angry, sad or restless: find where it sits in the body, then let it move or pour it into something you make. Out of energy: find what stops you from resting, then rest. Something hurts: it asks what kind of hurt, and hands you trust, forgiveness or acceptance. Each flow is a few screens of gestures, not reading. When you are back in the moment, the app says so and lets you put the phone down. Go deeper when you want to: belief work, dream work with a home screen widget, sigils and rituals, a daily astrology reading, and vibrational tuning, a short guided conversation. Private by design. No account, no analytics, no ads. What you do in the app stays on your phone. Two rooms reach the internet. Astrology fetches the day's reading, which is the same for everyone and carries nothing about you. Vibrational tuning sends what you type there to an AI model to write the replies, and nothing is kept. Lightly is a spiritual practice. It is not therapy or medical care. Free.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: The Lightly App at every 4 days against CBT for Beginners's monthly. CBT for Beginners's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CBT for Beginners ships an update monthly, The Lightly App every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CBT for Beginners | The Lightly App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (28 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dmytro Hrechko | Mattis Erngren |
In-app purchases
CBT for Beginners
No in-app purchases
The Lightly App
No in-app purchases









