Comparison

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.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Structured thought processing
  • Emotional progress tracking
  • Science-based CBT techniques
  • Personalized daily plan
  • AI-generated suggestions
  • Expert articles on mental wellness
Features
Read full description

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

About

The Lightly App

Features
Read full description

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

CBT for Beginners4 screens
The Lightly App4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CBT for Beginners versus The Lightly App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCBT for BeginnersThe Lightly App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (28 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB65 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDmytro HrechkoMattis Erngren

In-app purchases

None

CBT for Beginners

No in-app purchases

None

The Lightly App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CBT for Beginners free?
CBT for Beginners is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Lightly App free?
The Lightly App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CBT for Beginners or The Lightly App have ads?
Neither CBT for Beginners nor The Lightly App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CBT for Beginners or The Lightly App?
CBT for Beginners ships an update monthly, and The Lightly App every 4 days. Most recently, CBT for Beginners was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Lightly App on October 29, 2026.

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