# Umbra vs GroundworkOS

The clearest difference is rating: GroundworkOS at 5.0 against Umbra's 3.0. Umbra's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Umbra sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and GroundworkOS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

GroundworkOS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Umbra ships an update every 3 weeks, GroundworkOS every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Umbra | GroundworkOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/umbra-shadow-work-journal/id6758545870/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groundworkos/id6760430856/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 63 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dominik Wozniak](https://appshunter.io/developer/1799886006) | [Thomas Scoble](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884431280) |

## What reviewers say

### Umbra

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/umbra-shadow-work-journal/id6758545870)

This app offers guided journaling rooted in Jungian psychology for self-reflection and emotional integration. It helps users confront and understand their shadow self, manage ego and anger, and heal inner child wounds through structured prompts and pattern tracking. All data is stored locally for absolute privacy.

**Highlights:** Guided shadow work journaling, Ego and anger management tools, Inner child healing sessions, Emotional trigger tracking, Local data storage for privacy, Face ID/PIN journal lock, Emotional analytics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Rescue Pro Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| Pro Annual | $34.99 | per year |


### GroundworkOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groundworkos/id6760430856)

A personal operating system designed to help users navigate difficult life seasons like chronic illness, caregiving, or burnout. It offers an AI companion for reflection, daily practices for structure, and tools to track health and appointments.

**Highlights:** AI companion for reflection and data logging, Daily check-ins and reflections, Structured daily practices (Mind, Body, Spirit, Money, Garden), Health and biology tracking (sleep, food, movement, hydration), Calendar for logging medications, appointments, and more, Daily dashboard for progress visualization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Annual | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Umbra free?

Umbra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GroundworkOS free?

GroundworkOS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Umbra or GroundworkOS?

GroundworkOS is rated higher. Umbra averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while GroundworkOS averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Umbra or GroundworkOS have ads?

GroundworkOS shows ads; Umbra does not.

### Which is updated more often, Umbra or GroundworkOS?

Umbra ships an update every 3 weeks, and GroundworkOS every 11 days. Most recently, Umbra was updated on October 13, 2026 and GroundworkOS on October 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*