eff.today vs Real Self
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
eff.today
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Everything feels… funny. Or fine. Or a little too much. eff.today is your private, anonymous space to build emotional resilience without pressure, performance, or surveillance. No accounts. No prompts that judge. No streaks to keep. Just a structured journaling flow, a “burn or save” decision, and an optional AI reflection layer (unlocked only after emotional breadth is shown). FEATURES • 3-Gate Flow: Start with how you feel (funny or fine), then add context (social vs. responsibility) and focus (me vs. them). This helps name what’s hard to name. • Burn or Save Rituals - After journaling, choose: burn it forever or save it for pattern insight. No back-end copy. Burn means gone. For real. • Crisis-Safe by Design - Local keyword detection offers support if needed, without ever storing or sending your words. Privacy is structural, not promised. • AI Reflection (AIme) - Unlock emotionally intelligent conversations once you complete all 8 mood-context-focus paths. AIme is trained in real frameworks (CBT, DBT, and more) but never diagnoses or solves. It listens, mirrors, and reflects without tracking you. • Anonymous Analytics - See your own emotional patterns. All fully anonymous. No identity. No history. Just meaningful movement. • Expanded Mood Vocabulary - Unlock the “10 F’s” mood system (fine, funny, feral, frustrated, and more) through session depth, not tricks or streaks. PRIVACY THAT’S PATENTED eff.today is built on a patent-pending architecture of symbolic journaling, user-controlled data permanence, and anonymous macro-level insights. It’s the first digital resilience platform where your thoughts are yours - technically, legally, and ethically. WHO IT’S FOR • People who don’t trust traditional wellness apps • Adults, Teens and anyone who just need to process • Schools, healthcare systems, and organizations looking to support without surveilling WHAT MAKES EFF.TODAY DIFFERENT • No identity required • No tracking or user profiles • Burn-based deletion architecture • Crisis support without override • Emotional intelligence without performance pressure • Infrastructure: built for utility, not virality Want to go deeper? Visit eff.today/howto to explore the story, the science, and the SDK powering privacy-first emotional resilience infrastructure
Real Self
Engage in honest conversations with an AI that learns and understands your psychological patterns over time. It builds a unique profile based on your real experiences, offering insights into your traits and tendencies through engaging, structured interactions.
- AI-driven self-discovery
- Psychological profiling
- Honest conversation partner
- Pattern recognition
- Structured interactive sessions
- Personalized insights
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Real Self is a self-discovery app that gets smarter the more you talk. Most people spend years slightly disconnected from who they actually are — running on autopilot, reacting from habit, performing a version of themselves that isn't quite real. Real Self is built to close that gap. You have honest conversations with an AI that pays attention. Not to your best moments — to your real ones. Over time, it builds a psychological profile based on what you actually say, not a quiz you rushed through. What makes it different: Real Self isn't a chatbot, a journaling app, or a personality test. It's a conversation partner that holds a picture of you across sessions. It notices patterns. It remembers what you said last time. And it gets more accurate the longer you use it. Your profile, built through conversation: As you talk, Real Self maps your traits, tendencies, and psychological patterns across key dimensions — how you handle conflict, where you get your energy, what drives you, what holds you back. Your profile builds session by session, not all at once. Structured interactions, not just chat: When words aren't the easiest way to answer, Real Self switches it up — sliders, card sorts, this-or-that choices. It reads the room and adjusts so sessions stay engaging, not exhausting. Honest, not clinical: The AI talks like a sharp, direct friend — not a therapist, not a coach. It says what it sees. It doesn't hedge. And it knows when to push and when to back off. Private by design: Your conversations are encrypted with AES-256 before they're stored. No staff member can read your sessions. Not us, not anyone. Real Self is for people who are curious about themselves — who want more than surface-level advice and are willing to be honest in return. Start a session. See what comes up. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Real Self at 15.1 against eff.today's 17.0. 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
Both are free to download. eff.today sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Real Self sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | eff.today | Real Self |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 2.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Daily |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenneth Howe | Ihtisham Mazhar |
In-app purchases
eff.today
- AIme Access - 1 Month$9.99
- AIme Access - 6 Months$49.99
- AIme Access - 12 Months$99.99
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- AIme Access - Lifetime$169.99
Real Self
- Real Self Premium$5.997 Days
- Real Self Premium$19.991 Month
- Real Self Premium3 Days trial$131.991 Year









