Comparison

CBT+ vs Dawning

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

Head to head
About

CBT+

Features
Read full description

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy! Practice evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to track your moods, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and build healthier mental habits. Keep your reflections private, find calm with guided breathing exercises, and stay in sync across iPhone, iPad, and Macโ€”no account signup required. Features: Thought diary Mood analytics Breathing exercises Guided CBT tools Sync with iCloud between iPhone, iPad, and Mac FaceID or passcode lock No account signup required โ€ข Guided Thought Records: Work through structured CBT exercises to identify thinking traps, review evidence, and create more balanced thoughts. โ€ข Mood Trends: Discover patterns in your emotions with clear visualizations, weekly summaries, and meaningful insights. โ€ข Breathing & Mindfulness Tools: Calm your nervous system with guided breathing exercises designed for stress relief and emotional reset. โ€ข Complete Customization: Personalize your space with accent colors, immersive themes, and a modular dashboard. โ€ข Privacy & Security: Secure your most personal reflections with FaceID/Passcode and private iCloud syncing. โ€ข Data Portability: Export your entries to CSV anytime and maintain control over your data. โ€ข Progress Metrics: Track emotional patterns, exercise completion, and other helpful signals that support your well-being. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps you interrupt negative thought cycles and strengthen the mental habits that lead to greater resilience, balance, and peace of mind. Stop feeling stuck in old patterns and start building healthier ways to think and respond. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Dawning

Features
Read full description

Dawning is a dream diary that offers a reading of each dream and leaves the last word to you. Record a dream in the first minute after waking, out loud or typed. Dawning transcribes your voice on the device, pulls out the images you named, and offers a possible reading: what the specific, easily-missed details in your own words may be pointing to. It's a hypothesis, built only from what you said, and you tell it whether that resonates. The questions that follow start from your answer. This happens on your first dream. You don't wait a week to get something back. Three dreams in, your themes come together into a map: recurring images and feelings connected across the nights, with one question to carry into your week. The method comes from Clara Hill's dream work (Exploration, Insight, Action), where the dreamer decides what a dream means. WHAT'S INSIDE - A reading of every dream, built from your words and open to your yes or no - Voice-first capture: transcription happens on your iPhone, audio never leaves the device - Guided reflection: 2-3 short questions per dream, following the thread you chose - Dream map: your themes from three dreams on, plus a question of the week - Three dreams free, yours to keep DAWNING PREMIUM A yearly subscription unlocks unlimited dreams, unlimited voice recording, and the weekly map with its full history, starting with a free trial. The price and the trial length are shown in the app and in the App Store before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://dawning.pulsecircle.studio/terms Privacy Policy: https://dawning.pulsecircle.studio/privacy Dawning reflects your dreams back to you. It predicts nothing and diagnoses nothing.

Screenshots

CBT+4 screens
Dawning4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Dawning at every 2 days against CBT+'s every 8 days. CBT+'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 ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. CBT+ sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Dawning sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CBT+ ships an update every 8 days, Dawning every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
CBT+ versus Dawning: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCBT+Dawning
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size14 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMelissa ChanPulse Circle L.L.C-FZ

In-app purchases

3 purchases

CBT+

Subscriptions2
  • CBT Monthly$3.991 Month
  • CBT Yearly$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • CBT Lifetime$24.99
1 purchases

Dawning

Subscriptions1
  • Dawning Premium14 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is CBT+ free?
CBT+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dawning free?
Dawning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CBT+ or Dawning have ads?
Neither CBT+ nor Dawning shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CBT+ or Dawning?
CBT+ ships an update every 8 days, and Dawning every 2 days. Most recently, CBT+ was updated on October 3, 2026 and Dawning on October 3, 2026.

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