Comparison

The Observing Ego vs epFidget

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

Head to head
About

The Observing Ego

This app is a doctor-built mood and mental health tracker that uses clinical screening instruments. It helps you identify patterns in your moods, sleep, exercise, and habits, and offers tools for self-reflection. Safety features and crisis resources are always free.

Highlights
  • Clinical mood tracking
  • Validated screening instruments
  • Pattern identification
  • Defense mechanism logging
  • Dream journaling
  • Mentalizing exercises
  • Free safety features
Features
Read full description

A mood tracker built by a doctoral-level clinician, with input from fellow clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists, using the actual clinical screening instruments your therapist uses: PHQ-9, GAD-7, WHO-5, DERS-16, SCS-SF, C-SSRS, ASQ, and STIPO-R. No AI therapy advice. No gamification. No social feed. No ads. Your data stays on your phone. Safety features are always free. Forever. No paywall on crisis resources, the safety plan, or the 988 Lifeline. — TRAUMA-INFORMED BY DESIGN — Built around the psychoanalytic concept of the "observing ego": the part of you that can step back and notice your own mental processes. The app is a mirror, not a therapist. It helps you see yourself clearly and bring that clarity to your own work, or to a clinician. — WHAT YOU CAN DO — Track moods with the precision your therapist would recognize. An age-adaptive picker (ages 7 through adult) draws from a 100+ emotion vocabulary mapped to validated affect models. Take the clinical screenings your therapist uses, scored to published thresholds. PHQ-9 for depression. GAD-7 for anxiety. WHO-5 for wellbeing. ASQ and C-SSRS for safety. STIPO-R for personality organization (uncommon outside research settings). See patterns over time. Mood correlations with sleep, exercise, medications, and habits. Year in Pixels view. Longitudinal assessment trends. Every correlation needs at least 7 data points and a moderate effect size before it surfaces. Quality over noise. Log defense mechanisms (Vaillant's three-tier hierarchy). Record dreams with psychodynamic framing. Practice mentalizing exercises drawn from MBT. Map body sensations to feelings. — PRIVACY BY DESIGN — No accounts. No servers. No ads. No analytics. No third parties. Your data syncs through your own iCloud, encrypted end-to-end. We cannot see your entries, your moods, or your reports. We do not want to. — SAFETY ALWAYS FREE — The safety plan, crisis resources, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and gentle check-ins when the app detects elevated risk are free forever. Mood check-ins and journal entries are unlimited and free. Premium covers the deeper features: longer insight ranges, Year in Pixels, the Mood Calendar, weekly reports, Apple Health insights, medication effects, and data export, plus more room for habits, assessments, and medications. Safety never goes behind a paywall. — BUILT BY — Casey Simon, Psy.D. (Doctor of Clinical Psychology), MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist), with input from fellow clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists. Designed for honest self-reflection, not performance. A tool meant to be shared with a clinician when you choose to. — PRICING — Free to download. 7-day free trial of Premium. Then $4.99 per month or $44.99 per year. Safety features stay free regardless of subscription. Cancel anytime in App Store settings. Terms of Use: https://myobservingego.com/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://myobservingego.com/privacy-policy/

About

epFidget

Features
Read full description

epFidget is a pocketful of calm — simple, satisfying fidget and sensory toys designed to help you focus, self-regulate, and unwind. Whether you need to burn off nervous energy, settle your mind, or just play, tap a toy and let the fidgeting begin. Built for everyone who fidgets, with special care for neurodivergent and special-needs users. 55 TOYS, IN TEN PACKS • Starter — Color Trails, Sound Slide, Pulse, Pop, Spin. Paint flowing ribbons of color and save your artwork, slide for soft tones, or flick a weighted spinner. • Breathe & Mindfulness — Breathe, Box Breathing, Heartbeat, Mantra, 5-4-3-2-1. Paced tools for anxiety, meltdown recovery, and winding down. • Pop & Click — Bubble Wrap, Pop Tubes, Clicker, Switches, Light Panel. Endlessly repeatable click-and-pop release. • Squeeze & Stretch — Squish, Stretchy, Worry Stone, Putty, Mochi. Deep-pressure play for sensory overload. • Pattern Makers — Mandala, Zen Garden, Magnet Sand, Etch-a-Sketch, Spirograph. Drawing and raking toys for focus and flow. • Motion & Swing — Newton's Cradle, Pendulum, Marble, Infinity Cube, Marble Track. Predictable, mesmerising movement. • Slow Flow — Lava Lamp, Liquid Bubbler, Santal Growth, Bloom, Tree. Ambientflow. • Motion & Swing — Newton's Cradle, Pendulumle Track. Predictable, mesmerising movement. • Slow Flow — Lava Lamp, Liquid Bubbler, Sand Timer, Aurora, Bonsai, Crystal Growth, Bloom, Tree. Ambient watch-and-relax visuals. • Sensory Bottles — Calm Jar, Snow Globe, Galaxy, Fireflies, Falling Leaves, Mandelbrot. Watch the chaos settle. • Spark & Burst — Plasma, Fireworks, Sparklers, Confetti, Lightning Storm. Bigger, brighter input when you need more. • Sound & Rhythm — Drum Pad, Wind Chimes, Rainstick, Singing Bowls, Music Box, Echo Mic. Pentatonic tuning means every combination sounds good. Each toy pairs tactile haptics with gentle, tuned sound, and a Most-Used strip keeps your favorites one tap away. CALM, SAFE, AND YOURS • Works fully offline — no account, no sign- • Every toy included. No unlocks, no in-app purchases. • Simple, distraction-free, and easy for any age to use. BUILT FOR CAREGIVERS Parents, teachers, and therapists can optionally connect to a device to set gentle limits — audio volume, vibration strength, quiet hours, and session time — plso an overstimulating one can be put away for now. Managed remotely, with nothing to set up on the user's device. Breathe in. Pick a toy. Relax.

Screenshots

The Observing Ego4 screens
epFidget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: epFidget at none against The Observing Ego's 2. epFidget also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). The Observing Ego's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Observing Ego sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. epFidget asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Observing Ego ships an update weekly, epFidget every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
The Observing Ego versus epFidget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Observing EgoepFidget
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB105 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCasey SimonVadim Tabakman

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Observing Ego

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
None

epFidget

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Observing Ego free?
The Observing Ego is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is epFidget free?
epFidget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Observing Ego or epFidget have ads?
Neither The Observing Ego nor epFidget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Observing Ego or epFidget?
The Observing Ego ships an update weekly, and epFidget every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Observing Ego was updated on October 9, 2026 and epFidget on October 17, 2026.

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