Comparison

Loop Mind vs Malva

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

Head to head
About

Loop Mind

This app helps you understand and break free from unproductive thought patterns. It listens to your thoughts, identifies specific cognitive loops, and provides structured reflections to reveal the underlying reasons for your overthinking. Track your thought architecture over time to gain clarity and insight.

Highlights
  • Voice-first journaling
  • Identifies 6 cognitive loop patterns
  • Separates facts from assumptions
  • Tracks thought patterns over time
  • Reveals protective functions of loops
  • Encrypted and secure data storage
Features
Read full description

Get it out. See how you think. Your thoughts are going in circles. Say them or type them, and Loop Mind reads them back. Get it out of your head, and see what's driving it. Every entry gets a Reflection: one line that names the thing you didn't quite say. Say you keep replaying a party, sure you talked too much, though your friend texted "so good to see you." Your Reflection might read: "The only review of that night from outside your head is the one you aren't counting." Mood trackers show how you feel. Loop Mind shows the thinking behind it. An observer, not a cheerleader. WHAT PEOPLE SAY "Definitely making me more aware of random thought loops." Charlie "I didn't realise I was thinking in loops, this is especially insightful." James, Clarity member "A bit like a pocket recorder for my thoughts." Callum, Clarity member GET IT OUT • Talk or type whatever is on your mind. No blank page, no templates, no streaks. • Not sure where to start? Every day, Today offers a fresh prompt drawn from your own entries. Tap it and just answer. • Answer out loud, and tap Listen to hear each question read to you. SEE WHAT'S UNDER IT • Your Reflection: the line, how you felt, and the loop you were in. • What you actually know, and what your mind is adding. • A question to take it further after each entry, or Go Deeper for a short conversation that replies to what you share and follows your own thread. WATCH THE SHAPE OF YOUR THINKING Check in for a few weeks and Loop Mind starts to show you how your mind works. • Your thinking shape: which loops your mind runs most this month, against your usual. • Your Mind Profile: a name for the way you think, and what makes you you. • How it's progressing: what has eased since last month, and what still circles. • The threads you keep coming back to, and how each one felt. • The people on your mind, and how your days felt across the month. With time, you may start to recognize a loop while you're still in it. SEVEN LOOPS, EACH WITH TWO SIDES Inner critic. What-ifs. Replaying the past. Relationships. Decisions. Body and health. Big questions. Each can circle or move: worry or planning, rumination or reflection. Loop Mind shows you which side you're on. The loops come from research on repetitive thinking, including Borkovec on worry, Nolen-Hoeksema on rumination and Gilbert on self-criticism. FREE TO START Free, every day: a few entries by voice or text, a Reflection on each with your feelings and loops, a question after each entry, a daily prompt to get you started, one Go Deeper conversation, your thinking shape, the name of your Mind Profile, and your month at a glance in Patterns. WITH A CLARITY SUBSCRIPTION, YOU ALSO GET • How it's progressing, month to month • Your full Mind Profile: what makes you you • Your month, read back to you • Your loop mix: each loop's two sides, and which way you lean over the months • Every deep dive: your feelings day by day, the threads you keep coming back to, each person on your mind • The pattern behind each entry • Questions made for you, with a new theme every week • Go Deeper on every entry • Check in as often as you need, with longer voice entries WHO IT'S FOR Adults who've overthought for years, including people with ADHD or autism. For brains that don't switch off. PRIVACY Your entries are private to your account. The AI providers that read them keep nothing and never use your entries to train AI. No ads, and your entries are never sold. Export or delete everything from your profile. For the thoughts that won't let go. Start with one entry. Loop Mind is a journal, not a substitute for clinical care. Terms of Use: https://loopmind.care/terms Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://loopmind.care/privacy

About

Malva

Features
Read full description

Loud mind? Malva makes it quiet. Malva is the self-help app for people who think too much — night spiralers, decision doubters, conversation replayers and future worriers. A CALM SENTENCE EVERY MORNING Your daily card: no forced positivity — mild, honest sentences for loud minds. Also as a widget on your home screen, offline and reliable. SOS QUICK RELIEF — ALWAYS FREE Racing thoughts? Two taps take you to 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, calm breathing, a brain dump or a thought stop. No account, no internet, in the middle of the night. SOS stays free forever — with or without a subscription. YOUR HONEST CHECK-IN "How loud is your mind right now?" One turn of the dial, nothing more. No streaks, no guilt — calm can't be forced. 40 EXERCISES FOR YOUR SITUATION Falling asleep, decisions, replaying conversations, future worries, self-criticism: short 2–5 minute exercises, step by step. 21 DAYS: STEP OFF THE THOUGHT SPIRAL Understand, interrupt, anchor — a gentle program at your own pace. If you pause, you simply continue. THE THOUGHT CHECK A thought that keeps circling? Five gentle questions lead you to a kinder, more honest sentence. Your clarified thoughts live in a private archive. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no tracking, no data sharing. Everything you tell Malva stays on your device. HONESTLY, UP FRONT Malva is self-help — not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis or treatment, and not built for crisis support. If you're seriously struggling, the app points you to real helplines right away. MALVA PREMIUM The daily card, check-in and SOS quick relief are free. Malva Premium unlocks all 40 exercises, all 120 cards, the full 21-day program and the Thought Check: • Yearly: $34.99/year (≈ $2.92/month) — with a 3-day free trial • Monthly: $6.99/month Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Cancel anytime in your iOS settings. Privacy Policy: https://trymalva.com/datenschutz Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Loop Mind4 screens
Malva4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Loop Mind at 3 against Malva's 1. Loop Mind also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Loop Mind sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Malva sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Loop Mind versus Malva: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLoop MindMalva
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB6 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAdrien BarbusseJonathan NoeI Schafer

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Loop Mind

Subscriptions2
  • Loop Mind Clarity - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Loop Mind Clarity - Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

Malva

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Loop Mind free?
Loop Mind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Malva free?
Malva is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Loop Mind or Malva have ads?
Neither Loop Mind nor Malva shows ads.

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