Comparison

MindShift Cognitive Training vs Relief

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

Head to head
About

MindShift Cognitive Training

Features
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MindShift Cognitive Training offers engaging cognitive games designed to challenge and improve your mental agility. GAMES • Tilt Sorter — Tilt your device to sort falling objects into the correct color buckets. Tests decision-making, processing speed, and executive function. • Direct Sorting — Drag items into their matching categories as quickly as you can. Tests processing speed, categorization, and decision-making. FEATURES • Three difficulty levels for each game • Detailed results after every session — accuracy, reaction time, and score • Progress dashboard with accuracy charts over time • Sign in with email or play as a guest • Cloud sync keeps your data backed up BUILT FOR RESEARCH MindShift was developed as part of a Georgia Institute of Technology Mobile & Ubiquitous Computing research project, applying cognitive science principles to mobile game design. Privacy-first: no ads, no tracking, no data sold. See our privacy policy for details.

About

Relief

Features
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Relief is a private, CBT-based companion for untangling anxious, stressful, and self-critical thoughts - and seeing them more clearly. When a thought is spinning you out, Relief walks you through the step-by-step reframing process used in cognitive behavioral therapy: • Capture the automatic thought and rate how distressing it feels • Spot the cognitive distortion behind it (catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, and more) • Weigh the evidence for and against it • Write a balanced, kinder reframe • Rate your distress again, and see what actually changed Over time, Relief turns your reframes into gentle insight: which thinking traps show up most, in which parts of your life, and how your entries change - so you're not only working through today's thought, you're learning how your own mind works. WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE RELIEF • Truly private - everything lives on your device, encrypted. No account, no cloud, no one reading your thoughts. • Works offline - open it anytime, anywhere, even with no signal. • Built on real CBT - the reframing flow and distortion library are grounded in established cognitive behavioral techniques. • Calm, focused design - no feeds, no noise, no pressure. Just you and a clearer thought. • Made for real moments - quick enough for a short reset, deep enough for a daily journaling practice. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Reframe negative and anxious thoughts with guided CBT steps • Learn to recognize 10+ common cognitive distortions • Rate your distress before and after each reframe • Build a private, searchable thought journal • Keep a personal support plan and crisis resources - always free, on every plan • Set review reminders so a reframe comes back when it is useful • Unlock pattern summaries - recurring distortions, contexts, and review cues (Premium) WHO IT'S FOR Anyone navigating anxiety, stress, overthinking, self-doubt, or a harsh inner critic. Whether you're in therapy and want to practice between sessions, or simply want a kinder, calmer relationship with your own mind - Relief meets you where you are. Your thoughts are yours alone. Relief just helps you see them more clearly. Relief is a self-help tool, not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. If you're in crisis, please contact a local emergency line or the resources listed in the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MindShift Cognitive Training3 screens
Relief4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MindShift Cognitive Training at none against Relief's 3. Relief's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Relief sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. MindShift Cognitive Training asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
MindShift Cognitive Training versus Relief: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindShift Cognitive TrainingRelief
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB160 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles RobertsFarid Jafarli

In-app purchases

None

MindShift Cognitive Training

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Relief

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Annual$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is MindShift Cognitive Training free?
MindShift Cognitive Training is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Relief free?
Relief is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MindShift Cognitive Training or Relief have ads?
Neither MindShift Cognitive Training nor Relief shows ads.

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