Comparison

Relief vs SipFlow

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

Head to head
About

Relief

Features
Read full description

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/

About

SipFlow

Features
Read full description

SipFlow turns drinking water into a tiny daily ritual with a friend. Remember the pocket pets of the 90s? Your droplet buddy is a tiny virtual pet that levels up as you drink water. Name it, take a sip, tap. It wobbles, splashes and smiles, and your day fills up one sip at a time. No measuring cups, no typing numbers. TAP AFTER EVERY SIP • One tap logs one sip, sized to you from your answers during setup • Undo in a tap if you pressed by accident • A gentle daily goal you can change any time A BUDDY THAT GROWS WITH YOU • 13 levels with a gift on every new one • Pet your buddy, dress it up with accessories and colors • Mini-games that never log water BATTLE WITH FRIENDS • Send a friend your code and see who drinks more water today • Get a nudge when a friend starts drinking or pulls ahead • Every morning, find out who won yesterday • No sign-up, just a name. Leave and delete your battle account any time STREAKS WITHOUT GUILT • A day counts as soon as you take one sip • New buddy colors at 3, 5, 7, 14 and 30 days in a row • Share a streak card with a friend • Missed a day? Just start again, no scolding ALWAYS AT HAND • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with a sip button • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Friendly reminders at the hours you choose • A calendar of past days SIPFLOW PLUS Plus adds rescue days (two a month, so a missed yesterday doesn't break your streak), three more games (Lily Jump, Little Drops 2048 and Catch the rain), the Apple Watch app, Live Activity, coffee colors and the pink bow, and unlocks gift colors right away. Choose Monthly, Yearly (first week free) or Forever, a one-time purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads, no analytics, no tracking, no sign-up. Your data stays on your device; the battle shares only your name, your buddy and today's water with friends you add. SipFlow estimates intake from taps. It doesn't measure what you drink and isn't medical advice. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://stanleyappdev.github.io/sipflow/privacy.html

Screenshots

Relief4 screens
SipFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SipFlow at every 5 days against Relief's fortnightly. Relief's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and SipFlow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Relief ships an update fortnightly, SipFlow every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Relief versus SipFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReliefSipFlow
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFarid JafarliStanislav Kotlyarenko

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Relief

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

SipFlow

Subscriptions2
  • SipFlow Plus Monthly$2.991 Month
  • SipFlow Plus Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • SipFlow Plus Forever$29.99

Questions

Is Relief free?
Relief is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SipFlow free?
SipFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Relief or SipFlow have ads?
Neither Relief nor SipFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Relief or SipFlow?
Relief ships an update fortnightly, and SipFlow every 5 days. Most recently, Relief was updated on October 11, 2026 and SipFlow on October 26, 2026.

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