Brainbuddy vs Cold Turkey
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Brainbuddy
This app helps users break free from digital habits and addictive behaviors through a neuroscience-based approach. It offers educational programs, progress tracking, and community support to rewire the brain and improve self-control.
- Neuroscience-based habit rewiring program
- 100-day evidence-based education
- Progress tracking and daily checkups
- Supportive community and accountability challenges
- Content blocker and web filter
- Personalized 'Life Tree' growth visualization
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Brainbuddy is the #1 dopamine detox and habit rewiring app, built to help you crave less and live more. Whether your goal is to cut back or quit unwanted digital habits entirely, Brainbuddy’s neuroscience approach can help you change your relationship with screen time, intimacy, and dopamine. With a 100-day evidence-based education program, progress tracking, supportive community, and science-based recovery tools, Brainbuddy helps you rewire your brain and regain self-control. Reboot your life. (Note: All features require a paid Brainbuddy Premium subscription after onboarding). WHY MILLIONS CHOOSE BRAINBUDDY PREMIUM REWIRE YOUR BRAIN Based on 12 years of research, our state-of-the-art rewiring program teaches you how to conquer your impulses, one step at a time. Turn your brain into an ally. MAKE EVERY DAY A GOOD DAY Our fun, daily exercises are specifically designed to replace temptation with motivation and a positive outlook. Stop craving, start living. PROGRESS YOU CAN SEE Your daily checkup tracks in real-time the positive changes you are making to your relationships, mental clarity, and health. Don’t just feel the change, track it. GROW YOUR LIFE TREE Your own personal “Life Tree” grows with you. With every positive choice you make, your tree becomes a little more beautiful. Watch as it grows each day because of you. THE BEST COMMUNITY Brainbuddy has one of the most vibrant and friendly self-improvement communities. Stay motivated with stories from others, and work with your team to win healthy accountability challenges. EXPERIENCE PERSONAL SATISFACTION From one day to one year, build up your self-control and willpower one challenge at a time. You’ll be amazed at what you are capable of. TOOLS TO LIVE BETTER The most powerful content blocker and web filter on the planet. Master impulse control with machine learning. Brainbuddy has everything you need to live a focused, distraction-free life. LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE Rebooting your habits has immense psychological and physical benefits. Start now, change forever. REVIEWS FROM THE BRAINBUDDY COMMUNITY "Now I am controlled, stable, focused, and feel super confident. When you save your energy up, you get that unconquerable will where what would have been a huge wall for your old self becomes a little knee-high fence you can step over." "I feel a different person. I'm much more talkative and aware in social settings. At work I'm on top of everything instead of forgetting things and asking people to repeat themselves. It's been over a decade since I started struggling with these habits and this now feels who I truly am." "The clarity for me was extremely noticeable and you will likely feel like a different person. It gave me hope that there is nothing totally wrong with me. Just having that experience of clarity and happiness can be a powerful thing." "Confidence. When I walk down the street I don't feel uncomfortable anymore. I can speak to anyone without feeling shy. It's not that I have become arrogant, I just regard myself on equal footing with others where before I always felt inferior. My social anxiety has completely flown out the window." SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Brainbuddy requires a PREMIUM subscription to access all features. Payment is charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription will automatically renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends.You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew. Your Apple Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Brainbuddy optionally saves your meditation sessions to the Apple Health app. Terms of Use - https://www.brainbuddyapp.com/terms Privacy Policy - https://www.brainbuddyapp.com/privacy-policy We love your feedback. Contact support@brainbuddyapp.com
Cold Turkey
This app helps users break free from various addictions, including porn, gambling, and alcohol. It offers a structured recovery framework, daily exercises, and progress tracking to rewire habits and build discipline. Features include a website blocker, abstinence counter, and community support.
- Habit rewiring framework
- Daily exercises and challenges
- Progress and streak tracking
- Integrated website blocker
- Abstinence counter
- Community support
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Cold Turkey – Break Free from Addiction & Reclaim Your Life Join thousands taking control of their habits and living life on their terms. Cold Turkey is the #1 recovery app for addictions like fast food, gambling, and alcohol. Whether you're seeking a life reset, starting your nofap journey, or looking for a comprehensive dopamine detox solution, our proven system empowers you to reset your brain, rebuild discipline, and unlock your full potential. Backed by neuroscience and habit-change psychology, Cold Turkey combines the power of a website blocker, abstinence counter, and complete recovery toolkit in one app. Free 3-Day Trial • Then Subscription Required for all features. WHY PEOPLE TRUST COLD TURKEY REWIRE YOUR HABITS Our step-by-step recovery framework is rooted in neuroscience and behavioral science—the same principles used in smart recovery and celebrate recovery programs. We guide you through mental rewiring so you can finally break the cycle—no willpower exhaustion required. Think of it as your personal quitter coach and self control companion. DAILY PROGRESS, REAL RESULTS Replace temptation with motivation using daily exercises, micro-challenges, and reflection prompts that create lasting change. Our unfap-inspired methodology and detox me features help you build sustainable habits, one day at a time. SEE YOUR GROWTH Track improvements in focus, mood, relationships, and physical health with real-time stats and streak counters. Our built-in abstinence counter shows exactly how far you've come on your recovery journey. Watch your transformation unfold as you quit now and stay committed. POWERFUL RECOVERY TOOLS From blocking triggers with our integrated website blocker (similar to stoppr and quittr) to guided meditations and AI-powered accountability features, Cold Turkey arms you with everything you need to stay on track—whether you're quitting fast food, gambling, or alcohol. Perfect for anyone addicted and ready for change, our tools provide the self control you need when you need it most. A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY You're not doing this alone. Share wins, join challenges, and connect with people who understand your journey—from nofap warriors to those pursuing complete life reset transformations. Whether it's breaking one habit or many, find support from others in recovery who know what you're going through. LIFE AFTER QUITTING Imagine waking up energized without alcohol. Feeling in control when faced with gambling urges. Breaking free from compulsive gambling use through a structured dopamine detox. Reclaiming health and confidence by leaving fast food behind. That's the life you can build—starting today with quit now determination and the right recovery tools. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION A Cold Turkey subscription gives you full access to all features, programs, and content. Payment is charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off in your iTunes settings at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. DISCLAIMER: Always consult a healthcare professional for medical concerns or before making significant lifestyle changes. By subscribing to Cold Turkey you agree to the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Brainbuddy at free with in-app purchases against Cold Turkey's subscription. Brainbuddy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (26K vs 373). Cold Turkey's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Brainbuddy sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Cold Turkey sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Brainbuddy against 4.7 for Cold Turkey. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brainbuddy has 26K ratings behind it against 373, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Brainbuddy's written reviews are positive against 25% of Cold Turkey's.
Brainbuddy ships an update every 3 weeks, Cold Turkey every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Brainbuddy | Cold Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (26K ratings) | 4.7 (373 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26K — better | 373 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 112 MB | 132 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | AppStudio Australia Pty Ltd | Wherk |
Customer experience
Brainbuddy
Cold Turkey
Bugs and requests
Brainbuddy
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inconsistent check-in tracking and streak resets
- Inability to delete or manage community posts
- Unreliable content blocker functionality
Requested features
4 requests- More meditation and relaxation content
- Improved social features and community interaction
- Customizable progress tracking and goal-setting
- Better integration with other devices (e.g., iPad, Mac)
Cold Turkey
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Brainbuddy
- Brainbuddy Full Access7 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Brainbuddy Full Access7 Days trial$12.991 Month
- Brainbuddy Full Access3 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Brainbuddy Full Access$12.991 Month
- Brainbuddy Full Access$37.993 Months
- Brainbuddy Full Access$59.996 Months
- Brainbuddy Full Access7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Course anxiety$7.99
- Course selfcontrol$7.99
- Course confidence$7.99
Cold Turkey
- Premium2 variants$9.991 Month
- Premium2 variants$19.991 Year
- Premium3 Days trial$19.993 Months
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Premium$29.993 Months
- Premium$34.991 Year
- Premium$39.991 Year
- Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Premium$49.991 Year








