Comparison

Brainbuddy vs NORV

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

NORV

Features
Read full description

NORV is a habit tracker for people who are done being congratulated. No confetti. No "Great job!" No quiet reset when you break a streak. You sign a contract with yourself, you show up every day, and the app keeps an honest record of what actually happened — including the days you didn't. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT A signed contract, not a wish list Onboarding ends with a real commitment: your name, your terms, a duration you choose — 30 days, 90 days, a year, or forever. You sign it. It holds you to it. A wall that remembers 100 days, 100 squares. Every day you show up fills one. Every day you miss leaves a permanent mark. It does not fade, and you cannot clear it. When the wall is full, it is archived and a new one begins. A score that takes years, not weeks Common. Uncommon. Rare. Elite. Legendary. Mythic. The top tier is not reachable in a month of enthusiasm — it takes years of showing up. Streak multipliers reward duration, not intensity: the longer you hold, the more each day is worth. Position, not praise Instead of empty encouragement, NORV tells you where you stand. As your streak grows, you see how far you've moved past the point where most people stop. Mental debrief Three questions a day. Not a mood tracker — a record of what you told yourself on the days it was hard. Weekly report Once a week, an honest read on the week you actually had. Sometimes it's a congratulation. Often it isn't. WHO IT'S FOR People who have tried the friendly apps and quit anyway. Founders, athletes, anyone rebuilding after a fall. If you want an app that goes easy on you, this is the wrong one. PRIVACY Your habits, streaks, contracts and debriefs stay on your device. No account. No sign-up. No cloud sync. The app only sends anonymous crash reports and processes purchases through Apple. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS NORV Annual: 3-day free trial, then 39,99 EUR/year (price varies by region), renewing automatically until cancelled in your Apple Settings. NORV Lifetime: a single payment, no subscription, no renewal. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Cancel anytime in Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://cloro1070-cpu.github.io/norv-legal/ Top 1% in years, not weeks. NORV. Daily.

Screenshots

Brainbuddy4 screens
NORV4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Brainbuddy at 13.0 against NORV's 15.1. On price, update cadence, 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. Brainbuddy sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and NORV sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brainbuddy ships an update every 3 weeks, NORV every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Brainbuddy versus NORV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainbuddyNORV
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (26K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews41.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings26K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB36 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAppStudio Australia Pty LtdCharlene Dumas

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)

NORV

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Brainbuddy

Subscriptions7
  • 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 more
  • 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
One-time3
  • Course anxiety$7.99
  • Course selfcontrol$7.99
  • Course confidence$7.99
2 purchases

NORV

Subscriptions1
  • NORV Annual3 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • NORV Lifetime$69.99

Questions

Is Brainbuddy free?
Brainbuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NORV free?
NORV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Brainbuddy or NORV have ads?
Neither Brainbuddy nor NORV shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brainbuddy or NORV?
Brainbuddy ships an update every 3 weeks, and NORV every 5 weeks. Most recently, Brainbuddy was updated on October 22, 2026 and NORV on October 9, 2026.

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