Comparison

ACT Coach vs Beyond MST Explorer

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

Head to head
About

ACT Coach

This app helps users practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to manage difficult thoughts and feelings. It provides exercises, tools, and tracking logs to support living a value-driven life. Developed in consultation with therapists, it's designed for individuals undergoing ACT.

Highlights
  • ACT exercises
  • Tools for managing thoughts
  • Commitment to values
  • Tracking logs
  • Information on ACT
Features
Read full description

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to help you live with unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and impulses without avoiding them or being controlled by them. In ACT, you are encouraged to commit to actions so that you can live your life by your values, even in the face of these unpleasant experiences. This app was developed for Veterans, Service members, and other people who are in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in consultation with a therapist. It offers exercises, tools, information, and tracking logs so you can practice what you’re learning in your daily life. ACT Coach was created by VA’s National Center for PTSD.

About

Beyond MST Explorer

Features
Read full description

This is an evaluation version of Beyond MST that is only for participants in approved program evaluation projects for NCPTSD. Please get our public app Beyond MST if you are not enrolled in a program evaluation project. To unlock this app, you will need an invitation code from an approved investigator. Please contact your investigator if you need help.

Screenshots

ACT Coach4 screens
Beyond MST Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

ACT Coach and Beyond MST Explorer are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ACT Coach ships an update every 14 months, Beyond MST Explorer every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
ACT Coach versus Beyond MST Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterACT CoachBeyond MST Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 14 months — betterEvery 27 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB158 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperUS Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research

In-app purchases

None

ACT Coach

No in-app purchases

None

Beyond MST Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ACT Coach free?
ACT Coach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beyond MST Explorer free?
Beyond MST Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ACT Coach or Beyond MST Explorer have ads?
Neither ACT Coach nor Beyond MST Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ACT Coach or Beyond MST Explorer?
ACT Coach ships an update every 14 months, and Beyond MST Explorer every 27 months. Most recently, ACT Coach was updated on November 5, 2026 and Beyond MST Explorer on November 3, 2026.

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