ACT Coach vs Stretch & Release
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- ACT exercises
- Tools for managing thoughts
- Commitment to values
- Tracking logs
- Information on ACT
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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.
Stretch & Release
This app helps you manage stretching routines with customizable timers for holding stretches and rest periods. It offers optional audio cues and haptic feedback for a personalized experience during your fitness journey.
- Customizable stretch hold duration
- Customizable rest interval length
- Set number of repetitions
- Optional audio cues
- Haptic feedback
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Hold. Rest. Repeat… without counting in your head. I built Stretch & Release after I kept losing track of how long I’d held a stretch, or how many reps I still had left. Set your hold time, rest time and reps. Numbers and graphics are easy to read, or close your eyes and use the spoken audio and haptic cues. Use either your iPhone or your Apple Watch — build a set list and it syncs across both devices using iCloud.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ACT Coach at Free against Stretch & Release's $0.99. ACT Coach also leads on ratings volume (14 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Stretch & Release's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On ads, 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
ACT Coach is free to download; Stretch & Release costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Stretch & Release holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ACT Coach has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of ACT Coach's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stretch & Release's.
ACT Coach ships an update every 14 months, Stretch & Release every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ACT Coach | Stretch & Release |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (14 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 7 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | Lucas Barker |
Customer experience
ACT Coach
Stretch & Release
In-app purchases
ACT Coach
No in-app purchases
Stretch & Release
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ACT Coach free?
Is Stretch & Release free?
Which has better reviews, ACT Coach or Stretch & Release?
Do ACT Coach or Stretch & Release have ads?
Which is updated more often, ACT Coach or Stretch & Release?
Other comparisons
