Comparison

Sober vs Vesper Journal

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

Head to head
About

Sober

This app helps users track sobriety days, build streaks, and break bad habits. It offers tools for motivation, relapse support, and community connection to aid in achieving lasting change and personal growth.

Highlights
  • Sobriety day tracking
  • Sober streak building
  • Habit breaking tools
  • Money and time saved calculator
  • Motivational messages
  • Relapse support
  • Anonymous community support
Features
Read full description

Sober is a powerful sobriety tracker designed to track sobriety days, build sober streaks, and break bad habits. Whether you're quitting alcohol or overcoming other addictions, Sober helps you stay consistent, motivated, and in control—one day at a time. Track your progress, build momentum with daily streaks, and visualize your journey with an intuitive sober counter and sobriety tracker built for real results. Developed with a Harvard-educated Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with 32+ years of sobriety, Sober is built on proven techniques to help you stay accountable and achieve lasting change. Core Features: Sobriety Tracker – Track sobriety days and monitor your daily progress Sober Counter – Count your sober days and build powerful streaks Sober Streaks – Stay consistent and motivated with daily streak tracking Sobriety Calculator – See how much time and money you’ve saved Motivational Messages – Daily reminders to keep you focused Relapse Support Tools – Manage urges and avoid setbacks Anonymous Community – Share experiences and stay accountable Progress Insights – Reflect on milestones and personal growth Built for Real Change Sober is more than just a sobriety tracker—it’s a complete system designed to help you: Break bad habits Stay consistent with your goals Build long-term streaks Stay motivated every day Take control of your life Benefits of Staying Sober: Better sleep and increased energy Improved focus and mental clarity Stronger relationships Increased confidence and self-control Better physical and emotional health Whether you're starting fresh or continuing your journey, Sober gives you the tools to stay on track, build streaks, and become the best version of yourself. Start today and take control of your sobriety—one day at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Vesper Journal

Features
Read full description

Vesper is your personal evening ritual. Named after the hour just before night falls, Vesper guides you through a short, meaningful journaling session each evening to help you process your day, cultivate gratitude, and close out with intention. Each night, Vesper presents five thoughtfully curated prompts drawn from five areas of reflection: gratitude, awareness, release, intention, and self-reflection. You choose a calming soundscape to set the mood, answer at your own pace, and rate how you feel when you are done. The whole session takes just a few minutes, but the habit builds something lasting. Your journal lives entirely on your device. There is no account required, no data sent to outside servers, and no ads. Your thoughts are yours. As your journaling habit grows, Vesper tracks your streaks, visualizes your mood trends over time, and generates AI-powered weekly summaries that surface patterns in your writing and emotional themes. All AI processing happens on-device using Apple Intelligence, so your privacy is never compromised. Vesper is designed for the end of the day, when your mind is ready to settle. The dark, minimal interface, ambient audio, and gentle prompts make it easy to slow down and show up for yourself, one evening at a time. Features: Five-prompt guided sessions with balanced category selection Ambient soundscapes including rain and piano Mood tracking with trend charts powered by Swift Charts Streak tracking and 30-day calendar heatmap On-device AI weekly summaries via Apple Intelligence Photo attachments for up to five images per entry Rich text journaling with bold, italic, and highlight formatting Smart daily reminders at your chosen time Full Assistive Access support No account required, no ads, no cloud storage Try Vesper free for seven days. Unlock lifetime access with a single one-time purchase.

Screenshots

Sober4 screens
Vesper Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sober at every 3 weeks against Vesper Journal's every 7 months. Sober also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.2). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sober sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Vesper Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sober ships an update every 3 weeks, Vesper Journal every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Sober versus Vesper Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoberVesper Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews67.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB17 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperRed Penguin LLCGregory Hogan

Bugs and requests

Sober

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sobriety date reset after updates
  • Blank screens and loading issues
  • Inconsistent app behavior across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable sobriety tracking
  • More diverse recovery resources
  • Improved meeting/event finder
  • Better data export/backup options

Vesper Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Sober

Subscriptions3
  • Sober Premium7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Sober Premium7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Annual Premium1 Year trial$39.991 Year
1 purchases

Vesper Journal

One-time1
  • VesperOneTime$5.99

Questions

Is Sober free?
Sober is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Vesper Journal free?
Vesper Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sober or Vesper Journal have ads?
Neither Sober nor Vesper Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sober or Vesper Journal?
Sober ships an update every 3 weeks, and Vesper Journal every 7 months. Most recently, Sober was updated on October 16, 2026 and Vesper Journal on October 15, 2026.

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