Comparison

Calm Harm vs HarmLess

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

Head to head
About

Calm Harm

This app offers immediate techniques to help manage urges to self-harm. It provides activities to distract, comfort, and express oneself, along with breathing exercises and journaling tools. It aims to help users ride the wave of urges until they fade.

Highlights
  • Manage self-harm urges
  • Distraction activities
  • Comforting techniques
  • Express yourself tools
  • Breathing exercises
  • Journaling and self-reflection
Features
Read full description

The urge to self-harm is like a wave. It feels the most powerful when you start wanting to do it. Join over 2 million users and learn to ride the wave with the free Calm Harm app by choosing activities from these categories: Comfort, Distract, Express Yourself, Release, and Random. There is also a breathing technique to help be mindful and stay in the moment, regulate difficult emotions and reduce tension. When you ride the wave, the urge to self-harm will fade. Calm Harm is an award-winning app developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Nihara Krause, in collaboration with young people, using principles from the evidence-based Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). It is built to NHS standards and approved by ORCHA. Calm Harm provides some immediate techniques to help break the cycle of self-harm behaviours and explore underlying trigger factors; build a ‘safety net’ of helpful thoughts, behaviours and access to supportive people; and provides the opportunity to journal and self-reflect. It also provides signposts to help. The Calm Harm app is private, anonymous and safe. Reviews from Calm Harm app users: • ‘This app helps me so much. I can't thank you enough for improving my life.’ • ‘I was told by my support worker to download this, best thing I ever did!! It’s helped me a lot through the tough times and I would definitely recommend this!!!’ • ‘This app saves lives. It is a beautiful, beautiful tool. Thank you endlessly.’ Awards for Calm Harm include: • Health Tech Awards Winner ‘Best Healthcare App of the Year’ 2021 • Digital Leaders 100 Awards Winner ‘Tech for Good Initiative of the Year’ 2020 (for stem4’s app portfolio, including Calm Harm) • Third Sector Awards Winner ‘Digital Innovation of the Year’ 2019 Please note that the Calm Harm app is not a substitute for the assessment and individualised treatment by a health/mental health professional. Please also note that if you forget both your passcode and security answer, these cannot be reset as we do not create user accounts. You will need to reinstall the app, losing any previous data.

About

HarmLess

This app supports individuals recovering from self-harm by providing tools to track progress, manage urges with healthy alternatives, and deepen self-understanding. It offers courses, guided meditations, and access to professional therapists.

Highlights
  • Urge management toolkit
  • Self-harm-free streak tracking
  • Personalized journal
  • Educational courses on mental health
  • Guided meditations
  • Breathing exercises
  • Access to discounted therapists
Features
Read full description

Transform your life one day at a time with HarmLess, the leading mobile app designed to support those battling self-harm. This innovative tool empowers you to take control of your recovery, build resilience, deepen self-understanding, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. HarmLess provides a comprehensive suite of features tailored to your emotional needs, helping you navigate life's challenges with strength and clarity. When urges strike, tap the URGE button to open a personalized toolkit offering a variety of healthy alternatives based on your current emotional state. Recognizing, understanding, and validating your feelings is a powerful step toward healing. Your privacy and security are our top priorities. With a passcode-protected interface, your journey remains confidential—your story is yours to share when and how you choose. Track your progress with real-time insights and statistics, including self-harm-free streaks, daily difficulty ratings, and urge frequency. Every day you stay committed is a step forward, and we ensure you can see that progress clearly. Stay engaged and motivated with daily Pledge Icons, reflect on your journey in your personal Journal, and gain perspective with our structured Reviews feature—each designed to support self-awareness and mental well-being. Expand your knowledge and strengthen your recovery with bite-sized, engaging Courses on self-harm, mental health, coping strategies, and more. Designed to be simple, digestible, and interactive, each course is divided into chapters, with quizzes at the end to reinforce key takeaways. Build confidence, and develop practical skills as you progress. Celebrate your milestones and unlock rewards through Achievements, visual symbols of your dedication and resilience that encourage you to keep moving forward. Our unique, animated Breathing Exercises provide an engaging way to reduce stress, ease anxiety, boost energy, and improve sleep. Find moments of peace with Guided Meditations, specifically designed to support those overcoming self-harm. For additional support, HarmLess users can access professional mental health therapists at a discounted rate directly through the app, ensuring that help is always within reach. HarmLess is your trusted companion on the path to healing. Start your journey today—because you matter, and your story is far from over. We are always open to feedback, if you have any ideas or suggestions about how the app could be better, we'd love to hear from you. Please write them in a written review right here on the App Store. Terms of use: http://www.wiredbetterment.com/harmless/termsofuse.html Privacy Policy: http://www.wiredbetterment.com/harmless/privacypolicy.html

Screenshots

Calm Harm4 screens
HarmLess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HarmLess at Free against Calm Harm's $1.99. HarmLess also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). Calm Harm's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment 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

HarmLess is free to download; Calm Harm costs $1.99 up front. HarmLess sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Calm Harm asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HarmLess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HarmLess has 8.1K ratings behind it against 681, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Calm Harm's written reviews are positive against 84% of HarmLess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calm Harm ships an update every 4 months, HarmLess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Calm Harm versus HarmLess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalm HarmHarmLess
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (681 ratings)4.8 (8.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews83.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6818.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#17 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.4 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB45 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperStem4Wired Betterment

Customer experience

Calm Harm

All ratings681 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral5.4%
Negative14.0%

HarmLess

All ratings8,048 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews530 reviews
Positive83.6%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.3%

User reviews

Calm Harm

From 681 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for self-harm, anxiety, and mental health issues
  • 🚀 Free app with no ads or in-app purchases
  • 💡 Wide range of activities and coping techniques
  • 👍 Customizable themes and mascots
  • 👍 Tracks progress and urge patterns

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Login/password issues, unable to reset or recover account
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data usage
  • 👎 Some activities require physical resources not always available
  • 👎 Repetitive or boring activities for some users
  • 👎 Doesn't work for all users, not a substitute for professional help

HarmLess

From 8.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for self-harm recovery
  • 🚀 Motivating and encouraging
  • 🔒 Provides privacy with password protection
  • 📈 Tracks progress and achievements
  • 💭 Offers coping mechanisms and journaling

Room to improve

  • 💰 Premium features require payment
  • 🔍 Difficulty hiding the app from others
  • 🤔 Confusion around certain features

Bugs and requests

Calm Harm

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezing or crashing on certain devices
  • Inconsistent or buggy behavior of certain features
  • Layout and UI issues on newer smartphone models
  • Syncing or data loss problems when switching devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more in-app activities and distractions
  • Implement dark mode or customizable themes
  • Allow users to edit or delete journal entries
  • Add support for Apple Watch or other wearables
  • Provide more language options and localization
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with other mental health apps or services

HarmLess

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional glitches or crashes
  • Inconsistencies in the self-harm tracker

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free meditation and breathing exercises
  • Ability to reset or adjust the self-harm tracker
  • Option to customize the app's appearance
  • Improved syncing and data transfer between devices

In-app purchases

None

Calm Harm

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

HarmLess

Subscriptions9
  • Premium Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Premium Intro Offer3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Premium Feat. Offer Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Quarterly$9.993 Months
  • Premium Feat. Offer Biannual3 Days trial$19.996 Months
  • Premium Biannual$19.996 Months
  • Premium Yearly$35.991 Year
  • Premium Feat. Offer Yearly7 Days trial$35.991 Year
One-time5
  • $1 Tip$0.99
  • Premium (Lifetime)$4.99
  • Premium (Lifetime)$7.99
Show 2 more
  • Premium (Lifetime)$9.99
  • Premium (Lifetime)$12.99

Questions

Is Calm Harm free?
Calm Harm costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HarmLess free?
HarmLess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Calm Harm or HarmLess?
HarmLess is rated higher. Calm Harm averages 4.4 out of 5 from 681 ratings, while HarmLess averages 4.8 from 8.1K ratings.
Do Calm Harm or HarmLess have ads?
HarmLess shows ads; Calm Harm does not.
Which is updated more often, Calm Harm or HarmLess?
Calm Harm ships an update every 4 months, and HarmLess fortnightly. Most recently, Calm Harm was updated on September 25, 2026 and HarmLess on September 26, 2026.

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