Best Apps for Anxiety to Feel Calmer in 2025

Almost 360 million people in the world are living with anxiety right now. Although anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only 1 in 4 people receive treatment for them. It may cause other long-term mental health issues, as anxiety directly affects your brain.

Therapy is one of the most popular pathways to work through anxiety, yet not everyone has access to it — whether due to cost, time, or personal preference. Fortunately, innovation and technology now make emotional support more accessible than ever.

With consistency and self-compassion, you can learn to regulate your anxiety and soothe racing thoughts on your own. This guide introduces some of the most trusted self-help tools for anxiety, outlines what makes each one unique, and helps you choose the options that best support your emotional well-being.

Key Learnings

• Although anxiety apps cannot replace therapy, they are effective instruments for personal anxiety relief and learning relaxation techniques.
• When choosing the right solution, consider its approach to structure, regularity of its use, the amount of screen time you are willing to spend, whether you want to practice solo or not, and your personality.
• Apps work best when used consistently and paired with offline practices.

10 Best Apps for Anxiety Management in 2025

We’ve got a great list of candidates to replenish your toolkit of natural ways to manage anxiety, all validated by our team of certified therapist. Explore our favorites that work on everything from anger control to performance anxiety.

Our Top Picks Compared

1.Headspace: Best for Mindful Meditation and Breathing Exercises

Features:

• Guided meditations
• An extensive library of sounds for immediate relief
• Expert-led programs
• Online therapy
• AI guidance.

Benefits: Its beautiful interface and beginner-friendly approach make it one of the easiest ways to build a meditation habit, even if you’ve never tried mindfulness before.

Pricing: Headspace is a subscription-based service, with an annual subscription costing $69.99. It has a 14-day trial.

2.Calm – Best for Mood Stabilization and Sleep

Features: Calm includes sleep stories, relaxation music, guided meditation, and quick tips on breathwork to help manage stress.

What’s the сatch? It has a unique library of bedtime stories, from favorite childhood classics to stories told by famous actors.

Pricing: After the 14-day trial, Calm offers an annual subscription at $69.99. 

3.Liven – Best for Self-Discovery & Daily Support

Features:

• Personalized plan tailored to your needs
• Soundscapes
• Mood tracker
• To-do lists
• Journal
• AI companion Livie
• Content hub with useful articles and courses

Check out Liven's App Store and Google Play pages.

Benefits: Liven is a tech-backed and user-centric guide for personal exploration, making mental health support feel personal and sustainable.

Pricing: Liven has a 7-day trial. Its weekly plan starts at $7.99, and its one-month subscription will cost from $34.99. 

4.Dare — Best for Exposure and Panic/Anxiety Relief

Features: Dare provides audio guides and evidence-based tools teaching users how to respond differently to panic, worry, and intrusive thoughts.

Benefits: This program is designed specifically for people who have panic attacks, panic disorder, and other conditions. It encourages long-term transformation by encouraging people to know their anxiety triggers and work through them.

Pricing: Although Dare has free content, you can unlock all of its features for €69.99 per year.

5.Insight Timer — Best Free Meditation Library

Features: Insight Timer offers a vast meditation library at no cost, along with courses.

Benefits: The amount of free content you can get from Insight Timer’s meditations is immense: more than 250,000 meditations, talks, podcasts, and more to assist people with guided relaxation, mindfulness, and depression management.

Pricing: Insight Timer has two pricing options: a donation-based model with free access to meditations, and a paid option for $59.99 annually, which includes all insight courses, offline listening, and more advanced features.

6.Kinder World — Best for Stress Relief Through Play

Features: Kinder World has one feature — gaming through mindfulness, breathing, and more. It turns well-being into a calming game where you nurture plants by practicing self-compassion and reflection. 

Benefits: Instead of demanding a dry, clear-cut list of strategies, Kinder World creates a relaxing routine through play, which is unique on the market.

Pricing: It is free, but you can buy additional aesthetic items. 

7.Finch — Best for Self-Care Motivation

Features: Offering its users a to-do list with a virtual pet for motivation, Finch builds simple self-care habits by adding journaling, reflecting, and stretching tips.

Benefits: It’s a simple yet unique gamified method for those who enjoy the virtual pet concept. Plus, creators of Finch know that feeling anxious and struggling with depression make it hard even for adults to deal with daily challenges. It gently reminds them to do simple things within their control.

Pricing: The basic features are free, but users who want seasonal rewards and new content can unlock them for $69.99 annually. 

8.Loona — Best for Appreciating Sleep

Features: Loona has a range of bedtime stories and Escape options featuring 3D scenes designed to help with sleep, anxiety, panic attacks, and stress. 

Benefits: The Loona’s soothing interactive content allows users to replace other, more nerve-inducing games during the night.

Pricing: Users receive free access to Loona, albeit with limited features, but can upgrade to Loona Plus for a yearly fee between $24.99 and $49.99.

9.SuperBetter — Best for Gamified Resilience

Features: SuperBetter has created over 40 solo challenges designed to help users manage panic, stress, and self-improvement.

What’s the catch? SuperBetter utilizes evidence-based Gamefully technology that mimics the hero’s journey in a classic adventure story, reminding us that even adults can manage life with fun.

Pricing: Users who play solo pick the Hero subscription option, which costs $24.99/year after a two-week trial.

10.Habitica – Best for Building Habits

Features:

• Daily challenges
• Habit development
• Color-coding tasks
• Streak counter
• Leveling system
• Collectible gear
• To-do lists.

Benefits: Having created a gamified yet scientific method for habit building, this instrument makes developing calming and winding-down routines social and fun.

Pricing: While Habitica is free, you can pay for cosmetic and in-game benefits. Its yearly subscription is $47.99. 

How Apps Can Actually Help with Feeling Anxious

Apps for anxiety are highly popular because they work. The demand for them is only growing: in 2024, the global mental health apps market was valued at approximately $7.48 billion. Although they cannot be used as a substitute for professional support, these products can enhance your existing self-help activities or therapy. A lot of it stems from habits and lifestyle changes. Using such solutions teaches accountability, guides you through mindfulness exercises, and reminds you to maintain your efforts. 

It’s not just empty words: research repeatedly shows that you benefit from using anti-anxiety apps if you commit to a systematic change. A recent meta-review of studies reveals that scientifically backed apps are effective in decreasing users’ negative emotions. Basically, psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and mindfulness practices that digital apps make more accessible yield noticeable improvements in relaxing and dealing with anxiety.

How to Choose the Right Anxiety App for You

Sometimes the sheer need to make one choice can be stressful, right? We’ve provided a simple decision framework to make the process easier.

• Platform: Do you use the App Store or Google Play, or prefer a web version?
• Structure: Do you prefer a strict list of tasks or a more spontaneous and flexible approach?
• Regularity: How often do you want to engage with the app?
• Screen Time: How much time do you want to spend on your screen?
• Budget: How much are you willing to spend on your app?
• Social or Solo: How motivated are you by challenges or being a part of the group?
• Your Personality: What type of person are you?

Our Top Picks Compared

How to Make Anxiety Apps Work Better

Have you ever paid for a gym membership, only to drop it after a few weeks? Yeah, this happens to many of us. Similarly, you only benefit from an anxiety app if you know how to use it. Here’s a quick checklist for you:

• Create a daily habit. We know we’re running the risk of sounding repetitive, but it’s essential to commit to your practices. Allow in-app reminders or add them to your calendar manually.
• Track patterns. Many apps include mood logs or habit trackers — review them to find out what may be changing.
• Stay flexible. Don’t push yourself if something doesn’t work out, even if you miss a day in a streak or forget to read your lesson. You are human. Be compassionate to yourself, and it’ll keep things positive.
• Remember the real connection. Even the best digital masterpieces do not have the ability to replace real people. Talk to friends, family, or your therapist.

Keep in mind, it’s natural to feel frustrated along the way. Be gentle with yourself. Focus on observing your emotions and patterns, not judging them. Every small step toward awareness is part of your healing process.

When to Seek More Support

Although anxiety apps can be an excellent tool for many people, they aren’t the complete solution for everyone. There might be times when self-guided tools aren’t enough. It might be a wise choice to seek professional help if:

• Panic attacks or overwhelming anxiety are happening frequently.
• You feel unable to manage your emotions effectively.
• Your mental health seriously affects your life or relationships, stopping you from living fully.
• You find it hard to carry out daily tasks because you are so overwhelmed.
• Anxiety causes other issues, such as depression or substance use.
• You start to isolate yourself from others.

If even one of these symptoms sounds familiar, it may be wise to consult a professional therapist or counselor. 

Useful Resources

• The American Psychological Association has a lot of content about anxiety and can help you figure out how to find the right professional.
• The World Health Organization provides a comprehensive range of practical and science-based resources to support your well-being. 

One Step Toward Better Mental Health

Finding the right app is a matter of experimentation. Even if some things don’t immediately work out, give yourself time to get adjusted to the product. Try a few small steps daily. A five-minute session can change how you feel.

Let yourself go into new practices with curiosity. Remember: you are not alone in your struggle with anxiety. There are numerous options available, so test what works for you. 

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References

1. Anxiety disorders. World Health Organization. (2025, September 8). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders
2. Doğan, T., Koçtürk, N., Akın, E., Kurnaz, M. F., Öztürk, C. D., Şen, A., & Yalçın, M. (2024). Science‐based mobile apps for reducing anxiety: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 31(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.3058
3. Samokhval, V. (2025a, May 22). Natural ways to manage anxiety: Lifestyle tips and Techniques. The Liven. https://theliven.com/blog/wellbeing/anxiety/natural-ways-to-manage-anxiety-lifestyle-tips-and-techniques-1
4. Samokhval, V. (2025b, July 22). How anxiety affects the brain: Insights into its impact and management. The Liven. https://theliven.com/blog/wellbeing/anxiety/the-science-of-anxiety-how-it-affects-your-brain  

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