#1 · ILTY
Best for: Talking through anxious thoughts when they hitAI companion for talking through anxiety in the moment.
Best for the anxiety scenario where you're spiraling and need someone to talk it through with you, in your own words. Less appropriate for acute panic attack interruption (use Rootd) or learning CBT skills systematically (use Wysa or MindShift).
Strengths
- +Available at 2am when the spiral starts
- +Mr. Relentless companion challenges anxious thinking instead of validating it
- +Conversations end with a concrete next step, not just a meditation suggestion
Where it falls short
- −Not a panic-attack-in-progress tool (Rootd is better there)
- −No mood/anxiety tracking dashboard
Pricing
$12.99/mo or $99.99/yr after 1-week trial.
Download ILTYFree to download · 7-day trial · then $12.99/mo or $99.99/yr
#2 · Wysa
Best for: Daily CBT exercises for generalized anxietyCBT-based AI chatbot, well-researched, gentle tone.
Best for daily generalized-anxiety management with CBT exercises. Less responsive in acute moments — better suited to building skills over weeks.
Strengths
- +Strong RCT evidence base for anxiety
- +Free tier is functional
- +Human-coach upgrade for harder cases
Where it falls short
- −Tone is gentle — slow when anxiety is acute
- −Decision-tree structure
Pricing
Free tier; ~$99/yr Premium.
vs. ILTY
Wysa wins for structured CBT skill-building. ILTY wins for the in-the-moment talk-it-through.
#3 · Rootd
Best for: Acute panic attack interruptionBuilt specifically for stopping panic attacks in progress.
Best in class for ONE thing: stopping a panic attack in progress. The grounding + breathing flow is fast and actually works. If panic isn't your specific issue, you don't need it.
Strengths
- +Single-purpose: panic-attack interruption with grounding + breathing
- +Genuinely fast to launch in the moment
- +Founder-led; designed by someone with lived panic-disorder experience
Where it falls short
- −Narrow scope — not a general anxiety app
- −Limited content beyond panic interruption
- −Free tier is essentially a demo
Pricing
Free tier; Premium ~$60/yr.
vs. ILTY
Rootd is the better pick for panic-attack-in-progress specifically. ILTY is the better pick for the anxiety around panic — the dread before, the rumination after, the work-anxiety that's separate from panic.
#4 · MindShift CBT
Best for: Free CBT specifically for anxietyFree CBT-for-anxiety app from Anxiety Canada.
If "free CBT for anxiety" is your search, this is the answer. Anxiety Canada is a real anxiety-specialist nonprofit; MindShift is essentially a CBT workbook in app form, no paywall.
Strengths
- +Built by Anxiety Canada — actual nonprofit clinicians
- +Truly free, no upsell
- +Comprehensive: thought-challenging, exposure planning, sleep, social anxiety modules
Where it falls short
- −Static UX — feels dated
- −No AI conversation, no daily check-ins
- −Workbook-style; requires self-discipline to complete
vs. ILTY
MindShift wins as a free CBT workbook for anxiety. ILTY wins when you want conversation rather than worksheets.
#5 · Woebot (DISCONTINUED June 2025)
Best for: (Used to be: learning CBT for anxiety systematically)CBT chatbot with strong anxiety evidence — consumer app shut down June 30, 2025.
Was the research-backed pick for systematically learning CBT skills for anxiety, until the consumer app was retired on June 30, 2025. For live alternatives see our Woebot alternatives roundup — MindShift CBT is the closest free anxiety-specific replacement.
Strengths
- +(Historical) Stanford-built; published RCT evidence for anxiety reduction
- +(Historical) Free consumer app
- +(Historical) Decision-tree structure meant consistent quality
Where it falls short
- −DISCONTINUED — Woebot Health retired the consumer app on June 30, 2025; not downloadable in 2026
- −(Historical) Scripted feel limited conversation depth
Pricing
(Was free; consumer app discontinued.)
vs. ILTY
Woebot is no longer available to consumers. Historically it won for structured CBT curriculum; ILTY is for conversation about your specific anxiety.
#6 · Sanvello (DISCONTINUED)
Best for: (Used to be: structured anxiety self-help with a clinician escalation path)Consumer app delisted; folded into Optum/AbleTo as a health-plan benefit.
Kept as a historical entry because Sanvello was one of the most-recommended anxiety apps and people still search for it by name. It is no longer downloadable: the consumer product was retired and absorbed into Optum/AbleTo, where access runs through an employer or health plan rather than the App Store. If Sanvello was your plan, the closest living substitutes on this list are MindShift CBT (free, anxiety-specific CBT workbook from Anxiety Canada) and Wysa (structured CBT with an optional human-coach upgrade when you want a person in the loop).
Strengths
- +(Historical) Wide library of anxiety-specific CBT exercises
- +(Historical) Therapy upgrade (in-network with insurance for many) gave a clinician path
- +(Historical) Daily mood/anxiety check-ins
Where it falls short
- −DISCONTINUED for consumers — verified 2026-08-13: the App Store listing returns no result, both Google Play packages 404, and sanvello.com no longer resolves. The product was folded into Optum/AbleTo, reachable only through an employer or health plan. Note that several 'Sanvello review 2026' pages still circulating quote a live 4.8 rating and $8.99/mo pricing; that data is dead.
- −(Historical) Exercise-driven — felt like homework
- −(Historical) Free tier was intentionally limited
Pricing
(No longer available to consumers — access is via an employer or health plan)
Platforms
(Delisted from the App Store and Google Play)
vs. ILTY
Not a live comparison anymore. If you came for Sanvello's exercise-based anxiety self-help, MindShift CBT is the closest free replacement and Wysa the closest paid one; ILTY is conversational rather than exercise-based.
#7 · Calm
Best for: Anxiety-driven insomnia and bedtime racing thoughtsPremium meditation + sleep stories.
Calm's sleep stories are an underrated anxiety tool — they reliably help when racing thoughts keep you awake. Less useful for daytime acute anxiety.
Strengths
- +Sleep stories work for anxiety-driven insomnia better than most things
- +Strong meditation library for daily anxiety practice
- +Cross-platform with smart-speaker integration
Where it falls short
- −No active conversation — pure passive content
- −Expensive vs. free competitors
Pricing
Free trial; ~$70/yr Premium.
Platforms
iOS, Android, web
vs. ILTY
Calm wins for sleep-anxiety specifically. ILTY wins for daytime anxiety that needs talking through.
#8 · Headspace
Best for: Learning meditation as a long-term anxiety strategyMeditation curriculum with anxiety-specific course tracks.
If you've never meditated and want anxiety relief through a learnable practice, Headspace is the smoothest entry point.
Strengths
- +Best onboarding for someone new to meditation
- +Anxiety-specific course tracks
- +Polished, accessible UX
Where it falls short
- −Curriculum-driven — repetitive once you've done basics
- −No conversation layer
Pricing
Free trial; ~$70/yr Premium.
Platforms
iOS, Android, web
vs. ILTY
Headspace wins for learning meditation. ILTY wins for in-the-moment anxiety conversation.
#9 · Insight Timer
Best for: Free meditation for anxietyFree meditation library with thousands of anxiety-specific tracks.
If Calm and Headspace feel overpriced, Insight Timer's free anxiety meditation library covers the same ground. Worth the discovery friction.
Strengths
- +Massive free library — search 'anxiety' returns hundreds of tracks
- +No paywall on most content
- +Variety of teachers and styles
Where it falls short
- −Discovery is chaotic without curation
- −Quality varies
Pricing
Free; Premium $60/yr.
Platforms
iOS, Android, web
vs. ILTY
Insight Timer wins for free anxiety meditation. ILTY wins for conversation about anxiety rather than meditation.
#10 · Youper (SHUTTING DOWN Sept 2026)
Best for: (Used to be: daily anxiety tracking with light skill scaffolding)Mood + anxiety tracker with light CBT — closing September 30, 2026.
Kept as a historical entry because people still search for it, and because Youper deserved the reputation it had — real published research behind the anxiety work. It closes September 30, 2026, is already delisted, and deletes user data October 1. For the anxiety-tracking-plus-skills job it did, MindShift CBT is the closest living substitute here (free, anxiety-specific, includes thought and worry tracking); Wysa is the closer match if the daily check-in conversation was the part you used.
Strengths
- +(Historical) FDA 510(k)-cleared for one specific indication
- +(Historical) Onboarding identified your anxiety patterns
- +(Historical) Free tier was functional
Where it falls short
- −SHUTTING DOWN September 30, 2026 — verified 2026-08-13: the US App Store lookup returns no result, the Google Play listing 404s, and youper.ai carries its own shutdown banner with data-export instructions. Subscriptions are disabled and user data is purged on 2026-10-01 — export your anxiety history before then.
- −(Historical) Conversations felt survey-like
- −(Historical) Limited depth for in-the-moment processing
Pricing
(No longer sold — subscriptions disabled ahead of the shutdown)
Platforms
(Delisted from both app stores; app stops working 2026-09-30)
vs. ILTY
Not a live comparison anymore. MindShift CBT is the closest surviving option on this list for tracking anxiety patterns; ILTY is for the conversation when anxiety is acute, which was never Youper's strength anyway.