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Best Of · Last reviewed August 24, 2026

The Best PTSD Apps (2026)

PTSD is one of the most-researched, most-treatable mental-health presentations — AND one where confident wrong information from an app can deepen harm. We tested 6 with that bar in mind. Honest 2026 ranking, with explicit limits on what apps can and can't do.

In crisis? Call or text 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and 24/7.

At a glance

Click any row for the in-depth section below.

  • #1 · PTSD Coach

    Symptom tracking, self-help skills, and trauma psychoeducation as adjunct to (or while waiting for) treatment

    Price
    Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs)
    On
    iOS, Android
  • #2 · CPT Coach

    Patients in active CPT therapy who want a companion app for between-session work

    Price
    Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs)
    On
    iOS, Android
  • #3 · PE Coach

    Patients in active PE therapy needing a structured companion app

    Price
    Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs)
    On
    iOS, Android
  • #4 · Mindfulness Coach

    Trauma-informed mindfulness practice that respects PTSD's specific contraindications

    Price
    Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs)
    On
    iOS, Android
  • #5 · Sanvello (DISCONTINUED)

    (Used to be: one combined tool for PTSD plus generalized anxiety/depression — never PTSD-specific)

    Price
    (No longer available to consumers — access is via an employer or health plan)
    On
    (Delisted from the App Store and Google Play)
  • #6 · ILTY

    NOT recommended for PTSD as primary tool — see VA apps or trauma therapist instead

    Price
    Free download; subscription after onboarding $12
    On
    iOS and Android

How we evaluated these apps

Inclusion rule: apps in this list must address PTSD specifically — designed for trauma recovery, not as a side topic. We prioritized apps with clinical validation in PTSD populations specifically (not just 'mental health' broadly).

Why this list is conservative: PTSD is the highest-stakes YMYL (your-money-your-life) topic in mental-health-app evaluation. Trauma is treatable — gold-standard treatments include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), EMDR, and trauma-focused CBT. But poorly-designed apps can re-traumatize users, reinforce avoidance, or normalize symptoms that warrant professional care. We weighted clinical validation heavily over UX polish.

Evaluation: each app tested for (1) PTSD-specific clinical design vs general mental-health adaptation, (2) evidence base in PTSD populations, (3) trauma-informed UX (does it warn users before exposure-style content; does it allow opt-out of activating prompts), (4) crisis routing for trauma-triggered acute distress, (5) safety for solo use vs adjunct-to-therapy.

Disclosure

ILTY is the publisher of this roundup. ILTY is one of the apps reviewed; we are positioned at #6 (last), not #1. ILTY is NOT a PTSD-specific app and we do not recommend it as a primary PTSD intervention. We include ourselves only because users searching 'PTSD apps' sometimes want general support outside of formal treatment hours. For actual PTSD treatment, please use VA's PTSD Coach (free, clinically validated) or work with a trauma-trained clinician. Pricing accurate as of May 16, 2026. Update, August 13, 2026: this list was audited for discontinued products after two apps were found still being recommended sitewide after they had shut down. Corrections applied here are marked in the entries themselves. Note the limit of this pass: it looked for dead and dying products, and did not re-verify pricing, ratings, or hands-on impressions for the apps that are still live — those still date from the original testing round.

The research behind this

Rankings on this page draw on The 2026 State of AI Mental Health Apps, our own study of 15 apps across 8 criteria. Crisis handling was tested by hand: the same four escalating messages typed into every app, screenshots kept. Four of them never produced a crisis number. Every score is published with the reasoning behind it, including ILTY’s, and the rubric is CC-BY if you would rather score apps yourself.

The apps, in detail

#1 · PTSD Coach

Best for: Symptom tracking, self-help skills, and trauma psychoeducation as adjunct to (or while waiting for) treatment

VA-built, clinically validated PTSD app — completely free, the standard for app-based PTSD support.

PTSD Coach is the standard. If you're researching PTSD apps and you read only one entry on this list, this is it. Free, clinically validated, trauma-informed design, and the strongest evidence base of any app in this category. Veterans and civilians alike. Install before reading further down this list.

Strengths

  • +Built by the National Center for PTSD (VA) and Department of Defense — strongest clinical pedigree in the category
  • +Multiple peer-reviewed studies show measurable PTSD symptom reduction with sustained use
  • +Fully free for everyone (not just veterans) — no upsell, no premium tier
  • +Trauma-informed design — warns before activating content, supports opt-out, integrates safety planning
  • +Direct crisis-routing integration (Veterans Crisis Line + general 988)

Where it falls short

  • −Self-help focus — not a replacement for trauma therapy (CPT, PE, EMDR, TF-CBT)
  • −UX is government-built and less polished than commercial apps
  • −Designed primarily for the post-trauma symptom-management phase, less for active trauma processing

Pricing

Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs).

Platforms

iOS, Android

vs. ILTY

PTSD Coach is clinically validated PTSD self-management. ILTY is general conversation. PTSD Coach is the right pick for PTSD; ILTY is not.

Visit PTSD Coach →

#2 · CPT Coach

Best for: Patients in active CPT therapy who want a companion app for between-session work

Companion app for Cognitive Processing Therapy — designed for use alongside a CPT-trained therapist.

CPT Coach is the right pick if you're in active CPT treatment (or trying to find a CPT therapist). It's not a standalone PTSD tool — it's specifically a companion to one of the gold-standard treatments. If you've started CPT, install this; if you haven't, find a CPT-trained therapist first (the apps page on ptsd.va.gov has a clinician locator).

Strengths

  • +Specifically designed to support Cognitive Processing Therapy (one of the gold-standard PTSD treatments)
  • +Free and trauma-informed
  • +Tracks symptom changes over course of treatment — useful data to share with your therapist
  • +Educational content that explains CPT's rationale and process

Where it falls short

  • −Designed for use WITH a CPT-trained therapist, not as standalone treatment
  • −Less useful if you're not in active CPT therapy
  • −Limited content for non-CPT trauma approaches

Pricing

Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs).

Platforms

iOS, Android

vs. ILTY

CPT Coach supports active CPT therapy. ILTY is unrelated to formal trauma treatment.

Visit CPT Coach →

#3 · PE Coach

Best for: Patients in active PE therapy needing a structured companion app

Companion app for Prolonged Exposure therapy — also VA-built and trauma-informed.

PE Coach is the right pick if you're in active Prolonged Exposure therapy. The recording and replay feature is critical to PE work and is hard to do well in non-app formats. Do not use this app for solo exposure work without a PE-trained clinician — exposure without proper guidance can deepen trauma rather than process it.

Strengths

  • +Designed to support Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) — another gold-standard PTSD treatment
  • +Free and trauma-informed
  • +Records imaginal exposure sessions for between-session listening (part of the PE protocol)
  • +Strong safety scaffolding around exposure work

Where it falls short

  • −Designed for use WITH a PE-trained therapist — exposure work without clinical guidance is risky
  • −Not appropriate for solo use without a therapist
  • −Limited content outside the PE protocol

Pricing

Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs).

Platforms

iOS, Android

vs. ILTY

PE Coach is a tool for active PE therapy patients. ILTY is general conversation; not appropriate as PTSD treatment.

Visit PE Coach →

#4 · Mindfulness Coach

Best for: Trauma-informed mindfulness practice that respects PTSD's specific contraindications

VA-built mindfulness app with trauma-informed adaptations — gentler than mainstream meditation apps.

Mindfulness Coach is the right pick for PTSD survivors wanting mindfulness without the activation risks of mainstream meditation apps. The trauma-informed adaptations are meaningful — the VA didn't just rebrand a generic mindfulness app. If you've tried Calm or Headspace and they felt destabilizing, this is the alternative.

Strengths

  • +Trauma-informed mindfulness — recognizes that mindfulness can backfire for PTSD (hyperawareness of body sensations can intensify trauma symptoms)
  • +Free and clinically vetted
  • +Includes adaptations: trauma-informed body scans, anchor practices, off-ramps for activation
  • +Gentler than Calm/Headspace for trauma survivors

Where it falls short

  • −Still mindfulness-based — won't work for users for whom even modified mindfulness intensifies symptoms
  • −Less curriculum depth than commercial meditation apps
  • −UX is government-built

Pricing

Free, fully (US Department of Veterans Affairs).

Platforms

iOS, Android

vs. ILTY

Mindfulness Coach is trauma-informed mindfulness. ILTY is conversational. Different mechanisms; both can complement formal trauma treatment.

Visit Mindfulness Coach →

#5 · Sanvello (DISCONTINUED)

Best for: (Used to be: one combined tool for PTSD plus generalized anxiety/depression — never PTSD-specific)

Consumer app delisted; folded into Optum/AbleTo as a health-plan benefit.

Kept as a historical entry because Sanvello was frequently recommended to people managing PTSD alongside anxiety or depression, 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 PTSD Coach (free, VA-built, trauma-informed, and better than Sanvello ever was at the symptom-tracking Sanvello was used for) and Mindfulness Coach (trauma-informed regulation practice). Nothing here replaces Sanvello's clinician escalation — for that, the honest answer is a trauma-trained therapist, and given PTSD's stakes that's the step worth taking rather than substituting another general app.

Strengths

  • +(Historical) Strong free tier including some PTSD-relevant content
  • +(Historical) Therapy upgrade let you connect with clinicians (some PTSD-trained)
  • +(Historical) Combined platform if your PTSD overlapped significantly with depression or anxiety
  • +(Historical) Mood tracking was genuinely useful for PTSD's symptom variability

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) PTSD was one topic among many — not PTSD-specific design
  • −(Historical) Not trauma-informed in the way VA apps are (less safety scaffolding around activating content)
  • −(Historical) Self-guided unless you upgraded to therapy

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. Sanvello was general CBT plus mood tracking and ILTY is conversational — both were unsuitable as primary PTSD treatment, and with Sanvello gone the right picks on this list are the VA apps.

Read our full ILTY vs. Sanvello (DISCONTINUED) comparison →Visit Sanvello (DISCONTINUED) →

#6 · ILTY

Best for: NOT recommended for PTSD as primary tool — see VA apps or trauma therapist instead

General AI companion — NOT a PTSD tool. Listed only for honesty.

Honest assessment: ILTY is not a PTSD app and we do not recommend it for trauma treatment or symptom management. For PTSD, please use PTSD Coach (free, clinically validated, trauma-informed). If you're already in trauma therapy and want a general companion for non-trauma life (work stress, relationships, daily reflection), ILTY can fit that adjunct role — but it should never be your primary PTSD tool. This is one of the YMYL categories where the wrong app choice can cause harm.

Strengths

  • +Available 24/7 — useful for late-night moments when other support isn't available
  • +Conversation memory persists
  • +Five companions, including the gentler Mindful Guide

Where it falls short

  • −NOT designed for PTSD — no trauma-informed UX, no PTSD-specific protocols, no clinical validation in PTSD populations
  • −Risk: a conversational AI without trauma-informed design can accidentally surface activating content
  • −Hard paywall — no free tier
  • −Wrong tool for PTSD; right tool for general companionship

Pricing

Free download; subscription after onboarding $12.99/mo or $99.99/yr.

Platforms

iOS and Android

Download ILTY

Free to download · 7-day trial · then $12.99/mo or $99.99/yr

Visit ILTY →

Tired of evaluating apps?

ILTY is on iOS and Android. Free to download, 7-day trial, then $12.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Try it for the tough-love-processing scenario specifically — and see if the conversation feels different from the apps you've tried.

Download ILTY

Frequently asked questions

What's the best app for PTSD?

PTSD Coach, built by the VA's National Center for PTSD. It's the only app in this category with strong peer-reviewed evidence of PTSD symptom reduction, it's fully free for everyone (not just veterans), and it's trauma-informed by design. For users in active CPT or PE therapy, the VA's CPT Coach and PE Coach are the right companion apps. For trauma-informed mindfulness, the VA's Mindfulness Coach. Apps are adjuncts to trauma therapy, not replacements.

Can an app treat PTSD?

No — full PTSD treatment requires evidence-based trauma therapy (Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, EMDR, or trauma-focused CBT) typically with a trauma-trained clinician. Apps can support treatment by tracking symptoms, providing between-session structure, delivering trauma psychoeducation, and offering self-help skills for symptom management. PTSD Coach has the strongest evidence as a self-help adjunct, but even it doesn't claim to treat PTSD alone. If you have PTSD symptoms, the right next step is to find a trauma-trained therapist — apps don't replace that work.

Is PTSD Coach really free?

Yes, fully and forever. PTSD Coach is built by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense as a public-service tool. There's no premium tier, no upsell, no data harvesting. It's free for everyone — veterans, civilians, internationally. The VA explicitly chose free distribution because PTSD is high-prevalence and most affected people can't or don't access formal treatment; a free app was the most accessible delivery mechanism.

Are AI chatbots safe for PTSD?

It depends. AI chatbots designed with trauma-informed safety scaffolding (Wysa's free tier has reasonable crisis routing) are generally low-risk. AI chatbots WITHOUT trauma-informed design (most general AI chatbots including ChatGPT, Claude, ILTY) carry real risks for PTSD users — they can accidentally surface activating content, fail to recognize trauma cues, or reinforce avoidance patterns. For PTSD specifically, the VA apps are the safer choice precisely because they were designed with trauma-population safety as the primary constraint. If you do use a general AI chatbot with PTSD, do so as a known-risk adjunct, not as a primary tool.

Related reading

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The Complete Guide to AI Mental Health Apps

The pillar guide explaining what AI mental-health apps are, what works, and what to avoid.

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The full ladder of affordable options when paid apps aren't the right answer.