A clinical psychologist, Dr. Guttman, says that lack of confidence is a plague. Nearly 85% of the world population lacks self-worth, she says [1]. Low self-esteem isn’t something that a pill can fix. But what can?
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Your kind support helps us create more mindful articles!
Self-care can. Self-esteem is shaped by repeated experiences of safety and self-respect. Taking care of yourself gives your brain evidence that you are worth looking after. It’s literally practicing the message “my needs matter.”
Apps for self-care are an affordable way to practice self-care without adding to your already stressful days. While no app can replace deep self-worth, the right one can make healthy habits easier to build and maintain.
5 Apps for Self-Care
Self-care can look different for everyone. Hence, this list of self-help apps will cover different strategies from satisfying physical needs to recreational hobbies.
The comparison below provides a quick overview of five popular self-care practices:
| App | Best Use | Rating across Platforms | Languages | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeze: Start Self-Discovery | Self-discovery and emotional reflection | ★ 4.6 | English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish | ✔ | ✔ |
| Shleep: Sleep Better Tonight | Sleep coaching and healthier sleep habits | ★ 4.5 | English | ✔ | ✔ |
| Medito: Mindfulness Meditation | Meditation and mindfulness | ★ 4.8 | English | ✔ | ✔ |
| WHOLE: Self-Care Habit Builder | Building habits | ★ 5.0* | English | ✔ | ✘ |
| The Tapping Solution | Stress and anxiety relief | ★ 4.5 | English | ✔ | ✔ |
*Rating based on a relatively small number of App Store reviews.
1. Breeze Wellbeing
Breeze Wellbeing is a self-discovery app. It’s a strong place to start your self-care journey for a very important reason: when you uncover your unique strengths, core values, and passions, you can build your life to match your true self.
As you learn to recognize your needs, you can begin to learn how to stand up for yourself and set boundaries. Honoring your boundaries proves that you respect and value yourself, laying the foundation for greater confidence.
One of Breeze’s biggest strengths is its approach to treating self-care as an unskippable everyday practice. In the Breeze Mental Wellness app, you can find:
- 30+ quizzes
- guided journaling
- mood tracking & analytics
- community & expert insights
- personalized growth plans
This app doesn’t focus on one technique only, but allows you to explore a myriad of tools so that you can learn what works best for you.
2. Shleep: Sleep Better Tonight
Sleep is an ultimate form of self-care. This basic need is so influential that it influences everything, from your everyday mood to your physical health.
If stress mainly affects your sleep, Shleep may be a better choice than a general wellness app. Instead of focusing on meditation alone, it combines:
- sleep education
- sleep coaching
- sleep routine strategies
- useful habits to do before bed
- sleep assessments
- nightly challenges
- progress tracking
Self-care is most effective when it is consistent rather than intense. That can mean basic things like trying to sleep better, which is a manageable commitment [2]. More tips on how to manage stress you can find in the article.
3. Medito: Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness improves self-esteem by shifting how you relate to your thoughts. Instead of believing your inner critic, meditation helps develop a stable sense of self by treating negative thoughts as something that just happens in your mind, not as fundamental truths.
There are plenty of meditation apps, so why choose Medito?
- It’s a completely free, non-profit app.
- There are meditations for various purposes: walking, sleeping, (social) anxiety, better focus, etc.
- It uses scientifically proven techniques.
- 4 million users rated it 4.8.
This makes it an excellent choice for people who have never practiced mindfulness and want to try it out before purchasing certain apps.
4. WHOLE: Self-Care Habit Builder
Would you like to improve your mood? WHOLE: Self-care habit builder is built to boost kindness, positivity, and calmness in an unsure world.
What app offers is:
- gratitude prompts
- daily questions for emotional regulation
- self-care routines
- community exchange
Apps like WHOLE that focus on positive aspects of life do the important work of shifting the mind from constant negativity. There are good things in life, which people tend to overlook. WHOLE brings kindness back.
5. The Tapping Solution
Tapping Solution is a self-help app, focused on the emerging therapeutic approach Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also called tapping. These somatic practices involve living through negative/positive emotions on a bodily level by stimulating acupressure points.
Currently, there are over 1,000 tapping meditations available. They’re divided by purpose: soothing anxiety, overcoming fears, reducing stress, and decreasing overwhelm.
Most sessions take only 2-3 minutes. This means this kind of self-care is really easy to integrate into a busy day whenever you need a quick way to regulate your emotions.
Features of These 5 Free Self-Care Apps
Although all five apps promote better well-being, they approach self-care in very different ways. This side-by-side comparison can make it easier to choose an app that matches your goals instead of downloading one simply because it’s popular.
| Feature | Breeze | Shleep | Medito | WHOLE | Tapping Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mood tracking | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Journaling | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Meditation & mindfulness | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
| Habit & routine building | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Self-discovery tests | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Community support | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Sleep support | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
| Affirmations | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Social sharing | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Body-based calming exercises | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
Pricing of These 5 Best Self-Care Apps
The prices of self-care apps are important. Some apps market themselves as “free,” but that can mean different things. For example, a free download, but a compulsory subscription is required to unlock most of their features.
Before committing to a paid plan, it’s worth comparing what you actually get without paying hidden fees. Here’s a transparent comparison of prices of self-help apps:
| App | Free Download | Pricing* | Most Features Available for Free? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breeze Wellbeing | ✔ | From $7 per week. | ✔ |
| Shleep | ✔ | From $12 per month. | ✘ |
| Medito | ✔ | Completely free | ✔ |
| WHOLE | ✔ | From $10 per month. | ✔ |
| Tapping Solution | ✔ | From $8 per month. | ✘ |
*Prices as of June 2026. Tariffs may depend on location and on current discounts/offers, which may change over time.
In self-care apps, the best value isn’t necessarily the lowest price. It’s how the app makes you feel and whether it actually supports your mental well-being.
To conclude
Remember that no app can replace real-life support, meaningful relationships, or professional help when it’s needed. A self-care app is the support that doesn’t leave you drained or doubting whether you’re doing everything “right.” Choose the app that fits easily into your daily routine and fits you as a person.
Of course, experimenting and trying out new things can be useful and even eye-opening. But experiments are good when you already have a solid foundation in self-care and self-esteem so that you’re capable of handling changes.
Sources
- The Relationship with Yourself. Dr. J. Guttman. 2019.
- Raising low self-esteem. NHS. 2023.
