Mental health apps like BetterMe, being, Mindshine, and VOS are growing rapidly — especially in the United States. So, we leveraged the 42matters App Watchlist, our competitive app benchmarking platform, to analyze the five most popular Android and iOS mental health apps.

Here’s what we cover (click the links below to jump to the relevant sections):

• What Are Mental Health Apps?
• The Top Mental Health Apps
•  The Top 5 Android Mental Health Apps
•  The Top 5 iOS Mental Health Apps
• Analysis of the Top Mental Health Apps
•  Global Downloads (January 30th, 2022 - March 1st, 2022)
•  Top Chart Rankings (January 30th, 2022 - March 1st, 2022)
• Final Thoughts
  

What Are Mental Health Apps?

Now, before we get too much further, let’s start with the basics. Mental health apps are digital tools — designed specifically for mobile platforms, like smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches — that enable users to improve their mental health and well-being in a variety of ways.

Of course, ‘mental health’ is a fairly broad category. And indeed, these apps run the gamut,  offering programs and solutions for addiction, suicide prevention, anxiety, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and more.

The Top Mental Health Apps

The Top 5 Android Mental Health Apps

1. BetterMe: Mental Health by BetterMe Limited

• Short Description: Fight Stress, Depression, Sleep Better, Learn Self-care.
• Monthly Active Users (MAU) in January: 153,992
• 30-Day Downloads: 255,923
  

2. being: my mental health friend by House Of Being

• Short Description: Go beyond meditation with a self-therapy app for anxiety relief & mental health.
• Monthly Active Users (MAU) in January: 6,313
• 30-Day Downloads: 56,460
  

3. Mindspa: The Mental Health App by Mindspa Health

• Short Description: Self-care app: psychology, diary, coping skills, emotions, therapeutic courses.
• Monthly Active Users (MAU) in January: 75,967
• 30-Day Downloads: 24,650
  

4. MyPossibleSelf: Mental Health by My Possible Self Ltd

• Short Description: Because your Mental Health Matters.
• Monthly Active Users (MAU) in January: 6,685
• 30-Day Downloads: 15,741
  

5. 7 Cups: Online Therapy for Mental Health & Anxiety by 7 Cups of Tea

• Short Description: Anxiety, depression, stress & overall mental health support groups & 1-1 chats.
• Monthly Active Users (MAU) in January: 19,313
• 30-Day Downloads: 12,794
  

The Top 5 iOS Mental Health Apps

1. BetterMe: Mental Health by BetterMe Limited

• Short Description: Fight Stress, Sleep Better
• 30-Day Downloads: 44,991
  

2. Mindshine: Mental Health Coach by Mindshine GmbH

• Short Description: Build confidence & feel better.
• 30-Day Downloads: 39,890
  

3. VOS — Mental Health Daily Plan by Vos

• Short Description: Mood Tracker, Diary, Wellbeing.
• 30-Day Downloads: 38,868
  

4. Cove: music for mental health by Humane Engineering

• Short Description: Express yourself with music.
• 30-Day Downloads: 18,056
  

5. Wysa: Mental Health Support by Touchkin

• Short Description: Depression and Anxiety Therapy.
• 30-Day Downloads: 11,938
  

Analysis of the Top Mental Health Apps

Global Downloads (January 30th, 2022 - March 1st, 2022)

Android:

In the chart above you’ll find daily global downloads for the top 5 Android mental health apps — BetterMe, being, MindSpa, MyPossibleSelf, and 7 Cups. In particular, this chart depicts global downloads between January 30th, 2022 and March 1st, 2022.

In terms of total downloads, BetterMe led the way over the last 30 days, with 264,292 downloads. Being came next (39,427), followed by Mindspa (25,633), MyPossibleSelf (15,586), and 7 Cups (4,937).

BetterMe also had the best single day performance, reeling in 17,552 downloads on February 21st. While no app managed to outperform BetterMe on a day-to-day basis, being generated a solid 4,714 downloads on February 11th. Here are the best single day performances for the others:

• MindSpa: 1,960 downloads on February 18th.
• MyPossibleSelf: 1,166 downloads on February 11th.
• 7 Cups: 728 downloads on February 1st.
  

iOS:

Just like the previous chart, this one depicts global downloads for the top iOS mental health apps. Here, you’ll find downloads for BetterMe, Mindshine, VOS, Cove, and Wysa over the last 30 days.

Among iOS users, BetterMe and Mindshine were the big winners. These apps tallied 45,729 and 39,496 downloads respectively. After them came Cove (18,488), VOS (17,604), and Wysa (10,336).

However, while BetterMe and Mindshine dominated overall downloads, VOS actually had the best single-day performance, with 3,399 downloads on February 25th. BetterMe is the only other app that came close to matching VOS’s best day, with 3,036 downloads on February 28th. The best single day performances for the other apps were as follows:

• Mindshine: 2,181 downloads on February 10th.
• Cove: 934 downloads on February 2nd.
• Wysa: 729 downloads on February 11th.
  

Top Chart Rankings (January 30th, 2022 - March 1st, 2022)

Android:

Next up, we take a look at the top chart rankings for the top Android mental health apps over the last 30 days. More specifically, these rankings are for the ‘Health & Fitness’ category in the United States.

BetterMe consistently ranked above the rest. While it’s currently ranked 99th, it topped out at 58th on February 2nd and tended to float around the 80 - 60 range the rest of the month. Being, meanwhile, was the second best ranked, tending to fluctuate in the 200 - 100 range.

Only Mindspa failed to crack the rankings this month, while MyPossibleSelf and 7 Cups achieved only modest rankings. Indeed, as you can see, MyPossibleSelf fell off Google Play’s top charts after February 25th.

iOS:

Finally, this takes us to the top iOS mental health apps over the last 30 days. This chart represents U.S. rankings for the ‘Health & Fitness’ genre on the App Store.

In this case, just BetterMe made an appearance in the top charts, peaking at 155th on February 7th, 2022. However, it typically ranked between 200th and 150th.

While VOS ranked in four countries (Argentina, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain), Mindshine ranked in three countries (Germany, Armenia, Switzerland), and Wysa ranked in two (Belarus, Latvia), none managed to do so in the United States.

Final Thoughts

Frankly, the fact that apps geared towards mental health have become so popular, and that competition in the space has become so fierce, is not particularly encouraging. Nevertheless, such apps do help people. Not only are they often more affordable than alternatives, but they offer more privacy and convenience as well. Moreover, the anonymity provided by mobile apps drastically lowers barriers to entry for those struggling with mental health issues. So, discouraging as their popularity may be, the silver lining is that people do seem to be seeking their assistance. In some cases — as with BetterMe — hundreds of thousands of people.