The Best Self-Improvement Apps of 2024
Written by: BestApp.com App Testing Team - Updated: Oct 29, 2021
The best self-improvement apps help you stay motivated and teach you new skills and techniques that help you improve your mental and physical health. Thanks to its large library of quality meditations, sleep sounds, and exercises, Headspace is our top pick for the best overall self-improvement app. But if you are not in the market for a meditation and exercise app, we found nine other great self-help apps for you to choose from. Here are the 10 best self-improvement apps.
Top 10 Self-Improvement Apps to Try
- Headspace — Top Pick
- Evernote — Best Free Version
- 7 Minute Workout — Best for Personal Fitness
- Coach.me — Best for Personal Coaching
- Happify — Best for Improving Emotional Wellbeing
- Lumosity — Best for Educational Games
- Make Me Better — Best for Daily Encouragement
- Smarter Time — Best for Time Management
- ThinkUp — Best for Positive Affirmations
- 7Mind — Best for Sleep Improvement
How We Chose the Best Self-Improvement Apps
Our list is composed of self-improvement apps that focus on helping users improve their organization, get better sleep, exercise regularly, or learn new skills. Each of the apps below is dedicated to one or more of these four areas to ensure that, whatever your self-care needs are, you can find an app that works for you.
Choose the self-improvement app that’s right for you
Each of the apps on our list offers a free version to allow users to test them out before committing to a long-term subscription. When choosing the right app for you, think carefully about your personal needs and how you want to improve. From meditation apps like Headspace and 7Mind to personal fitness apps like 7 Minute Workout, our list of the 10 best self-improvement apps includes something for everyone.
Track your progress
One of the best ways to motivate yourself and stay committed to self-improvement is to track your progress over time. Many of the apps on our list, like Headspace and 7 Minute Workout, connect with apps like Google Fit and the iOS Health App to record your activities.
Our Self-Improvement App Reviews
Headspace — Top Pick
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Meditation is a common self-improvement practice due to its mental and physical benefits. Headspace is the most comprehensive meditation app available. This app is our top pick for the best self-improvement app thanks to its 500 plus mindfulness meditation practices, sleep sounds, focus music, and more. Users can tailor their experience to their needs, to relieve stress, improve sleep, or eliminate anxiety, and the app tracks your mindfulness journey to help you stay motivated. Headspace offers a unique ‘Move Mode’ feature with exercises designed to improve physical and mental health. You can try out the premium version for free for seven days to decide whether or not it’s the right choice for you. Headspace offers meditation and mindfulness content outside of its app on social media channels like YouTube, Snapchat (Headspace Mini), and Instagram. They also have a daily podcast called Radio Headspace and three series on Netflix that educate viewers on the fundamental basics of mindfulness and meditation.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Plus: $12.99/month
- Support available: Help Center/FAQs, Email, Chat, Tickets
| Headspace Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| 500 plus meditations | Free version is rather limited |
| Daily exercises | |
| Personalized mediation plans | |
Evernote — Best Free Version
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Evernote is a popular note-taking app with a wide range of useful features, many of which are in the app’s free version. You can take detailed notes, create lists, sync your notes across devices, keep track of daily tasks, search notes by keyword, draw pictures, record audio, and scan real-life documents to add them to your app as notes. Evernote’s free plan is the most generous of any app on our list, allowing users to take advantage of all the app’s note-taking features, sync up to two devices, clip web pages, upload attachments, and more. Whether you need a note-taking app for school or you want to keep a personal journal, Evernote is the ultimate organization app.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Premium: $7.99/month; Plus: $3.99/user/month; Business: $14.99/user/month, billed annually
- Support available: Help & Learning, Discussion Forum, Email & Chat Support
| Evernote Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Detailed note-taking features | The free version only supports two devices |
| Full-featured free version | |
| Sync notes across devices | |
7 Minute Workout — Best for Personal Fitness
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
7 Minute Workout by Johnson & Johnson is a great app for those wanting to improve their fitness levels. The app is free to download and does not include any in-app purchases or subscriptions. Users get access to 22 preset workouts ranging from seven to 32 minutes. Unlike similar workout apps, this app lets users customize their own workouts with 72 different exercises, and you can use the Smart Workout feature to let the app create workouts tailored to your fitness level. Each exercise includes video tutorials to help beginners get started, and you can connect with the iOS Health App to record your workouts and track your fitness progress.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: None
- Support available: Phone, Email
| 7 Minute Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Completely free | Limited support options |
| 22 preset workouts and 72 exercises | |
| Connects with iOS Health App | |
Coach.me — Best for Personal Coaching
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Many people need a little bit of extra help to achieve their goals, which is where Coach.me comes in. Coach.me is a habit tracker and personal coaching app designed to help users track their goals and stay on track. The habit tracker is included for free and lets users track their daily habits, see trends, and get reminders. Starting at $25 per week, users can get a personal coach who will give them advice and motivation to help them achieve their long-term goals. Whether your goals are related to fitness, meditation, or general health, your coach will create a step-by-step plan to help you accomplish your goals.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Personal Coaching: $25/week and up
- Support available: FAQs, Email, Contact Form
| Coach.me Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Personal coaching | Coaching rates can be pricey |
| Free habit tracker | |
Happify — Best for Improving Emotional Wellbeing
Download: iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Happify is a science-based app that offers a wide range of games and activities to help you overcome negative thoughts and improve your overall emotional wellbeing. Users can set and track personal goals, such as conquering negative thoughts, coping with stress, building self-confidence, etc. Uniquely, Happify tracks your emotional wellbeing over time, including statistics like your positive emotions before and after using the app and your app usage. The app offers a selection of games, activities, and meditations for free, but upgrade to Plus and you can unlock unlimited access to 65 plus tracks, games, meditations, and a 20-page character strength report offered in partnership with the VIA Institute.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Plus: $14.99/month
- Support available: Email, FAQs
| Happify Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Games and activities for emotional wellbeing | Only 12 tracks included in the free version |
| Progress tracking | |
Lumosity — Best for Educational Games
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Lumosity is the best choice for sharpening your mind as it is the only app on our list that offers educational games. Lumosity offers 40 plus games and puzzles that test and train memory, logic, math skills, and more. Once you download the app, you can start with a 10-minute baseline evaluation to see how you stack up against other users around your age. After this, you can dive into the app’s science-based games and personalized mind workouts. Lumosity pays attention to your training habits and preferences to create workouts that challenge your brain, and detailed training insights help you learn your strengths and weaknesses.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Premium: $11.99/month
- Support available: Help Center/FAQs, Email, Ticket
| Lumosity Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| 40 plus science-based games | Free training sessions only include three games |
| Personalized brain training | |
| Training insights | |
Make Me Better — Best for Daily Encouragement
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
For those that need daily encouragement to stay motivated, Make Me Better is a great choice. The app is designed to help users improve their personalities, get motivated, and learn new things. Everyday, Make Me Better provides users with personality development articles, self-help tips, productivity ideas, motivational quotes, life hacks, health tips, and more. All articles and stories are written in a short and summarized form, making them easy to remember and apply to life. The app has 350 plus articles with actionable insights, and more are added every other day. Unlike most apps on our list, Make Me Better offers video and audio lessons that cover a wide range of self-help topics.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: None
- Support available: Email
| Make Me Better Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Completely free | Limited support options |
| 350 plus self-help articles | |
| Audio and video lessons | |
Smarter Time — Best for Time Management
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★
The key to self-improvement for most people is taking control of and making the most of their time. Smarter Time is the best and only app on our list dedicated to time management. What sets this app apart from other time management apps isits smart time tracking features to guess where you are and what you are doing, then it creates a detailed time log of all your activities, like reading, watching TV, showering, etc. You can view analytics to see how you spent your time and how you can be more productive. The app includes a goal setter to help build better habits, a sleep tracker, and other great time management features.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $2.99 to $5/item
- Support available: Email, FAQs
| Smarter Time Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Smart time tracking | Not available on iOS |
| Detailed analytics | |
| Sleep tracker | |
ThinkUp — Best for Positive Affirmations
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
ThinkUp differs from self-improvement apps on our list as it is the only one to offer daily, personalized positive affirmations to help you stay motivated and maintain a positive state of mind. You can browse a large list of positive affirmations to find the ones that mean the most to you, and you can record them in your own voice for positive reinforcement. You can add inspiring or relaxing music, set notifications and reminders, and connect to the Apple Health App to track your daily practices. ThinkUp includes over 300 affirmations designed for over 10 plus different life goals. The free version is limited, only allowing you to record three affirmations at a time. To unlock all of the app’s features, you will have to upgrade to Premium for $7.99 per month.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Premium: $7.99/month
- Support available: FAQs, Email, Form
| ThinkUp Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| 300 plus positive affirmations | In-app purchases up to $49.99 |
| Selection of calming music | Limited free version |
7Mind — Best for Sleep Improvement
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
7Mind is a meditation and sleep aid app designed to help you boost your confidence and feel empowered. Like Headspace, 7Mind offers a large selection of high-quality guided meditations catered to different goals. You can track your progress and see how much time you have spent meditating, and the app supports offline use so you can meditate whenever and wherever you want. What makes this app stand out is its meditations and stories designed to help users improve their sleep. Users get access to positive affirmations, personalized coaching dialogue, video explainers, and unguided meditation sessions. To record your sessions, you can connect with the Apple Health App and track your progress.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Subscription plans: Yearly: $59.99
- Support available: Email, Help Center
| 7Mind Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Themed guided meditations | Limited free version |
| Sleep stories and meditations | |
| Progress tracking | |
Self-Improvement Apps: Features Summary Table
| Self-Improvement Apps Comparison Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| App | Subscription Fees or In-App Purchases | Features |
| Headspace — Top Pick | Plus: $12.99/month | X Organization/Notes ✓ Sleep Improvement ✓ Exercise X Learning New Skills |
| Evernote — Best Free Version | Premium: $7.99/month Plus: $3.99/user/month Business: $14.99/user/month billed annually |
✓ Organization/Notes X Sleep Improvement X Exercise X Learning New Skills |
| 7 Minute Workout — Best for Personal Fitness | None | X Organization/Notes X Sleep Improvement ✓ Exercise X Learning New Skills |
| Coach.me — Best for Personal Coaching | Personal Coaching: $25/week and up | X Organization/Notes X Sleep Improvement X Exercise ✓ Learning New Skills |
| Happify — Best for Improving Emotional Wellbeing | Plus: $14.99/month | X Organization/Notes ✓ Sleep Improvement ✓ Exercise ✓ Learning New Skills |
| Lumosity — Best for Educational Games | Premium: $11.99/month | X Organization/Notes X Sleep Improvement ✓ Exercise ✓ Learning New Skills |
| Make Me Better — Best for Daily Encouragement | None | X Organization/Notes X Sleep Improvement X Exercise ✓ Learning New Skills |
| Smarter Time — Best for Time Management | $2.99 to $5/item | ✓ Organization/Notes X Sleep Improvement X Exercise X Learning New Skills |
| ThinkUp — Best for Positive Affirmations | Premium: $7.99/month | X Organization/Notes ✓ Sleep Improvement X Exercise X Learning New Skills |
| 7Mind — Best for Sleep Improvement | Yearly: $59.99 | X Organization/Notes ✓ Sleep Improvement ✓ Exercise X Learning New Skills |