How We Feel review
A free, science-backed journal for naming your emotions
- The How We Feel Project
- Free
- iPhone & iPad, Android
Does it deserve #2?
Is How We Feel worth it?
Yes. How We Feel scores 8.9/10 and ranks #2 in Mind & Focus. It's best for anyone who wants to understand their moods without paying or oversharing. Skip it if you want guided meditation courses rather than mood tracking. Price: Free; made by a nonprofit funded by donations.
The verdict
How We Feel helps you find the exact word for a feeling, which makes it easier to act on. It was conceived with Yale's Center for Emotional Intelligence, and it links your check-ins to sleep, exercise and other Apple Health trends so patterns show up over time. Short video strategies can shift a bad moment in about a minute, and you can share feelings with close friends. It's free and keeps data on your device by default.
- Emotion check-ins with precise words
- Patterns linked to sleep and exercise
- One-minute video strategies
- Share feelings with trusted friends
- Available in Spanish
Score breakdown
Overall = features 30% · design 20% · speed 20% · value 15% · privacy 15%. Why these weights?
What's new
- Sep 2026A simpler onboarding and a new way to reach the How We Feel widget
- Aug 2026A new way to explore charts and check-ins, rolling out to some users
- Apr 2026The full app became available in Spanish
Privacy 9.2/10
The developer says your data stays on your device unless you opt in to share anonymized check-ins for research. App Store label: contact info, identifiers and other data may be linked to you.
What we like
- Completely free, from a nonprofit
- Data stays on your device by default
- Strategies take a minute or two
What could be better
- Android version is rated lower than iOS
- Not a substitute for professional care
Anyone who wants to understand their moods without paying or oversharing
you want guided meditation courses rather than mood tracking
Questions about How We Feel
Is How We Feel worth it in 2026?
Yes. How We Feel scores 8.9/10 and ranks #2 in Mind & Focus. It's best for anyone who wants to understand their moods without paying or oversharing. Skip it if you want guided meditation courses rather than mood tracking. Price: Free; made by a nonprofit funded by donations.
Is How We Feel free?
Yes. It's made by a science-based nonprofit funded by donations, and there's no subscription.
Where is my How We Feel data stored?
On your device by default. You can opt in to share an anonymized version of your check-ins for research.
What are the best alternatives to How We Feel?
The closest alternatives are Headspace, Calm and Tiimo. See all of them ranked on our How We Feel alternatives page.
Where does How We Feel rank?
How We Feel ranks #2 of 11 in our Mind & Focus ranking, with an overall score of 8.9 out of 10.