Happify App Review 2024: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who It’s Right For

Happify is an easy-to-use, self-guided app that encourages you to connect with your thoughts and feelings through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills and positive psychology. Happify does this through journals, activities, and games. Happify costs $14.99 monthly or $139.99 annually and also has a free version.

Why You Can Trust My Review

Who May Want an Alternative to the Happify App

While the Happify app was designed to help people seeking more happiness in their daily lives, it may not be a good fit for people who already have a good foundation of CBT skills and are looking to delve deeper into their mental wellness journey, or for those with more serious mental health conditions that may need more specialized care.

Busy Schedule

All of Happify’s learning “Tracks” are supposed to be completed in a set number of days. Those who have busy schedules or other time restraints may want to seek out a different app for learning courses, like Sanvello. You can learn all about their CBT program when you read our detailed Sanvello review.

If You Are Seeking Therapy

Happify does not offer life coaching or online therapy. Those struggling with a mental health diagnosis like major depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorders, or a personality disorder may want to seek the support of a therapist or other mental health professional.

Happify is not for people in crisis. If you or a loved one has thoughts of self harm or suicidal ideation, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Other Reasons

The Happify app is based on CBT and positive psychology, but despite the research stating how each activity helps build happiness, it can be hard to understand how certain features, like the in-app games, are actually doing so.

At times, the games, activities, and journals just seem like fun activities rather than a structured mental wellness app. If you’re hoping to really hone your CBT skills and learn a variety of coping techniques, you may want to explore other CBT or mental health apps.

If you are an Android user, you may be more frustrated with the app than Apple users. Happify seems designed for Apple products and Android users may be served better by other CBT apps.

You must be older than 16 to have your own Happify account.

What Are Happify Users Are Saying?

Happify has 4.5 stars from 4.4K reviews in the Apple App Store and 4.4 stars from 3.34K reviews in the Google Play Store. Even with the high star ratings, users were divided between either really loving or really disliking the Happify app. After using Happify for almost two months, I can see why.

The Games Don’t Make Sense

Critics of Happify felt the games didn’t make sense and wondered how the “Uplift” game, which asks you to tap hot air balloons with positive words to score points, was going to help them reframe their negative thoughts.

They also pointed out that the game “Negative Knockout” is exactly like Angry Birds and wondered if hitting your negative thoughts with a little ball would actually retrain your brain. I sided with the critics on this, and often questioned whether I was building any skills or if they would do anything for me long term.

Free Content Is Hard to Find

Users mentioned how hard and frustrating it is to find the free content in the free version of Happify. At some point, there was an update to the app which made finding the free learning “Tracks” more accessible, but the free meditations are still difficult to locate.

It was only after spending time in the app that I was able to find the free meditations. These should definitely be easier to find, especially for those who are new to meditation and considering whether a subscription is worth it.

Apple vs Android

Another really big complaint about Happify, especially for Android users, is how glitchy the app is. It often crashes, doesn’t load, and kicks people out. The Apple version also has a better interface than the Android version, with a navigation bar along the bottom of the app.

A lot of the glitches show up in the learning “Tracks” and notably, with Happify’s A.I. bot, Anna. Not only have I personally experienced all of these issues, but when I started Happify’s track “Conquer Negative Thoughts”, the app refused to let me progress past the first lesson. When I emailed Happify they told me to select a different track and told me they were working to fix it.

The Games are Familiar and Fun

Some users really liked the in-app games and activities. Many found the familiar feel of “Negative Knockout” (which is really similar to Angry Birds) to be enjoyable. They pointed out that these activities were a nice break in their days, and that they felt more productive playing in Happify than they did doomscrolling Facebook.

Learning “Tracks” are Easy

Users loved that the learning “Tracks” helped them discover how to be happier throughout their day. They like that it takes five minutes to complete the activities in the “Tracks” and that the Community hub provides a social aspect (some said it reminds them of a happier version of Facebook).

Can Money Buy Happiness?

Many users pointed out that for the cost of Happify, especially the yearly subscription, the app should not only run more smoothly, but function better overall and be easier to navigate. In both the Google Play and Apple stores, users wondered if the high cost of Happify was worth it. To me, Happify costs are too steep for what it offers, especially when I could get a lot of the same content in their free version.

Happify Cost: Free Version and Happify Plus

Happify’s free app includes several learning “Tracks”, in-app games, activities, journals, and other educational materials. If you’re ready to upgrade to the app’s premium version, Happify costs $14.99 per month, $139.99 for one year, $229.95 for two years, or $449.95 for a lifetime membership. Currently, there are no free trials available.

Is Happify Free?

Yes, Happify has a free app with free content. The free version of the Happify app includes access to 18 of the 100 plus learning “Tracks”, a Community Hub to connect with other users, all the in-app games, every journal, three of the 30 guided meditations, and all of the educational articles. You will be able to take the VIA character assessment and receive three of your five top character strengths.

Happify’s free version gives you a great overview of everything the app has to offer, so it’s great for those not sure whether they want to pay for the premium subscription.

Happify Plus

Happify Plus is $14.99 per month or $139.99 for a one-year subscription, $229.95 for a two-year subscription, and $449.95 for a lifetime membership. Unfortunately, there are no free trials available. The Happify Plus subscription will give you full access to over 100 learning “Tracks”,all of the guided meditations, all five of your VIA character strengths, and access to your “Happiness Index”, which are your profile stats.

Happify Plus would be great for those who really like the content the app provides and for those looking for small happiness boosts throughout their day.

Does Happify Plus Take Insurance?

Yes, but only select insurance providers, like Cigna, offer subscriptions as a part of their wellness programs. To find out if you are eligible for a premium subscription, contact your insurance.

What If I Want to Cancel?

You can cancel your premium subscription anytime. To manage your app subscription, you must log in to the Apple Store or the Google Play Store and find “Subscriptions”. There will be an option to cancel your subscription, but I also recommend you email Happify to make sure the cancellation is done correctly.

Does Happify Offer Refunds

Happify will refund your money for yearly, two-year, and lifetime subscriptions for accounts made on Happify.com. You will have 30 days to email them and ask for a refund. All monthly subscriptions and any subscriptions made through the Apple or Google Play Stores are not eligible for refunds.

For more information, please visit Happify’s Terms of Service.

How to Get Started with the Happify App

It’s easy to get started with Happify. Simply follow the instructions below to begin your journey.

Step 1

Visit the Happify website and click on ‘Get Started’.

Step 2

It is free to create an account and you can choose to do so with your email, or your Facebook account. You will take a quick assessment of your happiness and satisfaction in your daily life before providing your name, your email, and other demographic information. Then you will create a user name. You will also be able to set your profile to public or private.

Step 3

Complete your first happiness check-in, which consists of a couple of quick questions. These check-ins happen every two weeks and while they are optional, they will allow you to track your progress over time.

Step 4

Take the VIA Character assessment test, which will assess your key strengths. Again, this is an optional feature, but it is interesting to see which strengths you have and you can learn how to build upon those strengths. In the free version, you will be able to see your partial report and top three strengths. In the paid version, you’ll get the full report and all five of your strengths.

Step 5

After you explore and sample what the free app has to offer, you can upgrade to Happify Plus easily through your profile or by clicking any locked content. Select if you want the yearly or monthly subscription, input your payment information, and enjoy your free trial.

Detailed Review of Happify’s Free App

Happify’s free app offers a fair selection of their learning “Tracks”, which will give you a really good sense of how the journals, in-app games, and activities work together. The free version is great to explore before you decide which subscription you may want to purchase.

Feature 1: Free Learning “Tracks”

Happify has 18 learning “Tracks” available in the free version and some use Anna, the A.I. coach. Once you click “See All Our Tracks” on your Home Screen Hub, you will be taken to a page called “Explore Tracks”. From there you can browse through all “Tracks” by topic, then further by Free and Premium tabs.

Happify’s tracks have six topic areas in total:

Family & Kids

With 11 “Tracks” in total, Family & Kids explores topics like Parenting Teens, Young Kids, Empty Nest, and Caregiving. There are two “Tracks” available for free in this category and they are:

• Cope with Caregiving Stress
• Meditation: Learn to Love Yourself and Others

Relationships

These 11 “Tracks” explore the topics of Dating & Marriage, Friends & Connections, and Breakup & Divorce. There are three free “Tracks” to complete and they are:

• Relationship Turmoil Ends Here
• Defeat Loneliness
• Meditation: Learn to Love Yourself and Others

Mindfulness & Meditation

This is a great place to start if mindfulness and meditation is something you have been thinking about exploring. There are 15 “Tracks” in total that deal with Stress & Anxiety, Clarity & Focus, Self-Discovery, and Compassion. The four free “Tracks” are”

• Real Happiness: The Meditation Transformation
• Reach for Excellence: Be a Mindful Leader
• Uncover Your Potential Through Mindfulness
• Meditation: Learn to Love Yourself and Others

Personal Growth

With 24 “Tracks” available, this is the second biggest area to explore. You can browse topics in Finding My Calling, Getting Unstuck, Overcoming & Thriving, and Self-Compassion & Acceptance. There are seven free “Tracks” to learn from here:

• Finding Your Calling
• Uncover Your Potential Through Mindfulness
• Get Energized About Your Job – with A.I. Coach Anna
• Conquer Negative Thoughts – with A.I. Coach Anna
• Defeat Loneliness
• Cope with Racial Stress and Discrimination
• Meditation: Learn to Love Yourself and Others

Health & Well-Being

This is the biggest topic area to explore with 33 “Tracks”! You can see topics in Depression & Anxiety, Stress Reduction, Healthy Lifestyle & Fitness, and Chronic Conditions. There are 10 free tracks you can complete:

• Cope Better with Stress – with A.I. Coach Anna
• Manage Fear and Anxiety as an Asian American
• Conquer Negative Thoughts – with A.I. Coach Anna
• Cope with Racial Stress and Discrimination
• Defeat Loneliness
• Managing Stress in Uncertain Times
• Find More Peace in Tumultuous Times
• Cope with Caregiving Stress
• Rewire Your Brain for Happiness

Work & Money

The last topic area to explore has 23 “Tracks”. You can look through sections like Career Success, Work/Life Balance, Motivation & Purpose, and Financial Well-Being. There are three free “Tracks” and they are:

• Reach for Excellence: Be a Mindful Leader
• Get Energized About Your Job – with A.I. Coach Anna
• Finding Your Calling

Once you select a track to explore you can read about who created the course, what the course can help you learn, the science behind the track, and what the course is about.

After you select “Start Free Track”, you will return to your Home Screen. From there you will see the track overview as well as the activities you must complete to progress through the track. You do not have to complete these activities in any order though and where you start is up to you.

The activities you have to complete will vary and a version of them can also be found as stand-alone activities in the “Instant Play” Hub.

Feature 2: The “Instant Play” Hub

Happify’s “Instant” Play Hub serves two purposes. It is the hub where you can find six CBT base journals, activities, in-app games, and it is where you can find guided meditations. You can complete these any time during the day and as frequently as you want.

Journals and Activities

Happify calls these “skill” areas, but they do not build upon each other in any structured way. They consist of five journals and one activity, all have unique names and cover ways to overcome negative thoughts patterns and encourage you to seek happiness in your life. Some of the journals are tasks you set and revisit once completed. Many of the journals will allow you to upload a picture and then choose to share it with the community hub.

Happify’s skill journals and activities are:

• Savor – “Savor” asks you to “savor the small stuff”. Its purpose is to strengthen positive feelings, reduce stress and depressive symptoms, and improve your mindfulness.
• Thanks – “Thanks” is a straightforward gratitude journal where the aim is to combat negativity, reduce stress, and boost happiness, and it will help you feel more control in your life.
• Aspire – “Aspire” asks you to share something you are looking forward to doing. It could be anything in the future you are excited and optimistic about.
• Give – “Give” will ask you to do something nice for someone else and give you an option to add their contact information. This helps you feel more connected to others while building your self-esteem.
• Empathize – “Empathize” asks you to take a walk in someone else’s shoes. You pick a person in your life and spend time visualizing what life is like for them, what their experiences are, what they feel, and why they do what they do.
• Revive – “Revive” isn’t actually a journal, but a mindfulness activity. You use autogenic training, a relaxation technique, that can help restore balance to mind and body. It’s a guided exercise and lasts about 12 minutes.

It is important to note that these six journals will appear in every track you choose to complete. When they appear inside the learning “Tracks”, the tasks and activities will vary. Anytime you complete one of these journals or activities, you “level up” that skill area which gives you a higher score, much like in regular video games. The higher your level, the more in-app game sections become available to play.

In-App Games

There are three in-app games, three mindfulness, and meditation sections, and one additional activity called “Kindness Chain”. Many of the games will feel fairly familiar to most users as they mimic popular games like Angry Birds, Hidden Objects, and tap the screen for points. The meditations are either a quick meditation of two to five minutes or longer ones that can be up to 15 minutes.

The following are Happify’s three in-app games:

Savor Quest

Savor Quest is basically a hidden object game. You choose a location, like a beach, and then have to find all the hidden objects listed at the bottom of your screen. According to Happify, this game is supposed to strengthen your ability to pay attention to details and intensify your happiness in everyday life.

Uplift

Uplift asks you to focus only on the positive words you see printed on various hot air balloons that float across your screen. This activity wants you to train your brain for positive thinking and reduce the negative. You can choose between “arcade mode”, which is faster-paced with a timer, or “casual mode”, which is slower and has no timer. You get points for each positive thought you tap and points are taken away for any negative thoughts you tap.

Negative Knockout

This game is exactly like Angry Birds with small changes. When you begin you select up to five negative thoughts, like “despair”, “rude”, or “anger”, and little black, fuzz balls will appear holding the words on a sign. The little fuzz balls will appear in situations, just like the pigs in Angry Birds, and the balls you hurl at them correspond to the colors of the different skill journals and activities.

My kids really love playing this game, but I don’t think it’s teaching them to knock out their negative thoughts. I think it is just making them better at Angry Birds.

Meditations

There are two mindfulness activities in the “Instant Play” hub. “Breather” is an activity that requires you to place your finger over your camera so it can measure your heart rate as you take deep breaths while looking at an ocean scene. Breathing is a mindfulness technique and it’s a great place to start if you are new to this skill.

Likewise, the mini-meditation activity called “Serenity Scene” is also a great place for those new to mindfulness. You will be able to choose a nature scene, listen to ambient sounds and/or a guide, and select how long you want your session to be. The goal is for you to learn to relax and de-stress.

All of Happify’s Guided Meditations can be found in the “Instant Play” Hub. There are five categories to choose from and all the meditations are between five to 15 minutes long. Users in the app stores mentioned it is difficult to find the free meditations in this section, so I will highlight how to find the three free guided meditations.

When you click on the “Guided Meditation” banner, you will be brought to the main meditation screen. From here, click “Start Now” and you will be brought to another screen with 5 categories: ASMR, Be Kind to Yourself & Others, Let Go from Head to Toe, De-Stress with Your Breath, Be Mindful on the Move, and My Favorites.

The first free guided meditation is in the “Let Go from Head to Toe” category and it is called “Alive in Your Body”. The second is in “De-Stress With Your Body” and it is called “How Do You Speak to Yourself?”. Finally, the last is in “Be Mindful on the Move” and it is called “The Essence of Walking Meditation”.

The final activity is a fun one, and you can send it to someone in your contact list. The “Kindness Chain” will ask you to “Give a Compliment” to someone and you can even include a personal note. I sent one to my best friend and she said it came to her through her email and she was really happy and surprised to receive something in the middle of the week.

Feature 3: The “Happify Daily” Hub

Happify Daily gives you total access to hundreds of free educational articles on topics from acts of kindness and mindfulness, to gratitude and parenting. There is also an “Infographics” section that shows you tips and tricks on all sorts of topics like “How to Stay Happy on Social Media” or “11 Secrets for a Happier Vacation”.

Webinars

An interesting section in “Happify Daily” is the “Webinar” area. All the webinars are previously recorded sessions with PhDs, MDs, nurses, mindfulness and meditation experts, and authors. They cover a variety of topics and they are all free to watch. You will read a short overview of the topic being discussed and then you’ll be able to watch the recording.

Feature 4: The “Community” Hub

The “Community” Hub in Happify is completely accessible in the free version. When you sign up for Happify, you choose either a public or private profile. You can see any public posts, even if your account is set to private. To share your journals with others, you will need to have a public profile. In order to change your privacy setting, you simply go into your profile and click “Settings”. From there you can change the “Community” option from “Private” to “Public”.

There are three ways to interact with others in the “Community” Hub. You can read featured posts, posts from other users you follow personally, and posts from users who are completing the same learning track as you. To read another user’s post, you will simply click on the picture and it will bring up their writing. You can leave them comments or just “like” their post.

Feature 5: VIA Character Assessment

When you first create your account on the Happify app, you can choose to take the VIA assessment right away or save it for later. Either way, the process for the assessment is the same. You will answer a series of questions, probably around 20-25, and then you will get your top three character strengths. There is also a full report about what your strengths mean and how to use them to their fullest potential, but that is only available with a Happify Plus subscription.

Detailed Review of Happify Plus

Happify Plus gives you access to all premium content which includes over 100 learning “Tracks”, over 30  “Guided Meditations”, as well as every in-app game, journal, and activity. You will also be able to see all five of your VIA character strengths and full character report, plus have access to your daily stats.

Feature 1: Premium “Tracks”

Happify’s premium tracks can be found by clicking “See All Our Tracks” on your Home Screen Hub and then you will be taken to a page called “Explore Tracks”. From there you can browse through all “Tracks” by topic.

There are six topic areas in total and they are:

• Family & Kids – With 11 “Tracks” in total, Family & Kids explores topics like Parenting Teens, Young Kids, Empty Nest, and Caregiving.
• Relationships – These 11 “Tracks” explore the topics of Dating & Marriage, Friends & Connections, and Breakup & Divorce.
• Mindfulness & Meditation – This is a great place to start if Mindfulness and Meditation are something you have been thinking about exploring. There are 15 “Tracks” in total that deal with Stress & Anxiety, Clarity & Focus, Self-Discovery, and Compassion.
• Personal Growth – With 24 “Tracks” available, this is the second biggest area to explore. You can browse topics in Finding My Calling, Getting Unstuck, Overcoming & Thriving, and Self-Compassion & Acceptance.
• Health & Well-Being – This is the biggest topic area to explore with 33 “Tracks”! You can see topics in Depression & Anxiety, Stress Reduction, Healthy Lifestyle & Fitness, and Chronic Conditions.
• Work & Money – The last topic area to explore has 23 “Tracks”. You can look through sections like Career Success, Work/Life Balance, Motivation & Purpose, and Financial Well-Being.

Just like in the free version, you will be taken back to the home screen and your new premium track will be waiting for you. Select any activity or journal to begin the track.

Feature 2: “Guided Meditations”

All of Happify’s Guided Meditations can be found in the “Instant Play” Hub. There are five categories to choose from and all the meditations are between five to 15 minutes long. When you click on the “Guided Meditation” banner, you will be brought to the main meditation screen. From here, click “Start Now” and you will be brought to another screen with five categories: ASMR, Be Kind to Yourself & Others, Let Go from Head to Toe, De-Stress with Your Breath, Be Mindful on the Move, and My Favorites.

Feature 3: “VIA Character Strengths”

After you sign up for Happify Plus, your full VIA Character Strengths become available to you. This includes all five of your top strengths, “Your Signature Strengths”, and a full PDF document explaining it all.

I was surprised and delighted that my top strength was honesty. According to the report, this means that people view me as a person of integrity and that I am a “What you see is what you get” type of person. Which I had heard often before taking this assessment and it was fun to see that in writing.

Happify Vs Sanvello

Both Happify and Sanvello are apps based on CBT theory and skills. And while they both have educational materials, those materials are presented and used in different ways. Sanvello is very structured in the way their learning courses are set up, with every lesson building upon the previous. Happify’s learning courses have a more free-range feel, as you can pick and choose which activities you want to complete.

Happify has in-app games for you to play in addition to journals and some meditations. This makes the app feel less clinical and more fun than Sanvello. Sanvello strikes a much more serious tone in their education process and they also offer in-app mental health coaching and therapy.

Happify is more expensive per month, at $14.99, than Sanvello Self-Care Premium, which is $8.99 per month, but Happify is cheaper than Sanvello’s Coaching + Premium and Therapy packages.

How Has Happify Changed Over The Years?

Happify was founded in New York City in 2012 by Tomer Ben-Kiki, Ofer Leidner, and Andy Parsons. They believed that technology could and should make peoples’ lives better. They paired those thoughts with research in positive psychology, experts in gaming, and the tech field to create Happify.

In 2019, Cigna partnered with Happify Health to promote mental well-being for its subscribers as a part of their Cigna Total Behavioral Health program. All Cigna members could receive a premium subscription for Happify Health’s CBT and positive psychology app, Happify Plus.

Happify Health is a global healthcare platform that offers digital mental and physical health solutions to various healthcare providers, health plans, and organizations and companies. They work with over 20 million people, have been translated into 10 languages, and covers more than 10 chronic conditions. They provide several Digital Therapeutics (DTX) and a prescription digital therapeutic (PDTx). For more information, you can visit the Happify Health website.

For Further Reading

• Noom Mood Review
• Exercise and Mental Health: What Are the Benefits?
• Best Motivational Books
• Best Self-Help Podcasts