tools · apps
Apps worth your phone space.
Patients ask me all the time whether an app is any good. These are the ones I have looked at properly and often suggest in the room. There are no download links here on purpose, so check the publisher name carefully in your app store, because copycats are common.
last checked august 2026 · i have no commercial relationship with any of these
Mind and mood
For everyday stress and winding down, and for learning the same skills a psychologist would teach you. Start with the free Australian ones.
- SM
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind, an Australian not-for-profit
Guided mindfulness built by psychologists, with separate programs for adults, teenagers and young children. The one I suggest most often, because it costs nothing, it was made here, and there is nothing to unsubscribe from later.
freeaustraliankids and adultsfind it: Smiling Mind, published by Smiling Mind
- mg
moodgym
e-hub Health, a spin-off from the Australian National University
Five modules of cognitive behavioural therapy, the talking-therapy approach that teaches you to notice and challenge unhelpful thoughts. Built on twenty years of ANU research and free to everyone in Australia because the Commonwealth funds it. It runs in a web browser, so do not go looking for it in the app store.
free in australiaaustralianbrowser, not an appfind it: moodgym.com.au
- H
Headspace
Headspace Inc, United States
Polished guided meditation and sleep content, and genuinely well made. Some of it is free, but most sits behind a subscription once the trial ends. Worth it for some people, and not necessary at all if Smiling Mind already suits you.
subscriptionfree trialfind it: Headspace, published by Headspace Inc
Not to be confused with headspace. In Australia, headspace is also the national mental health service for 12 to 25 year olds, which is free and has centres you can walk into. That is a completely different thing from the meditation app above. If you are looking for the youth service, search for headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation.
Sleep
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, usually shortened to CBT-I, is the recommended first treatment for long-term insomnia, ahead of sleeping tablets. Both of these teach it. Which one you want depends on whether someone is guiding you.
- IC
Insomnia Coach
US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD
A five-week training plan with a sleep diary, a wind-down routine and practical tools for the 3am wake-ups. Its makers say plainly that it works as a stand-alone self-help tool, which is why this is the one I would start with.
freeno adsuse on your ownfind it: Insomnia Coach, published by US Dept of Veterans Affairs
- CB
CBT-i Coach
US Department of Veterans Affairs, with Stanford
The same therapy, but its makers are explicit that it was built to sit alongside treatment with a clinician rather than to be used alone. Pick this one only if someone is already working through CBT-I with you. Otherwise use Insomnia Coach.
freealongside a clinicianfind it: CBT-i Coach, published by US Dept of Veterans Affairs
Alcohol
Whether you want to cut back, take a break, or stop altogether. You do not have to have hit a crisis to want a hand with this.
- DB
Daybreak
Hello Sunday Morning, an Australian not-for-profit
Drink tracking, an anonymous peer community, and chat-based coaching from trained health professionals. Free in Australia because the Department of Health funds it, and properly anonymous, which matters a great deal to people who are not ready to say this out loud yet.
free in australiaaustraliananonymousfind it: Daybreak, published by Hello Sunday Morning
Smoking and vaping
Quitting is far easier with support than without it, and the support here costs nothing.
- QB
My QuitBuddy
Australian Government Department of Health
Counts the days, the money saved and the cravings, with distractions for the moments it gets hard. It was rebuilt recently and now covers vaping as well as cigarettes, which the older quit apps do not.
freeaustralian governmentcovers vapingfind it: My QuitBuddy, published by the Dept of Health
Food and nutrition
Both of these scan a barcode and tell you something useful in about two seconds, standing in the aisle. They answer slightly different questions, so there is a case for having both.
- FS
FoodSwitch
The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney
Scan a packaged food and it shows the Health Star Rating and a traffic light for salt, sugar and fat, then suggests healthier swaps from the same shelf. Built on an Australian database of tens of thousands of products, so it actually knows what is in our supermarkets.
freeaustralianhealth star ratingfind it: FoodSwitch, published by The George Institute
- Y
Yuka
Yuca, France
Scores food and cosmetics out of 100, flagging additives as well as nutrition. It is independent and takes no money from brands. Two things to know: the score is Yuka's own system rather than the Health Star Rating, and some product data is contributed by users, so treat one score as a prompt to look at the label rather than a verdict.
free tieroptional premiumalso cosmeticsfind it: Yuka, published by Yuca
Movement
None of these need a gym, and none of them are about getting fast. The best one is simply the one you will open again on Wednesday.
- GA
Get Active Victoria
Victorian Government
A free, ad-free library of guided home workouts designed by physiotherapists, yoga instructors and trainers, from complete beginner upwards, plus goals and challenges. Made for Victorians by the state government, so there is no upsell waiting at the end of it.
freevictorian governmentno adsfind it: Get Active Victoria, published by the Victorian Government
- 10
10,000 Steps
CQUniversity, Physical Activity Research Group
An Australian step program running since 2001, with monthly challenges and team tournaments if a bit of friendly competition is what gets you out the door. It syncs with your phone's own step counter, or with a Fitbit or Garmin if you have one.
freeaustraliansyncs with your phonefind it: 10,000 Steps, published by 10000 Steps
- HF
Heart Foundation Walking
National Heart Foundation of Australia
Australia's largest free walking network, with more than 1,200 local groups you can search by suburb, day and pace, and a free six-week personal plan if you would rather walk alone. For a lot of people the group is the point, and the walking is how they get there. It runs on the website, not as an app.
freeaustralianwebsite, not an appfind it: heartfoundationwalking.org.au
Tracking and your own records
Your phone already counts your steps, so you do not need to install anything for that. The genuinely useful trick is knowing where your real health record lives, and how to open it when you need it.
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1800MEDICARE
Australian Digital Health Agency
This is how you read your own My Health Record on your phone: pathology results, medicines, vaccinations, hospital discharge summaries and your electronic prescriptions. It was called the my health app until it was renamed in January 2026, so an older bookmark or a friend's recommendation may use the old name.
freeaustralian governmentwas "my health"find it: 1800MEDICARE, published by the Australian Digital Health Agency
- mG
myGov
Services Australia
The one to keep for the Medicare side of things: a digital Medicare card, claims, and your immunisation history statement, which is the document childcare centres and employers ask for. Services Australia has folded the old separate Medicare app into this one.
freeaustralian governmentimmunisation historyfind it: myGov, published by Services Australia
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The one already on your phone
Apple Health on iPhone, Health Connect on Android
Both are built in, both are free, and both already hold your steps and any sleep or heart rate your watch records. If you want to show me a pattern rather than describe it, this is where it is. On Android, note that Google Fit is being retired, and Health Connect is the replacement.
freealready installedstays on your devicefind it: Health (iPhone) or Health Connect (Android)
before you download anything
None of these replace your GP, your psychologist, or the rest of your care team. At their best they are good company between appointments, something to practise with on a Tuesday night. They are not treatment, and nothing on this page can diagnose you or tell you whether a symptom matters.
If you are struggling right now, an app is the wrong tool. Ring Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or talk to your GP. In an emergency, call 000.
I have checked each of these myself and I have no commercial relationship with any of them. Apps change hands, go paid, or quietly disappear, so treat the date at the top of this page as how fresh the list is. If you find one here that has changed, tell me and I will fix it.