Life is a Game
    ← Back to blog

    Best apps for social anxiety (2026)

    A short path of small steps leading towards an open doorway, one step highlighted in blue

    If you want an app that gets you into real social situations a small step at a time, start with MindShift CBT (free, iPhone and Android), PebbleStep (free) or Conquer Fear, which is ours. If you want to rehearse first, Gleam and Orai let you practise conversations and talks with AI feedback. For calming down in the moment, Dare and Wysa are the most established. Several apps that older lists still recommend no longer exist for the public.

    What we found first

    Ask an AI assistant for the best social anxiety apps and the answer is often lifted from a "best apps" article written by one of the apps on it. In September 2026 we asked one answer engine this question and noted the three sites it cited. We have now read the social anxiety guide on each. All three are written by an app maker, and each includes its own app.

    Adiem's guide, dated 1 April 2026, lists its first pick as Bloom CBT and describes its social anxiety exercises in detail. Bloom's own website says the app was discontinued on 23 February 2025, more than a year before the guide was published. Another vendor's comparison recommends Sanvello, which was removed from both app stores in June 2024. Woebot, a name that still turns up in these lists, closed its public app on 30 June 2025. We could not find any of the three on the UK App Store.

    Social Sage's guide names Social Sage its top recommendation. Adiem lists itself third. Tonen's comparison is the most careful of the three. It says plainly that Tonen wrote it, and it was updated on 19 October 2026. It also has four rows, and none of them gets you into a real social situation.

    What each app has you do

    Social anxiety apps do one of three things, and the "best" lists rarely separate them.

    Practise in real situations. The app gives you a small real thing to do, like asking a shop worker where something is, and then a slightly harder one.

    Rehearse first. You practise a conversation or a talk with an AI or a script, on your own, before the real one.

    Calm down and reflect. Breathing, audio, a chat about how you feel, a pulse on your wrist. You do it at home or in the moment.

    REAL SITUATIONS

    • A small real thing to do
    • Then a slightly harder one
    • A rating before and after

    REHEARSAL

    • Practise with an AI or a script
    • On your own, before the real one

    CALMING

    • Breathing and audio
    • A chat about how you feel
    • At home or in the moment
    All three have a place. Only the first asks you to do the thing you have been avoiding (October 2026).

    All three have a place. But social anxiety mostly keeps going through avoidance: skipping the party, letting the call go to voicemail. Only the first kind of app asks you to do the thing you have been avoiding. So the table below is grouped by what each app has you do, real situations first, then sorted by price and track record within each group.

    The comparison

    Prices, ratings and update dates are from the UK App Store, checked 20 October 2026. They vary by region. "UK ratings" is the count of ratings on the UK store, a rough sign of how many people have used it here.

    AppWhat it has you doPlatformPrice (UK)Last updatedUK ratings
    MindShift CBTReal situations, with a fear ladder you fill in yourself. Also thought records and relaxationiOS, AndroidFree, no in-app purchasesSeptember 2026221
    PebbleStepReal situations. One challenge a day from 40+, rated before and afteriOSFree with optional adsJune 20260
    Conquer FearReal situations. Writes a ladder of small steps from your own goal, rated 0 to 10 before and afteriOSFree tier, then £9.99/mo or £49.99/yrOctober 20261
    UNSHYReal situations. Graded challenges plus short lessonsiOSPaid pass required. Plans listed from £3.99/wk to £59.99 lifetime, check current pricingSeptember 20269
    GleamRehearsal. Scenario lessons and practice conversations with AI feedbackiOSFree download. Membership listed from £9.99/mo, yearly £34.49 to £79.99, check current pricingOctober 20261,012
    TonenRehearsal. 180+ conversation scripts, help wording replies, a debrief afterwardsiOSFree plan, Premium £4.99/mo or £49.99/yrSeptember 20263
    OraiRehearsal for talks, meetings and interviews, with AI feedback on your deliveryiOS, AndroidFree download, £12.99/mo, £49.99/yr or £99.99 lifetimeOctober 2026422
    Social SageRehearsal. AI speaking practice and conversation scenariosiOSFree download, £7.99/wk or £29.99/moJuly 20261
    DareCalming. Audio for anxious moments, a mood journal, groups for membersiOS, AndroidFree audios. Subscriptions listed £8.99 to £59.99, check current pricingOctober 20261,687
    WysaCalming and reflection. An AI chat with self-help exercisesiOS, AndroidFree. Premium listed from £4.49 to £99.99, check current pricingOctober 20267,459
    AdiemCalming. Haptic rhythms on your wrist, based on your heart dataiPhone with Apple WatchFree, no in-app purchases on the UK storeSeptember 20260
    FACING ITReal situations, with lessons and remindersiOS£3.49/mo or £24.99/yrFebruary 20238

    What each one actually does

    MindShift CBT is the one to try first if you are not sure. It was originally developed in partnership with Anxiety Canada, it is free with nothing to buy, and it has been on the store since 2013. Its tools include a fear ladder, thought records, guided relaxation and a moderated community board. You write every step of the ladder yourself, and it covers all anxiety rather than social situations in particular.

    PebbleStep is the closest free app to what we build. It has 40+ challenges across social and crowd situations, each with a difficulty rating from 1 to 7, and it logs your anxiety before and after every attempt. You can add your own challenges. Everything stays on your phone, with no account. It launched in January 2026, had no UK ratings when we checked, and you pick from a menu rather than getting a ladder built around your goal.

    Conquer Fear is ours. You name a goal and the fear in the way, like speaking up in meetings, phone calls or starting a conversation. It writes a ladder of small real-world steps up to it and shows you one at a time. You rate your fear from 0 to 10 before and after each attempt, so you have a record of what actually happened. If you get stuck on a step twice, it offers to split it into smaller ones. The free tier gives you one ladder, its first three steps, 20 attempts and three help chats. An optional Accountability plan adds a booked 30-minute video call every two weeks with a real person you check in with. It costs £49.99 a month at the founding price, which is why the UK listing also shows £149.99, the standard price that replaces it. It has no social skills lessons and no conversation rehearsal, it is iOS only, and it has one UK rating.

    UNSHY sends you on graded real-world challenges, done outside the app, alongside short lessons on conversation and body language, a panic button and a community. Its listing says all features need a paid pass, and it lists many different plans, so read the payment screen carefully.

    Gleam is the most used rehearsal app here, with over a thousand UK ratings. Bite-sized lessons and practice conversations cover small talk, interviews, networking and dating, with AI feedback on how you come across. It teaches what to say. It does not send you anywhere to say it.

    Tonen is built for the moment you do not know what to say. It has over 180 scripts in four tones, help wording a message you keep putting off, a phone call mode and a debrief for afterwards. It was made in the UK by neurodivergent creators, mainly for autistic and ADHD people, and people with social anxiety. Its free plan includes 21 scripts. If you already know what to say and still cannot make yourself say it, this is not the gap it fills.

    Orai is a public speaking practice app rather than an anxiety app. You record yourself and get feedback on filler words, pace, clarity and energy. Its scenarios are presentations, interviews, meetings and pitches, so it suits a fear of speaking up at work more than a fear of parties or small talk.

    Social Sage offers AI conversation scenarios and speech feedback. Its own guide names it the best social anxiety app of 2026. It had one UK rating when we checked, and at £29.99 a month it is one of the most expensive plans in this table.

    Dare is a large, long-running anxiety and panic app inspired by the book DARE. Its listing names public speaking and dining out among the moments it is for. It helps you handle the feeling. It does not plan the situations.

    Wysa is an AI chat that walks you through self-help exercises and lets you talk things over. Its listing includes tools for difficult conversations. Paid plans with access to a human professional are sold separately and cost much more, so check which tier you are buying.

    Adiem runs on an Apple Watch. It reads your heart rate and plays a gentle rhythm on your wrist, one minute in every three, so you can use it quietly before or during a social event. It is the only wearable option here, and nobody around you knows it is on. It had no UK ratings when we checked, it needs an Apple Watch, and it calms you rather than taking you anywhere new. Adiem is also the company behind the guide we mention above.

    FACING IT was one of the few apps built only for social anxiety around real-world practice, with lessons and progress tracking. Its last update on the UK store was in February 2023, more than three and a half years ago. It is still sold at £3.49 a month. We would not pay for software nobody has touched since then.

    Turned up in our search but did not make the table: Rootd (well rated, but built for panic attacks rather than social situations), Clear Fear (a free UK app funded by the teenage mental health charity stem4, recommended for ages 11 to 19), Leapr and Anxiety Quest (daily real-world social dares, both launched in 2026 with no UK ratings yet) and Headspace and Calm (general meditation apps, which we did not review here). Our UK store search also turned up dozens of small new "social confidence" apps, most with no ratings at all.

    How to choose

    • You want free and you are on Android. MindShift CBT. It is the only free app here with a fear ladder that also runs on Android.
    • You want free, on iPhone, and you are happy picking your own challenges. PebbleStep.
    • You want the steps worked out for you from your own goal, starting where you are now. Conquer Fear.
    • You freeze because you do not know what to say. Tonen for scripts and replies, Gleam for practice conversations.
    • Your fear is mostly presentations and meetings. Orai.
    • You need something for the moment itself. Dare on your phone, or Adiem if you wear an Apple Watch.
    • It is affecting your work, sleep or friendships, or nothing here has helped. Talk to your GP. The NHS page on social anxiety also explains how to refer yourself for NHS support without a GP referral.

    Where we are not the answer

    We build Conquer Fear, so weigh everything above with that in mind.

    We do not teach social skills. If the problem is not knowing what to say, Gleam and Tonen do things we do not. We have no AI conversation partner to rehearse with. We give you nothing to use in the moment, the way Dare or Adiem do. We are iOS only. And MindShift CBT and PebbleStep both have you practise in real situations for free, with far longer track records in MindShift's case.

    The case for us is narrower. You type the goal you keep avoiding, and you get a ladder written for you from your own starting point, small enough at every step that you will actually do the next one. You can see our worked example for talking to strangers.

    How we tested

    Prices, developers, ratings and update dates come from each app's UK App Store listing, read on 20 October 2026. Android availability comes from Google Play where we found a listing; if we did not find an Android version we list iOS only. Feature descriptions come from each app's own listing or website. We did not install the competing apps for this article, and we are not judging whether any of them works, since none of the vendors' outcome claims are ours to repeat. Several apps list many overlapping prices, so check current pricing before you buy. The discontinued apps were checked against Bloom's own website, a news report on Sanvello and a news report on Woebot, and by searching the UK App Store. The three cited guides were read on 20 October 2026. We build Conquer Fear, so read this as interested rather than neutral. If any of these apps changes, tell us and we will correct it.

    Sources

    All checked 20 October 2026.

    Related

    Working on this yourself? See Conquer Fear

    ← Back to blog