# How We Feel

> Free emotion check-in journal from a science nonprofit

How We Feel is a free emotional wellbeing journal for iPhone and Android, made by a nonprofit with Yale University's Center for Emotional Intelligence. A check-in means picking a precise word for how you feel from a color-coded grid, then adding context such as tags, a note or a photo. The app charts patterns over time, includes short video strategies for regulating emotions and lets you share check-ins with friends. It is funded by donations and has no paid plans.

- **Category:** Journaling Apps
- **Made by:** The How We Feel Project, Inc. (since 2020)
- **Website:** https://howwefeel.org
- **Runs on:** iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

How We Feel is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is free and funded by donations. The US App Store listing shows a price of Free with no in-app purchases, and no account is needed.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | Every feature: emotion check-ins, journal notes and photos, pattern charts, video strategies and sharing with friends. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/how-we-feel/id1562706384 on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with How We Feel before buying.

## Key features

- **Mood Meter check-ins:** Each check-in starts with choosing a word for how you feel from a color-coded grid of emotions split into quadrants, which is meant to build a more precise emotional vocabulary.
- **Tags, journal notes and photos:** A check-in can carry tags, a written journal entry, photos and a body sensation map, so the situation around a feeling is kept with it.
- **Pattern analysis:** An Analyze tab and a weekly review chart check-ins over time. On iPhone the app reads sleep, exercise and other health trends through HealthKit to set beside them.
- **Video regulation strategies:** Step-by-step videos, some as short as a minute, are grouped under four themes: Change Your Thinking, Move Your Body, Be Mindful and Reach Out.
- **Sharing with friends:** The Friends feature shares how you feel in real time with people you choose. Check-ins stay private unless you decide to share them.
- **On-device data:** Data stays on the device unless you opt in to send an anonymized copy of your check-ins for research. The iOS app can sync to iCloud, and no account is required.

## Good for

- People who want a mood journal with no subscription or in-app purchases
- Learning more precise words for emotions and spotting patterns in them
- Therapy clients who want to capture feelings between sessions

## Worth knowing

- Phone only: the App Store listing says it is only for iPhone, alongside the Android app; no iPad, Mac or web version is listed.
- The App Store listing gives English and Spanish as the only languages.
- The iPhone app requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- The vendor describes it as a wellbeing journal, not a replacement for therapy or professional care.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.9 out of 5 from 29,923 ratings in the United States, read Oct 6, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1562706384

## Works with

Apple Health, iCloud

**Tags:** Mood tracking, Daily notes, Local-first

## Alternatives

- [Daylio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/daylio): Mood tracker and micro-diary you fill in with a couple of taps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/daylio-vs-how-we-feel)
- [DailyBean](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dailybean): Tap-based mood diary that logs a day with icons instead of writing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dailybean-vs-how-we-feel)
- [Bearable](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bearable): Symptom and mood tracker that links health to daily habits. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bearable-vs-how-we-feel)
- [Moodflow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/moodflow): Mood tracker and journal that charts what shapes your days. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/how-we-feel-vs-moodflow)
- [Moodistory](https://toolgpa.com/tools/moodistory): Mood tracker that logs a day in seconds and keeps data on-device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/how-we-feel-vs-moodistory)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/how-we-feel/id1562706384
- https://howwefeel.org
- https://howwefeel.org/therapists
- https://howwefeel.org/resources
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.howwefeel.moodmeter&hl=en_US&gl=US

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/how-we-feel
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).