What is the How We Feel app?
What it does, what it costs, and where Stella fits
Updated
How We Feel is a wellbeing journal from a nonprofit. It costs nothing to download, and its store listings show no in-app purchases as of November 2026. Stella is your emotional wellness AI, and she is paid.
Want to talk it through? Tell Stella.
Stella is not therapy and is not a substitute for professional care.
At a glance
Stella
Your emotional wellness AI. A conversation, by voice or text. Nothing to log.
$9.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US
How We Feel
A journal for your wellbeing, in its own words: check in, find a word for the feeling, and spot patterns over time.
No charge to download and no in-app purchases listed, as of November 2026
What is How We Feel?
How We Feel is a journal app for emotional wellbeing. Its website calls it "a journal for your wellbeing", and its App Store subtitle reads "An emotional wellbeing journal".
According to its website, over time you learn precise words to describe how you feel, spot trends and patterns, and practice simple strategies to regulate your emotions.
What does How We Feel cost?
Nothing to download, and neither store lists anything to buy inside it. As of November 2026 its US App Store listing and its Google Play listing show no charge and no in-app purchases.
Stella is different on this point, and it is the first thing to know: Stella is a paid subscription, $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US.
Who makes How We Feel, and how is it funded?
The How We Feel Project makes the app. Its website describes the project as a scientific non-profit created in 2020.
- The product team is led by Ben Silbermann, a co-founder of Pinterest, according to its website.
- The science team is led by Dr. Marc Brackett and his team at the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, according to its website.
- Its store description says it was founded as a science-based nonprofit and is "made possible by donations". The website carries a Donate link.
What do you do in How We Feel?
You check in. Its terms describe recording how you are feeling, and noting what you were doing, who you were with and where you were. Its store description adds:
- Finding the right word to describe how you feel
- Tracking sleep, exercise and health trends to spot patterns over time
- Step-by-step video strategies you can do in as little as one minute, on four themes: Change Your Thinking, Move Your Body, Be Mindful and Reach Out
- A friends feature for sharing how you feel with people you trust
Its terms say you must be at least 18 to use it, and that it is not a medical device and not medical advice.
Where is your How We Feel data stored?
On your device, unless you choose otherwise, according to its store listings. Its Google Play description says:
- Data is stored on your device unless you choose to send it to another storage option.
- Data is only accessible by you unless you choose to share it with others.
- Data is not used for research unless you opt in to contribute an anonymized version.
Is How We Feel on iPhone and Android?
Yes, both. Its US App Store listing requires iOS 17.0 or later on iPhone and also shows Apple Vision. On Android it is on Google Play. The App Store listing shows two languages, English and Spanish.
The key difference
Start with cost: How We Feel costs nothing, and Stella is a paid subscription.
They also do different jobs. How We Feel is a journal you check in with: it helps you name a feeling and see patterns over time. Stella is a conversation: you tell her what happened, by voice or text, and she helps you find the words for what to say next, or choose a small step when you're ready. No streaks, nothing to log.
When to choose each
I want something that costs nothing
How We Feel (fits better)
No charge to download and no in-app purchases on either store, as of November 2026.
Stella
A paid subscription: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US.
I want to name what I'm feeling and see patterns over time
How We Feel (fits better)
Precise words for feelings, and trends and patterns over time, per its website.
Stella
No streaks, nothing to log. A conversation, by voice or text.
I need the words for a conversation I keep putting off
Stella (fits better)
Tell her what happened. She helps you find the words or choose a small step when you're ready.
How We Feel
Short video strategies on themes such as Reach Out, per its store description.
Not sure which to pick? Get a second take by text
How We Feel and Stella, side by side
| Feature | Stella | How We Feel |
|---|---|---|
| In its own words | A friend to figure it out with. | "A journal for your wellbeing" |
| What it is | Your emotional wellness AI | An emotional wellbeing journal, per its App Store listing |
| How you use it | Talk, by voice or text | Check in and pick a word for how you feel |
| Patterns over time | None. Nothing to log, no streaks. | Trends and patterns from what you record (fits better) |
| Talking it through | Yes, a conversation about what happened (fits better) | Short video strategies and a friends feature |
| Who makes it | StellaLabs | The How We Feel Project, a nonprofit |
| Who it is for | Adults | 18 and older, per its terms |
| Price | $9.99/month or $59.99/year (US) | No charge; no in-app purchases listed |
Apps like How We Feel
Other apps for keeping track of how you feel, each described the way its maker describes it. Prices are as of November 2026. The order is not a ranking. Stella is ours, and she is not a journal.
Stella
This one is ours. Stella is your emotional wellness AI: you talk to her, by voice or text. In the US she is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.
Daylio
A self-care bullet journal and mood diary, in its listing's words. Seven in-app purchases, from $4.99 to $59.99.
- Compare: Finch Plus cost and apps like Finch
Finch
A self-care pet app, in its listing's words. Ten in-app purchases, from $5.99 to $69.99.
Voidpet Garden
A self-care pet and mood tracker where your emotions appear as creatures. Ten in-app purchases, from $3.99 to $69.99.
Where Stella fits
How We Feel costs nothing and Stella is paid: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US, with the App Store showing your local price before you buy. If you want a way to name a feeling and watch patterns over time without paying, How We Feel is the one to open.
You can use both. How We Feel is a journal that helps you name a feeling. Stella is a conversation that helps you find the words for what to say next.
Stella is for adults. She is not therapy and is not a substitute for professional care, and she is not for romance or roleplay, or for someone in crisis. More to read: AI journal apps compared.
How we made this comparison
StellaLabs makes Stella. Every statement here about another app comes from that company's own App Store listing, website or help pages (or an archived copy), or a regulator's public release, or, where the page says so, Apple's search results or whether a site loads, as of . Prices change, so check the listing before you buy; we did not test the other apps.
Sources (7)
- How We Feel website, howwefeel.org (opens in a new tab)
- How We Feel terms of service, howwefeel.org (opens in a new tab)
- How We Feel on the US App Store (opens in a new tab)
- How We Feel on Google Play (opens in a new tab)
- Daylio on the US App Store (opens in a new tab)
- Finch on the US App Store (opens in a new tab)
- Voidpet Garden on the US App Store (opens in a new tab)
Questions about How We Feel and Stella
Does the How We Feel app cost anything?
No. How We Feel costs nothing to download, and its US App Store and Google Play listings show no in-app purchases as of November 2026. Its store description says it was founded as a science-based nonprofit and is made possible by donations.
Who made the How We Feel app?
The How We Feel Project, a nonprofit created in 2020. Its website says the product team is led by Ben Silbermann, a co-founder of Pinterest, and the science team by Dr. Marc Brackett and his team at the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence.
Is How We Feel on Android?
Yes. How We Feel is on Google Play for Android and on the US App Store for iPhone, where it requires iOS 17.0 or later. The App Store listing also shows Apple Vision, and lists English and Spanish.
Where is my How We Feel data stored?
On your device, unless you choose otherwise, according to its store listings. Its Google Play description says your data is only accessible by you unless you share it, and is not used for research unless you opt in to contribute an anonymized version.
How We Feel or Stella: which fits?
How We Feel fits if you want a journal that costs nothing and helps you name a feeling and see patterns over time. Stella fits if you want a conversation, by voice or text, to find the words for what to say next. Stella is your emotional wellness AI and a paid subscription, $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US. You can use both.
What is Stella?
Stella is your emotional wellness AI. Tell Stella what happened, or what you keep putting off, by voice or text. She keeps what you've told her in mind, tells you straight but kindly, and helps you find the words or choose a small step when you're ready. No streaks, nothing to log.
How much does Stella cost?
In the US, Stella is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. The App Store shows your local price and renewal terms before you buy.
Is Stella therapy?
No. Stella is not therapy and is not a substitute for professional care.
Tell Stella what happened.
Even the part you're still figuring out. Download the app or send her a text. The app is free to download; a subscription is required to keep using it.
Stella is not therapy and is not a substitute for professional care.
Keep comparing
Other tools people weigh against Stella when they are deciding the same thing.
- Finch Plus cost and apps like FinchFinch Plus costs $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year per Finch's Help Center as of Oct 2026. What it adds and apps like Finch.
- AI journal apps comparedAI journal apps compared from their own US pages: Rosebud, Mindsera, Reflectly and Day One, and when to talk it through instead.
- Calm price and apps like CalmCalm's subscribe page lists $16.99 a month or $79.99 a year as of Oct 2026. What Calm offers, who it fits, and apps like Calm, next to Stella.
- Headspace cost and Ebb AIHeadspace's AI, Ebb, launched in October 2024, per its press page. What Headspace costs, whether it fits, and apps like Headspace.
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