Report updated Jun 15, 2026
Calm Harm – manage self-harm
For young people aged 13 and older who need evidence-based tools to manage or resist the urge to self-harm.
Calm Harm – manage self-harm is a market-leading health & fitness app that is completely free. With a 4.3/5 rating from 3.3K reviews, it delivers strong user satisfaction. Users particularly appreciate evidence-based distraction techniques provide immediate relief for users managing intense self-harm urges, though inflexible timer settings during breathing exercises create unnecessary pressure for users seeking calm remains a common concern.
What is Calm Harm – manage self-harm?
Calm Harm is a free, clinical-developed mental health app for teenagers that provides DBT-based activities to manage self-harm urges.
Users hire the app for immediate, evidence-based crisis distraction that remains accessible without data or subscription barriers.
Current Momentum
v6.2 · 4mo ago
Steady- Shipped journal entries at any time.
- Added Favourites list for activities.
- Enhanced mascot animations throughout interface.
Active Nemesis
DBT Coach
By Resiliens
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
Health & FitnessRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
5-minute or 15-minute guided activities based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy principles to manage self-harm urges
Self-monitoring section tracking urge strength, common triggers, and active times of day
Full app access without requiring data or WiFi connectivity
How much does it cost?
- Completely free with no in-app purchases required
The app operates on a non-profit model funded by the charity stem4, with no monetization gates or subscription tiers.
Who Built It?
Stem4
Providing clinician-led mental health tools designed to help young people manage anxiety and self-harm through evidence-based frameworks.
Portfolio
3
Apps
What other apps does Stem4 make?
Clear Fear
Combined Minds
Explore the full Stem4 report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Stem4.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · 49 reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a thrilled sentiment. Users appreciate evidence-based distraction techniques provide immediate relief for users managing intense self-harm urges, but report inflexible timer settings during breathing exercises create unnecessary pressure for users seeking calm.
Limited review volume (49 reviews). Sentiment analysis will deepen as more data lands.
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Calm Harm – manage self-harm?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (1)
How's The Health & Fitness Market?
How does it evolve in the Health & Fitness market?
Calm Harm maintains a stable presence in the Health & Fitness category with a 4.4-star rating across 3,285 total ratings. Its non-profit, ad-free model differentiates it from subscription-heavy mental health competitors, though its ranking volatility suggests a need for more frequent feature engagement.
Rank progression
66 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
Which niche is Calm Harm – manage self-harm in?
Explore the full Mental Health Trackers niche
Every app in this space — 48 tracked, the niche's live rankings, and Marlvel's editorial take on the job-to-be-done.
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
This is the only direct competitor in the qualified pool that specifically targets Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills for self-harm and emotional regulation.
Differentiators
- Provides structured, curriculum-based DBT skill training rather than just ad-hoc distraction tasks.
- Includes comprehensive tracking for specific DBT diary cards to monitor emotional progress over time.
- Offers a specialized focus on clinical skill-building that goes beyond simple urge-surfing techniques.
Head to head
The target app should defend its position as the 'immediate crisis' tool while considering a 'skills-building' module to prevent user churn to more clinical alternatives.
Contenders(3)
A dominant force in mood tracking that competes for the user's daily check-in habit and emotional awareness.
Differentiators
- Utilizes a non-intrusive, icon-based logging system that maximizes daily retention through low-friction interaction.
- Provides robust statistical insights and trend analysis that visualize emotional patterns over long periods.
Provides a highly granular tracking experience that allows users to correlate self-harm urges with lifestyle factors and mood.
Differentiators
- Enables complex data correlation between daily habits, mood, and specific symptoms or urges.
- Offers a highly customizable dashboard that allows users to track unique triggers beyond standard categories.
Directly addresses anxiety and emotional regulation using CBT principles, serving a similar user base seeking mental health relief.
Differentiators
- Features dedicated 'Coping Cards' that provide actionable, step-by-step guidance for managing specific anxiety-inducing situations.
- Includes a 'Quick Action' feature set designed for immediate relief during high-stress moments.
Same space(4)
Adjacent app offering a philosophical and intellectual approach to mindfulness and emotional stability.
Differentiators
- Provides a structured, long-form course format that treats mindfulness as a rigorous intellectual discipline.
- Includes high-quality lectures and interviews that provide deep context for emotional regulation techniques.
Adjacent app focusing on evidence-based meditation for stress and anxiety reduction.
Differentiators
- Integrates expert-led video content that explains the science behind meditation and emotional regulation.
- Focuses on 'skeptic-friendly' meditation content that avoids esoteric or overly spiritual language.
Adjacent app focusing on personalized meditation programs to improve overall mental well-being.
Differentiators
- Uses dynamic, personalized audio programs that adapt based on user feedback and specific goals.
- Employs a highly polished, minimalist UX that reduces cognitive load for users in distress.
Adjacent mental health app focused on mindfulness and meditation as a tool for emotional regulation.
Differentiators
- Hosts a massive library of community-led guided meditations covering specific emotional states and crises.
- Operates a social-first model with live events and group meditation sessions to foster community support.
Compare Calm Harm – manage self-harm against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Calm Harm – manage self-harm
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- NHS and ORCHA approval sustains organic install velocity
- DBT-informed methodology functions as a clinical brand moat
- Offline-first architecture ensures reliability during crisis
Critical Frictions
- Fixed-duration timers create rigidity for users
- Lack of biometric security forces reliance on memorable passwords
- Background timer pauses during multitasking
Growth Levers
- Wearable integration for discreet access
- Accessibility improvements for screen readers
- Expanded identity options for inclusivity
Market Threats
- Clinical-style apps with diary card methodology siphoning power users
- AI-driven journaling apps increasing engagement through personalized prompts
- Tightening data-minimisation standards in the kids category
What are the next best moves?
Ship flexible timer settings because user complaints flag fixed durations as distracting → improve session comfort
Sentiment data identifies timer rigidity as a top frustration theme.
Trade-off: Push the accessibility font-size update to Q2 — timer flexibility addresses a higher volume of user frustration.
Audit background-timer logic because multitasking complaints erode the daily habit → increase session completion
Users report frustration when the timer pauses during communication app usage.
Trade-off: Same-quarter capacity available — no major lever displaced.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's lack of monetization is its greatest competitive risk, as it prevents the aggressive user-acquisition spending that subscription-based rivals use to dominate the mental health chart.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Structured DBT diary cards (available in DBT Coach)
- Wearable device integration (requested in user feedback)
- Real-time AI journaling prompts (available in Reflectly)
Key Takeaways
Calm Harm holds its category lead through clinical trust and non-profit accessibility, but its rigid UX leaves it exposed to more flexible, data-driven rivals, so revenue growth and retention hinge on modernizing the timer and security controls.
Where Is It Heading?
Stable
The mental health category is shifting toward personalized, data-driven experiences that integrate with daily habits, leaving static tools like Calm Harm at risk of stagnation. While the app's clinical foundation provides a stable user base, it must modernize its core interaction model to prevent churn to more flexible, tech-forward competitors.
Inflexible timer settings during breathing exercises create unnecessary pressure, which forces users to seek alternatives for personalized pacing.
The latest update added journal entries at any time, which increases session depth and user investment in the recovery journey.