By Stem4
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 MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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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
2
Apps
Who is Stem4?
Stem4 distinguishes itself by operating as a clinical charity rather than a commercial developer, focusing on tools designed to meet NHS standards for mental health support. Their strategic advantage lies in the integration of clinical frameworks like DBT and CBT into mobile formats, intended for use by young people managing anxiety and self-harm. The portfolio's stability is anchored by institutional trust and a commitment to free, non-monetized access within the UK health ecosystem.
Who is Stem4 for?
- Teenagers
- Young people (11-19) struggling with anxiety or self-harm
- Often supported by parents or clinicians
Portfolio momentum
Released 3 updates across 2 apps in the last 6 months, with the most recent major update occurring 37 days ago.
What other apps does Stem4 make?
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.
What is the competitive landscape for Calm Harm – manage self-harm?
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.
| Country | Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Health & Fitness | iOSPaid | #3 | ▲1 |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | Health & Fitness | iOSPaid | #11 | ▼3 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
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.
What sets Calm Harm – manage self-harm apart
Offers a more accessible, lightweight interface for users in acute distress who need immediate distraction.
Provides a completely free, non-gated experience for core urge-management tools compared to clinical-style apps.
What's DBT Coach's Edge
Delivers a structured educational framework that builds long-term emotional regulation skills beyond immediate urge management.
Integrates clinical diary card methodology which provides deeper data for users tracking their mental health.
Contenders
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.
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.
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.
Peers
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.
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.
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.
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.
New Kids on the Block
Uses AI to generate personalized daily prompts that guide users through emotional processing.
Employs a conversational, chat-like interface that makes journaling feel like a supportive dialogue.
Moodfit: Mental Health Tools
★4.7 (2.2K)Roble Ridge Software LLC
🚀A comprehensive mental health toolkit that has maintained consistent updates and feature expansion.
Combines CBT, DBT, and mindfulness tools into a single, unified dashboard for holistic mental health.
Provides specific 'thought record' tools that help users challenge negative cognitive distortions in real-time.
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.