Woebot Shut Down. Here's a Free-to-Start CBT Alternative.
Woebot was a guided CBT chatbot whose consumer app was retired on June 30, 2025; Woebot Health now works only with payers, providers and employers. MindLift is a CBT reframing app for individuals on iOS and Android, free to start, that turns the thought you type into a balanced reframe in about 60 seconds.
Woebot retired its consumer app on June 30, 2025 and moved to enterprise healthcare. If you relied on it for CBT support, MindLift picks up where it left off. Type the thought bothering you and get a balanced, CBT-based reframe in 60 seconds. Free to start on iOS & Android.
Which is right for you: Woebot or MindLift?
Woebot offered a conversational CBT chatbot with check-ins and mood tracking, now available only through healthcare partners. MindLift suits former Woebot users who want the same cognitive restructuring evidence base applied to their exact thought, with no employer, insurer or clinic required, in about 60 seconds instead of a 10 to 15 minute session.
What Woebot offered (until June 2025)
- A guided, conversational CBT chatbot experience
- Structured check-ins and daily mood tracking
- Chatbot-style dialogue built by Stanford clinical psychologists
- A programmatic CBT course — now available only through healthcare partners
Why former Woebot users choose MindLift
- Same CBT evidence base — cognitive restructuring, applied to your exact thought
- Still available to individuals: no employer, insurer, or clinic required
- Faster: a 60-second reframe instead of a 10–15 minute session
- Free to start on iOS & Android — no ads, premium optional
How do Woebot and MindLift compare, feature by feature?
Woebot and MindLift share a CBT foundation but no longer share an audience. Woebot has been enterprise-only and unavailable to individuals since June 2025, and its guided chatbot sessions ran 10 to 15 minutes. MindLift is available on iOS and Android, free to start, around the clock, with a 60-second reframe of a specific thought.
| Feature | Woebot | MindLift |
|---|---|---|
| Available to individuals | ✗ (shut down June 2025) | ✓ iOS & Android |
| Core approach | Guided CBT chatbot | On-demand thought reframing |
| Response time | 10–15 min sessions | 60-second reframe |
| Pricing | Enterprise-only | free to start |
| Targets specific thoughts | Partially | |
| Available 24/7 instantly |
What changed with Woebot, and what can you use instead?
Woebot Health retired the Woebot consumer app on June 30, 2025, citing the cost of FDA marketing-authorization requirements. Individuals looking for a replacement can choose MindLift for on-demand CBT reframing, Wysa or Youper for AI chat, or MindShift CBT for structured self-help tools. MindLift is free to start with an optional premium subscription.
Woebot Is No Longer Available to Individuals
On June 30, 2025, Woebot Health retired its consumer app. The company cited the cost of FDA marketing-authorization requirements. It now works only with payers, providers, and employers. If you used Woebot on your own, you can no longer download or use it.
Same CBT Evidence Base, Different Delivery
Woebot delivered CBT through guided chatbot conversations. MindLift uses the same evidence base — cognitive restructuring — but applies it directly to the thought you type in. You get a balanced reframe in about 60 seconds. No conversation flow, no waiting: straight to the technique.
Free to Start, No Gatekeepers
MindLift stays available to individuals. It's free to start on iOS and Android — no ads, no employer or insurance required, with an optional premium subscription. The core reframing tool is always available.
Other Woebot Alternatives Worth Knowing
An honest map of the field. If you want the guided-conversation format Woebot had, Wysa is the closest match — AI chat with optional human coaching. Youper pairs an AI chat with mood tracking. MindShift CBT, originally developed with Anxiety Canada and now published by 247 Labs, offers free structured CBT tools without a chatbot. MindLift takes a different route: no conversation flow at all, just the CBT technique applied directly to the thought you type in. Pick by format — chat companion (Wysa, Youper), structured self-help course (MindShift), or on-demand reframing in the moment (MindLift).
Switching from Woebot? MindLift is free to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the closest alternative to Woebot's chatbot format?
Wysa is the closest like-for-like replacement if you liked Woebot's guided-conversation style — it offers an AI chat companion with optional human coaching. If what you actually used Woebot for was the CBT technique (catching and restructuring a thought), MindLift delivers that directly: type the thought, get a balanced reframe in about 60 seconds, free to start.
Why did Woebot shut down?
Woebot Health retired its consumer app on June 30, 2025, citing the cost and difficulty of meeting FDA marketing-authorization requirements while AI technology outpaced regulation. The company pivoted to enterprise partnerships with payers and providers, so the app is no longer available to individuals.
Is MindLift a good Woebot alternative?
Yes. Both are grounded in CBT. Woebot was a guided chatbot program; MindLift is an on-demand reframing tool — you type the specific thought bothering you and get a CBT-based reframe in 60 seconds. MindLift is free to start and available to individuals on iOS and Android.
Can I still download Woebot?
No. The consumer app was removed from the App Store and Google Play, and user accounts were closed after June 30, 2025. Woebot Health products are now only accessible through participating healthcare organizations and employers.
Is MindLift free?
MindLift is free to start — no ads, with an optional premium subscription. The core features are available at no cost on iOS and Android.
Sources
The sources for Woebot vs MindLift are peer-reviewed studies of smartphone mental health interventions, internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy and cognitive reappraisal training, each DOI verified on CrossRef. Those studies support the general evidence base behind MindLift's CBT reframing; none tested MindLift itself, so the studies are context for the approach rather than proof of MindLift's results.
- Linardon J et al. (2019). The efficacy of app-supported smartphone interventions for mental health problems: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (opens in a new tab). World Psychiatry.
- Firth J et al. (2017). The efficacy of smartphone-based mental health interventions for depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (opens in a new tab). World Psychiatry.
- Carlbring P et al. (2018). Internet-based vs. face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy for psychiatric and somatic disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab). Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
- Denny BT, Ochsner KN (2014). Behavioral effects of longitudinal training in cognitive reappraisal (opens in a new tab). Emotion.
MindLift content is informed by published research in cognitive behavioral therapy and psychology. This content is educational and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.