Honest comparison

Therma vs How We Feel

How We Feel is the strongest free option, built by Yale researchers. Therma is the next layer up: same emotion granularity, plus AI that finds patterns and integrates with your wearables.

By Omar Rantisi, Founder of Therma

The 30-second verdict

Choose How We Feel if you want a free, research-backed mood tracker focused on precise emotion labeling and you don't need AI or integrations. Choose Therma if you want emotion tracking plus AI pattern recognition, weekly insights, and Oura/Apple Health sync.

Feature comparison

FeatureThermaHow We Feel
CostFree tier + paid premiumFree forever
Emotion granularity frameworkYesYes (RULER framework, by Marc Brackett)
AI pattern recognitionYesNo
Conversational AIYesNo
Apple Health / Oura syncYesNo
Weekly insight revealsYesNo
Scientific credibilityBehavioral science principlesYale-backed (Marc Brackett, RULER)
Ad-freeYesYes
PlatformsiOS (Q2 2026)iOS, Android

Where Therma wins

  • AI learns your patterns and surfaces them weekly
  • Integrates with Oura, Apple Health, sleep, HRV
  • Goes beyond labeling into interpretation
  • Weekly insight reveals turn data into narrative
  • Built for high performers with existing health data

Where How We Feel wins

  • Completely free, no ads, no premium tier (rare)
  • Yale-backed credibility (Marc Brackett, author of "Permission to Feel")
  • RULER framework is well-researched
  • Available on Android today
  • No paid tier means no upsell pressure

When to choose which

Choose Therma

You've been using How We Feel and want the next layer: AI pattern recognition, integration with your existing health data, and weekly insights that connect mood to behavior.

Choose How We Feel

You want a free, research-backed mood tracker for daily check-ins and you're not interested in AI or wearable integration. Or you're on Android and need something today.

Common questions

Is How We Feel really free forever?

Yes. It's built by a nonprofit (Marc Brackett's Center for Emotional Intelligence at Yale) and committed to staying free. No premium tier, no ads, no data resale.

Why pay for Therma if How We Feel is free?

You wouldn't, if labeling alone is what you need. Therma is the layer above: AI that interprets the data, finds patterns you would miss, and integrates with the rest of your health stack. Different products solving different parts of the same problem.

Can I use both?

Yes, and many people do. How We Feel is great for in-the-moment emotion labeling. Therma is the weekly synthesis layer.

More comparisons

Try Therma

Get the missing layer underneath your wearables

60-second daily check-in. AI that learns your patterns. Weekly insights that connect mood to behavior. Join the waitlist for early access.

Get early access