Youper has shut down: what to use instead
Youper discontinued its services on September 30, 2026, and it says all accounts and chat histories are being permanently deleted. If the app was part of your routine, the questions below can help you pick a replacement that fits the way you used it.
What happened to Youper
Youper’s website now says it discontinued its services on September 30, 2026. Its former data export page says Youper is no longer available and that all user accounts, chat histories, and personal information are being securely and permanently deleted from its servers and backups.
Before the shutdown, Youper’s closure notice also said:
- your data wouldn’t be sold or transferred to another company;
- auto-renewing subscriptions had been turned off, so no new charges were coming;
- people with time left on a prepaid plan would get instructions by email, since Google Play and Apple handle refunds differently;
- accounts inactive for more than 12 months had already been deleted.
If you had a prepaid plan, look for that email in the inbox you used for the app.
Can you still export your data?
No. The export was open until September 30, in the app under Settings and on the web, and the export page now shows only the shutdown message. If you downloaded a copy in time, keep it somewhere safe. Our app can’t import a Youper export, so treat the file as a keepsake: your mood history, and notes you might want to show a clinician later.
If you didn’t get a copy, it may help to write down what you remember finding useful, such as an exercise, a phrase, or a pattern you noticed. That list is a good brief for whatever you try next.
What to look for in a replacement
A shutdown is a useful test. Before you move your private thoughts into any app, check five things.
- Can you take your data with you? Look for an export option in settings before you write anything personal.
- How do you pay? A subscription means recurring charges, and a one-time purchase doesn’t. Neither protects you if a company closes, so the export matters more.
- What does it say it is? A good app states plainly that it’s self-help and not therapy, and it points you to 988 in a crisis.
- Is the evidence about the app or about CBT? Plenty of research supports CBT itself. Far fewer studies cover one particular app, so read claims with that gap in mind.
- Who reads your messages? AI apps send your text to a model provider to write replies. The privacy policy should say so in plain words.
Three options, compared
These facts come from each app’s own store listing or website on October 4, 2026. Prices change, so check the listing before you buy.
| App | What it is | Cost | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wysa | An AI chatbot with self-help exercises inspired by CBT and DBT, plus meditation. | Free to download. The App Store lists in-app purchases from $4.99 to $144.99: premium tools and optional guided support with a human coach. | Its App Store page says the app offers no diagnostic measurements or treatment advice. |
| Feeling Great | An AI chatbot and interactive courses, inspired by the work of psychiatrist Dr. David Burns. | Free to download. In-app plans are $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year (App Store). The app was free for summer 2025, so check what it charges today. | It follows one clinician’s approach from start to finish, so it suits you if you want that particular method. |
| CBT without a Therapist | Our app. An AI assistant named Helpy, a thought journal, exercises, and screening tests such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. | Free to start, with a limit on free AI replies. Full Access is $29 once, with no subscription. | It’s self-help, not therapy, and the AI can be wrong. Your messages go to AI providers so they can write replies, as our privacy policy says. |
If you used Youper to talk things through
Our AI assistant, Helpy, starts the way most chat apps do: you describe what happened, and it suggests a CBT technique that fits, such as a thought record or a grounding exercise. You can try the chat without an account.
If you mostly tracked your mood, the dashboard has a mood check-in once you have a free account. For a thought that keeps looping, our beginner’s guide to CBT shows how to write down the situation, the thought, and how well it matches the facts.
Helpy uses AI to generate its replies. It’s not a licensed therapist, counselor, or medical professional, and its replies may be inaccurate or incomplete. Don’t rely on it for diagnosis, treatment, or emergency help.
Helpy’s replies today are written by a large language model from a third-party provider, so your messages go to that provider, as our privacy policy explains. Separately, we’re training our own model on about 1,000 example CBT conversations we generated and reviewed. It’s still in testing and isn’t what you chat with yet.
Important
This is educational self-help content, not a substitute for professional care. If anxiety is intense, sticks around for weeks, or makes daily life hard, reach out to a mental-health professional or doctor. If you’re in crisis or thinking about suicide, get help now: call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line), or call 911 for emergencies. Available 24/7.