Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Is it worth paying for

I am

45
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

I Am by Monkey Taps is a highly-rated app for daily positive affirmations, but its value is significantly undermined by aggressive monetization tactics, numerous billing issues, and persistent technical bugs, making it a questionable investment despite its positive impact on many users.

Free to download seen up to $149.99 4.8★ lifetime (721,176) since 2014

While many users find "I Am" to be a powerful tool for mental health and daily motivation, its paid subscription is frequently criticized for being overpriced and riddled with bugs. Numerous complaints about unexpected charges, difficulty canceling, and premium features becoming paywalled after updates suggest that the app's monetization practices detract from its core value.

Free vs paid

The app offers free daily affirmations and lock screen widgets R4R307, which many users find beneficial for mental health and positivity R1R3R5R8. However, many features, such as changing themes, customizing widgets, or accessing a wider variety of affirmations, are locked behind a paywall R19R41R157R294. Paid subscriptions are reported to range from around $9.99 to $149.99, with frequent complaints about charges like $43.97, $50, $56.99, $60, $65, $70, $75, and $35.99 per year R12R27R32R41. Even paid subscribers report interruptions for sharing the app and ads R39R46R245.

Value complaints

  • Many users report being charged unexpectedly or unfairly, often after free trials, with charges ranging from $43.97 to $75, and difficulty getting refunds or stopping pending charges.R12R27R50R54
  • The app is considered overpriced for its features, with some users stating that basic affirmations should be free or that the content is repetitive for the cost.R33R40R50R54
  • Features previously available for free or via ads, such as custom themes and widgets, have been moved behind a paywall, frustrating long-time users.R41R157R486R494
  • Even paid subscribers experience interruptions like pop-ups to share the app, which feels like an ad and disrupts the user experience.R30R39R46R245

Where it delivers

  • Many users find the app genuinely helpful for improving self-perception, reducing anxiety and depression, and fostering a positive mindset.R1R3R5R8
  • The daily affirmations, especially on the lock screen and through widgets, are appreciated for providing timely encouragement and helping to break negative thought patterns.R4R6R7R9
  • The app is easy to use and offers a variety of choices to tailor affirmations to individual needs.R29R307R415
Worth paying if

The paid version might be worth it if you are a long-term user who has consistently found significant mental health benefits from the affirmations and are willing to tolerate persistent bugs, aggressive streak reminders, and potential billing issues .

Skip / stay free if

You should skip paying for this app if you are on a budget, are easily annoyed by excessive notifications, or expect a bug-free experience with transparent pricing and easy cancellation R20R27R32R39.

Evidence note: The lifetime rating is very high, but recent reviews, particularly those mentioning monetization, billing, and technical issues, are disproportionately negative. Many positive reviews are general endorsements without specific feature praise, while negative reviews often detail specific, recurring problems.

Frequently asked

Is the I Am app free to use?
The I Am app is free to download and offers some basic affirmations and lock screen widgets without payment R4R307. However, many features, including advanced customization and a wider range of content, are locked behind a paid subscription R19R41R294R307.
What are the common complaints about the I Am app?
Common complaints include unexpected charges after free trials R12R27R54, excessive and annoying notifications, especially about 'streaks' R13R20, features moving behind a paywall R41R157R486R494, and persistent bugs such as widgets not working , alarms that cannot be turned off , and repetitive or unhelpful affirmations R50R54.
How much does the I Am app cost?
The I Am app has various in-app purchase price points, with users reporting charges ranging from approximately $9.99 to $149.99, including specific annual charges like $43.97, $50, $56.99, $60, $65, $70, $75, and $35.99 R12R27R32R41.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R12] 5/5 · US Charged wrong: Said I would be charged $2.99 for free three day trail I got charge $43.97…. Disappointed but they probably don’t care
  2. [R27] 1/5 · US Horrible: I sighed up for a free trial that said it would alert me when it was time to be charged it didn’t and it charged me 75$
  3. [R50] 1/5 · US Cancelled Subscription and still charged: Honestly to start this app isn’t that great and is extremely repetitive for wanting $35.99 for a subscription. I cancelled and it still is trying to charge me and now I can’t download any other apps until they get some form of payment, which honestly I don’t want to give them. Extremely annoying that nothing can be done at all to stop this pending charge.
  4. [R54] 1/5 · US I wish I could give more: This app is okay, but I was disappointed with my overall experience. After a few days of use, I noticed that many of the affirmations felt repetitive often the same messages, just slightly reworded. This was especially frustrating because I selected multiple affirmation categories during sign-up and expected more variety. What really upset me was the billing. I signed up
  5. [R33] 5/5 · US great app but…: great app but it rlly should be free. the app is very useful but it costs money. it honestly just sends you affirmations and that SHOULD be FREE. other than that its great!
  6. [R40] 1/5 · US Comment: I wish everything was free
  7. [R41] 2/5 · US Paywall: Was great when there were at least a couple of readable options not smashed behind an extremely expensive paywall. Now you have to pay $60/yr just to change the wallpaper to something more accessible. Very disappointing. I might have been willing to support the devs financially by opting for a premium subscription once I’m in a place to if I had at least something to work with with the fr
  8. [R157] 1/5 · US Updating my review: Greed ruined it: so after my last review they said it was some kind of error that made custom themes paywalled. It was fixed and i loved the app again, now everything is suddenly behind a paywall again even the most basic themes!!! Extremely frustrating i loved this app and used it for years I even recommended it to so many people but clearly greed is the motive now. I do not r
  9. [R486] 3/5 · GB Great app but: Really like this app and the message on it as when you’re feeling down you can go through and read some positive reviews, but after the update there’s no more changing themes for watching an add and I love having the widget in my home screen and I’m one for changing my phone wallpaper often and I like the change the theme of the widget to match but I can no longer do that without pa
  10. [R494] 3/5 · GB Update ruined themes: I use this app twice a day, but since the latest update i have noticed it has reset all the themes to be premium. I have never paid for the subscription as the ads were bearable but i was able to use a few different themes for free or by unlocking watching an ad. It seems now that this “watch an ad, unlock a theme” now resets daily. Bit annoying really, forcing us to pay for
  11. [R30] 3/5 · US Stop with the pop ups to share: I like the affirmations but getting a pop up saying “boost someone’s day” to share the affirmation disrupts the flow and is super annoying. Stop it
  12. [R39] 1/5 · US Stop asking me to Boost someone else and share: I love this app but lately it CONSTANTLY asks me to share the app with others by making the screen dark and interrupting the affirmations. This is frustrating! I pay for the yearly subscription and I am considering canceling it due to these relentless interruptions to sell this product. If it were free I could understand but I am paying for it. Make
  13. [R46] 3/5 · US Ok but could use work: I’m well into 400+ days solid using this as a paid subscription and I’m not sure it’s really helping. I still get notices that pop up some days after re I’ve gone in the app even several times that I don’t have any streak freezes left and to not let this be the day I lose my streak. I am also annoyed by the things that pop up for me to share the affirmation while I’m in the
  14. [R245] 3/5 · US Amazing app until they started adding pop ups.: I paid a year subscription for this app and have found it well worth it. It’s grounding, peaceful, and aligning. I love that you can choose your own background photo or video. I use ocean waves and it includes the sound in the background. It’s perfect. I like to scroll through once a day and “heart” my favourite affirmations. Recently they started a
  15. [R1] 5/5 · US Grateful: I am actuall extremely impressed with how majorly and so positively this app has genuinely improved my self perception + my self-conscious + my self-image; I would like to thank each of the creators of the I am - Daily Affirmations app personally if possible but this is close enough ! haha thank you all so much !!
  16. [R3] 5/5 · US The help I am gave me: I am is not just a nap. It is a lifesaver and a helper. I just started using I am and it makes me feel calmer and more, loving on myself I have realize that I am enough and I don’t need to give people more than they or me and my mom are building a stronger relationship and that I can avoid people such as friends or family that make my mental health worse or my self-confidenc
  17. [R5] 5/5 · US How good it is: This app helps me calm down even when I am going through hard times and even though bad times I love this app so much it has changed my life
  18. [R8] 5/5 · US THE BEST APP EVER: This app is helping with my anxiety, my depression with not loving myself and I love this app so much
  19. [R4] 5/5 · US Love this!: I love this app! I’ve recommended it to so many others and they all agree. I love having the little affirmations on my lock screen and it’s a great app to help with the doom scroll itch as well! It just makes me happy
  20. [R6] 5/5 · US Food for the soul: I always get the perfect affirmation at the right time!!
  21. [R7] 5/5 · US Beautiful affirmation: This beautiful affirmation help me everyday filled me with joy happiness thank you
  22. [R9] 5/5 · US love it: Having this on my lockscreen just changes so much. It's not the typical affirmations "Im enough" "I'm strong", it's affirmations that genuinely hit and are so needed
  23. [R29] 5/5 · US Calming and insightful: Insightful, many different choices to tailor it to fit you
  24. [R307] 3/5 · GB I LOVE THIS!BUT…….: Is an amazing app,and is VERY simple to use.You don’t even need to buy anything to use the app,and it’s completely free unless you want to spend more.the only thing about this is that the free widgets are not that great becusde if they were more plain,then it would be much more versatile and convenient.thats all,bye!
  25. [R415] 3/5 · GB Using IT Comms Appropriately: This is great software for someone of my age who sorta knows what their doing with IT but wants a special advisor to sort out the mess they’ve made of everything that’s lead to this point.
  26. [R19] 4/5 · US Pretty good: This app is pretty good but you have to pay to get all perks.
  27. [R294] 3/5 · GB U have to payyy !!: So annoying you have to pay but a nice app to
  28. [R13] 3/5 · US Annoying lying notifications: I’m about to delete this app, it’s driving me nuts. Recently within the last couple months I’ve started getting notifications throughout the day about ‘losing my streak’ even though I’ve already checked the app. Now I’m getting about 6 notifications a day about ‘losing my streak’, ‘only one freeze available’ and now ‘start a new streak’ which came an hour after a ‘
  29. [R20] 1/5 · US Notifications: There is absolutely no reason why I should receive 5 separate notifications from this app back to back.. less than a minute went by & all of these separate notifications just decided to randomly pop up. App has got to go ✌🏾✌🏾
  30. [R32] 1/5 · US Please stop trying to charge me: Please stop trying to charge me for the year. I can’t download any other apps because it keeps trying to get me to pay $56.99 a year or something like that and I don’t have the money and I can’t download free apps. Please excuse me from that. Thank you.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store