Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

I am vs Motivation

I am 4.8★ · Free to download 70
Winner I am
Motivation 4.8★ · Free to download 55

For a more consistent and impactful daily affirmation experience, 'I am' is generally preferred, despite its own set of issues, over 'Motivation' which struggles with core functionality and content relevance.

Full reviews: I am · Motivation

'I am' and 'Motivation' both aim to provide daily affirmations, but 'I am' generally delivers a more positive and consistent experience for users seeking mental health support and inspiration. While both apps face criticism regarding pricing, notifications, and technical glitches, 'I am' receives more praise for its direct impact on self-perception and anxiety, whereas 'Motivation' struggles with basic features like widgets and content filtering.

Head to head

Effectiveness of Affirmations edge: I amR2R7R8R14
I am 'I am' users frequently report that the affirmations are genuinely helpful, inspiring, and positively impact their self-perception, anxiety, and overall mental well-being R2R7R8R14. Many feel the app provides the 'perfect affirmation at the right time' .
Motivation 'Motivation' users also find the quotes inspiring and helpful for staying positive and focused . However, some find the content repetitive or not strong enough , and some recent affirmations have been described as 'weird' or overly specific, potentially AI-generated .
Notifications and User Experience tieR1R4R6R9
I am 'I am' is heavily criticized for excessive and annoying notifications, particularly those related to streak maintenance, which users find intrusive and frustrating R1R4R6. Pop-ups to share affirmations also disrupt the user flow R9R15. Some users also report persistent, undeletable alarms even after uninstalling the app R34R43.
Motivation 'Motivation' also has notification issues, with some users reporting an alarm going off nightly at midnight or 1 AM that they never set and cannot turn off . Some users also experienced a loss of reminders .
Pricing and Value tieR10R13R19R21
I am Both apps are free to download but heavily push paid subscriptions, leading to user frustration. 'I am' users complain about high costs R13R19R21R22 and unexpected charges after free trials R10. The free version is seen as limited, with essential features like changing wallpaper behind a paywall R22.
Motivation 'Motivation' users also express significant dissatisfaction with the paywall, feeling the app is not truly free and requires a subscription for basic functionality . Similar to 'I am', users report being charged after free trials despite attempts to cancel .
Technical Reliability and Features edge: MotivationR6R7R12R15
I am 'I am' users report various bugs, including streak tracking issues R6R12R15, widgets not working or needing reactivation daily R31R37R51, and the app perpetually loading R37. Some find the audio clips too short or corrupted , and there are complaints about misgendering R7. Updates have also changed preferred features .
Motivation 'Motivation' also suffers from significant technical issues, including widgets being blank or not working R57, the app not opening , and sound not working after updates . Users also report misgendering issues and the app forcing them to re-do questionnaires . Some criticize the inability to save theme mixes or change widget backgrounds without upgrading .
Content Quality and Variety edge: I amR2R3R20R26
I am While many 'I am' users praise the quality and relevance of affirmations R2R20R26, some find them repetitive or vague . There are also concerns about 'harmful' or negative affirmations appearing despite positive topic selections R3.
Motivation 'Motivation' offers inspiring quotes , but some users find them repetitive or too much 'self-affirmation nonsense' . There are also complaints about random swear words in quotes and too much Christian content without an option to filter it .
Pick I am if

you prioritize the direct, positive impact of affirmations on your mental health and are willing to overlook occasional notification spam and some technical glitches R2R8R14.

Pick Motivation if

you are primarily interested in a widget for quick quotes and are less concerned about app functionality or content filtering, and are prepared for potential technical issues .

Evidence note: Both apps have a similar ratio of positive to negative reviews, with recent negative reviews often focusing on pricing and technical issues. The high lifetime ratings for both apps may not fully reflect current user sentiment regarding these issues.

Frequently asked

Are 'I am' and 'Motivation' truly free?
No, while both 'I am' and 'Motivation' are free to download, users report that essential features and full content access are locked behind expensive paywalls, with subscriptions costing around $30-$75 annually R10R13R21R22.
Do these apps have issues with notifications or alarms?
Yes, both apps have significant issues with notifications and alarms; 'I am' is frequently criticized for excessive streak-related notifications and persistent, undeletable alarms even after uninstallation R4R6R34R43, while 'Motivation' users report an un-settable and un-turn-off-able alarm that goes off nightly .
Are the widgets reliable for both apps?
No, widget reliability is a common issue for both apps; 'I am' users report widgets not working, needing daily reactivation, or not appearing as an option R31R37R51, and 'Motivation' users frequently experience blank, non-functional, or unchangeable widgets R57.

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. [R2] I am 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 !!
  2. [R7] I am 2/5 · US misgendering: it’s hard to give myself affirmations when they’re calling me she/her even when the gender is male 👎 literally why even ask what my gender is
  3. [R8] I am 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
  4. [R14] I am 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
  5. [R1] I am 1/5 · US Why: I am confused people.Why have you made an app that only writes positive things every single day.To me it is only another annoying app that makes notification
  6. [R4] I am 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 ✌🏾✌🏾
  7. [R6] I am 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 ‘
  8. [R9] I am 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
  9. [R10] I am 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$
  10. [R13] I am 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.
  11. [R19] I am 1/5 · US Comment: I wish everything was free
  12. [R21] I am 3/5 · US Wonderful but costly: I love the affirmations it provides. It does help with improving a positive thinking mindset, but it is way too costly for individuals who are low income.
  13. [R12] I am 3/5 · US Great app: The app will alert me about my streak as if I never went on the app when I did. So that’s definitely a bug.
  14. [R15] I am 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
  15. [R3] I am 3/5 · US A few bad apples: Love this app! AND there are a few harmful affirmations. Today’s: “Instead of finding the one I’m gonna go to the gym and become the one.” Sheesh! That’s super gross. This isn’t the first I’ve seen like that. Please review your affirmations. Thx for care & attention :)
  16. [R20] I am 5/5 · US Beautiful affirmation: This beautiful affirmation help me everyday filled me with joy happiness thank you
  17. [R26] I am 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
  18. [R22] I am 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
  19. [R34] I am 1/5 · US Kept sending reminders after app uninstalled and cache cleared: I really don’t leave reviews often, but I’ve never had a problem like this before. I tried the I Am app and it was OK but I decided to use another app instead and uninstalled it. I must have set a reminder to do affirmations at 7:20am on Sat/Sun when I set up the app bc it keeps sending me reminders at those times even after I uninsta
  20. [R43] I am 1/5 · US Bugs: I deleted this app and i still get notifications or alarms that i can’t seem to get rid of
  21. [R31] I am 1/5 · US Affirmations App Malfunction: app keeps malfunctioning and not updating my affirmations. they only show the ones i already loved, no new affirmations and the widget does not work. it keeps asking me to ‘tap to activate widget’ every single day. this app was so much better a few years ago. please fix or i’ll have to delete it and find another affirmations app. thanks!
  22. [R37] I am 2/5 · US What happened?: I really loved this app. I had a year long streak going, add my own affirmations, and had the widget on my Home Screen. Now it is perpetually loading. I deleted it thinking a new download would help but that only deleted my steak and all my own affirmations and likes. It seems there’s too much going on in the app for it to sufficiently work.
  23. [R51] I am 3/5 · GB Great quotes but isn’t letting me add any widgets?: This app is amazing, very inspirational and affective however, It doesnt give me the option to add a widget. Like I create the widget design on the app but then I got to add it by clicking the + icon, the choice on picking I am is never there? This is in fact quite annoying as it would be nice to have this feature but it just wont let me. Disappo
  24. [R57] I am 3/5 · GB Glitchy and ad riddled (even for subscribers): Widget doesn’t work 99% of the time, super unclear how to create own affirmations, and the experience is riddled with spammy ads even as a paid subscriber. Had to delete even though my subscription is valid till April because the app is THAT annoying. Avoid.

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