Comparison Updated October 2026
Wysa vs Abby
A guided CBT toolkit or an open conversation that remembers you. Here is how they differ.
Abby
by Abby Intelligence
Wysa
by Wysa Ltd
Wysa is a well-researched self-help toolkit with a chatbot at the front door. Abby is an open conversation that remembers your story, by voice or text, with free matching to a licensed human therapist when you need a person.
Free to start. No card needed. Private and judgment free.
We make Abby. This page uses the same criteria for both apps and says where Wysa is the better pick.
Side by side
| Feature | Abby |
Wysa |
|---|---|---|
| Open conversation, not scripted exercises | Yes | Chat that leads into guided exercises |
| Remembers your story across conversations | Yesand connects what you say today to what you said months ago | Not advertised |
| Conversation process designed with licensed therapists | Yesin-house clinical team | Yesclinical team and published research |
| Checks in on you before you open the app | Yesdaily or when it matters | Scheduled check-in reminders |
| Choose her personality, tone and pushback | Yessix personalities, from Empathetic Friend to Tough Coach | One voice |
| Talk by voice or text | Yes | Text only |
| Languages | 88, switch mid-sentence | English |
| Where you can use it | iPhone, Android and the web | iPhone and Android |
| Free matching to a licensed human therapist | Yesbuilt in, using what she already knows about you | Paid coaching sessions, text based, from $29.99 |
| Independent oversight | YesEthics & Safety Board of licensed therapists | YesClinical Safety Officer, external ethics board, NHS clinical safety standard (DCB0129) |
| If you are in crisis | Points you to 988 and emergency services | SOS button with crisis resources |
| Free to start | Yes | YesAI chat and some tools are free |
| Price after the free start | $19.99 a month or $99 a year | Premium $74.99 a year or $9.99 to $19.99 a month; coaching extra |
| Is it therapy? | No | No |
Checked October 2026 from each app's public listing and website. Wysa shows several Premium prices at once in the App Store; the range above is what was listed. Tell us if something is out of date.
What Wysa does well
Wysa has been around since 2016 and takes research seriously: it has peer-reviewed studies behind it and is used by health systems and employers. Its library of CBT and DBT exercises, sleep and meditation tools is deep, the penguin is genuinely likeable, and the free tier is generous. If you want a structured routine of exercises with a friendly chat wrapped around it, Wysa is a solid choice.
Exercises vs conversation
Wysa's model is the toolkit. You tell it how you feel and it suggests an exercise: reframe the thought, do a breathing practice, try a gratitude list. It is good at that, and it is the same for everyone.
Abby's model is the conversation. You bring the actual thing, the text you keep rereading, the decision you keep circling, and she meets you in it. She remembers what you told her last week, notices the pattern across weeks, and asks the question that gets underneath. Structure shows up where it helps, but the conversation is shaped around you rather than a script.
How Abby thinks
Between your message and her reply there is a process, designed with licensed therapists. It is the reason the right question tends to show up at the right moment, and it is the part of Abby we are proudest of.
- 1Saves your story. Every conversation adds to what she knows about you, so you never start from zero.
- 2Connects to your memories. She links what you just said to what you told her weeks or months ago.
- 3Spots the pattern. The thing that keeps coming back, even when it shows up wearing a different story.
- 4Finds the thing underneath. Then asks the one question that gets you there, instead of ten that do not.
What else Abby does
Checks in first
Mention a rough week coming up and she checks in each morning of it. Daily, or only when it matters. You choose.
Becomes who you need
Six personalities, from Empathetic Friend to Tough Coach, plus how much she says, how she responds, and how hard she pushes back.
Voice or text
Type at 2am or talk on the walk home. Same memory, same Abby.
88 languages
Talk in the language you think in. Switch mid-sentence and she follows.
A real therapist when you want one
Say the word and Abby uses what she already knows about you to match you with a licensed therapist, free.
Built with oversight
An Ethics & Safety Board of licensed therapists reviews how she handles the moments that matter.
Trusted for 10,000,000+ conversations.
Where Wysa and Abby part ways
Memory
Abby remembers your story across conversations and connects today to what you said months ago. Wysa's sessions mostly stand alone, which is fine for exercises and limiting for a conversation.
Voice
Abby works by voice or text with the same memory. Wysa's AI chat is text only.
The path to a person
Wysa sells coaching sessions from $29.99. Abby matches you with a licensed therapist for free, using what she already knows about you.
Which should you pick
Pick Wysa if
- You want guided CBT and DBT exercises, meditations and sleep tools in one place.
- You like a structured daily routine more than an open conversation.
- Your employer or health plan already gives you Wysa, so it costs you nothing.
Pick Abby if
- You want to talk it through, not fill something in.
- You want an app that remembers your story, by voice or text, on your phone or a laptop.
- You think you may need a real therapist at some point. The matching is free and built in.
Both are free to start, so the honest advice is to try both and keep the one you actually open when your head is loud. If you are in crisis, use neither: call or text 988, or call 911.
Common questions
Is Wysa free?
Wysa's AI chat and some self-help tools are free. The full tool library is Wysa Premium, listed at $74.99 a year or $9.99 to $19.99 a month in the US App Store in October 2026, and human coaching sessions are sold separately.
Can I switch from Wysa to Abby?
Yes. Abby is free to start and there is nothing to import; tell her what you have been working on and she takes it from there.
Which is better for anxiety, Wysa or Abby?
If structured breathing and thought-reframing exercises help you, Wysa has a deep library of them. If talking it through helps more, Abby is built for that and remembers the context between conversations. Neither is treatment for an anxiety disorder.
Is Abby free?
Abby is free to start. After that it is $19.99 a month or $99 a year.
Is Wysa or Abby a therapist?
Neither. Both are software. Therapy is clinical care from a licensed professional, and Abby can match you with one for free.
Abby is not a licensed therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist, and is not a substitute for professional care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911. Wysa is a trademark of its owner and is not affiliated with Abby; details about third party products reflect publicly available information and may change.
