I Tried 6 Different Mood Trackers. Here's What Actually Worked (And What Didn't).

I spent 90 days testing 6 different mood tracker apps. Not casually - rigorously. Same data entered into each app. Same timeframe. Same patterns to discover. The goal: which app actually helps you understand WHY your mood changes, not just THAT it changed. Here's what I found.

The Problem Most Mood Trackers Don't Solve

I've been tracking my mood for years. Tried app after app. And they all do the same thing:

"How do you feel today?" → Tap a face → See a pretty chart.

But I never understood WHY I felt that way.

Random good days. Random bad days. Pretty charts that showed... I have mood swings. Thanks, I already knew that.

So I decided to test them systematically.

6 apps. 90 days. Same data into each. Let's see which one actually HELPS.

The Testing Method

What I Tracked (in ALL apps, when possible):

Not all apps let me track all of these. That's part of the findings.

What I Evaluated:

1. Ease of Use (Can I actually stick with this daily?) 2. Data Input (What can I track?) 3. Pattern Recognition (Does it show me WHY mood changes?) 4. Insights Quality (Are insights actionable or generic?) 5. Value (Free tier useful? Premium worth it?)

The Disclaimer

I'm not paid by any of these apps. This is my genuine experience. Your needs might differ. What works for me might not work for you.

Also, I'm a co-founder of My Bad Day, so yes, I'm biased toward my own app. But I'm trying to be fair about what competitors do well. Because they DO do some things well.

Let's dive in.

App 1: Daylio

What it is: Mood + activity tracker with extensive customization

What Daylio Does WELL

What Daylio DOESN'T Do

❌ No cross-domain pattern recognition

I can track mood AND sleep AND activities. But Daylio doesn't show me: "Your mood is consistently lower after poor sleep + Week 4 of cycle."

It shows: "You were sad 6 times this month."

Okay, but WHY?

❌ Manual pattern recognition required

I have to LOOK for patterns myself. Scroll through charts. Compare manually. The app doesn't surface insights automatically.

❌ No cycle-specific tracking

I can add "period" as an activity. But it doesn't integrate cycle phases with mood analysis. Doesn't show: "Your anxiety spikes Days 23-28 of every cycle."

❌ Limited correlation analysis

Can see: mood trends over time Can't see: "Mood correlates with sleep at r=0.68"

Best For:

Not Ideal For:

Verdict: Great at tracking. Weak at insights.

App 2: Bearable

What it is: Symptom + mood tracker for chronic conditions

What Bearable Does WELL

What Bearable DOESN'T Do

❌ Not optimized for JUST mental health

If you have chronic pain + mental health issues? Perfect.

If you JUST want mood tracking? It's overkill. Too many symptom options that don't apply.

❌ Overwhelming for casual users

The sheer number of trackable things is... a lot. Can feel like a medical chart.

❌ Cycle integration is basic

You can track period. But it's not deeply integrated with mood analysis like a period-specific mood tracker would be.

❌ Relationship/social tracking missing

Doesn't track WHO you spend time with or relationship quality. Only focuses on internal factors (symptoms, meds, health).

Best For:

Not Ideal For:

Verdict: Excellent for chronic health + mood. Overkill for just mood.

App 3: Moodpath

What it is: Clinical depression/anxiety screener + mood tracker

What Moodpath Does WELL

What Moodpath DOESN'T Do

❌ Daily tracking feels like a quiz

Every day: 3 clinical assessment questions.

This isn't "How do I feel?" tracking. It's "Rate your suicidal ideation 0-3" tracking.

Clinical? Yes. Sustainable daily? Exhausting.

❌ No lifestyle factor tracking

Doesn't track sleep, exercise, diet, cycle, relationships. Just mood + clinical symptoms.

Can't see: "My mood tanks when I sleep poorly."

❌ No pattern recognition across life factors

Because it only tracks mood/symptoms, it can't show cross-domain patterns.

Best For:

Not Ideal For:

Verdict: Excellent clinical tool. Limited lifestyle integration.

App 4: eMoods

What it is: Bipolar-specific mood tracker

What eMoods Does WELL

What eMoods DOESN'T Do

❌ Bipolar-specific only

If you DON'T have bipolar disorder, this app isn't designed for you.

❌ No cross-domain insights

Tracks mood + sleep + meds. Doesn't connect to cycle, relationships, stress beyond internal factors.

Best For:

Not Ideal For:

Verdict: Excellent for bipolar. Not applicable otherwise.

App 5: Sanvello

What it is: Mental health app with mood tracking + CBT tools

What Sanvello Does WELL

What Sanvello DOESN'T Do

❌ Mood tracking is secondary

Sanvello is primarily a mental health TOOL (meditations, CBT exercises). Mood tracking feels like an add-on, not the focus.

❌ Limited customization

Can't deeply customize what you track beyond basic mood + activities.

❌ No cross-domain pattern analysis

Doesn't show: "Your anxiety correlates with poor sleep + PMS week."

Best For:

Not Ideal For:

Verdict: Great mental health platform. Mood tracking not the strength.

App 6: My Bad Day

What it is: Cross-domain mood tracker (mood + sleep + cycle + relationships)

What My Bad Day Does WELL (And I'm Trying to Be Objective)

✅ Cross-domain pattern recognition

And shows: "Your mood drops 40% when you sleep <6 hours during Days 22-28 of your cycle after seeing Person X."

Other apps show: Mood trends My Bad Day shows: WHY mood changed (multiple factors)

✅ Correlation analysis across domains

✅ Partner mood sharing

Unique feature: Share mood with partner. They can see when you're having a hard day (with your consent). Reduces "Why are you upset?" conversations.

✅ Cycle-aware mood tracking

For menstruating individuals, deeply integrates cycle phases with mood. Shows hormonal patterns automatically.

✅ Relationship tracking

WHO you spend time with matters. App tracks which people energize vs. drain you.

What My Bad Day DOESN'T Do

❌ Not as customizable as Daylio

You can't add 100 custom activities. The focus is on the specific domains we track (sleep, cycle, mood, relationships).

❌ No medication tracking

If you need to track meds + dosages (like Bearable or eMoods), this isn't built for that.

❌ No CBT exercises or meditations

It's a TRACKER, not a mental health intervention platform. Doesn't include guided meditations or therapy tools.

❌ Requires account

Unlike Daylio (local-only), you need an account. Data is encrypted and private, but it's cloud-based.

Best For:

Not Ideal For:

Verdict: Best for understanding WHY. Limited in customization.

Side-by-Side Comparison

| Feature | Daylio | Bearable | Moodpath | eMoods | Sanvello | My Bad Day | |---------|---------|----------|----------|---------|----------|------------| | Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Customization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | | Cross-Domain Tracking | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Pattern Recognition | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Cycle Integration | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Relationship Tracking | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Medical Focus | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐ | | Free Tier Value | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Data Privacy | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |

Which App Should YOU Choose?

Choose Daylio if: - You want maximum customization - You love beautiful charts - You're willing to find patterns manually - Privacy (local-only data) is critical

Choose Bearable if: - You have chronic health conditions - You need medication tracking - You want correlation analysis - You need medical reports for doctors

Choose Moodpath if: - You're in active treatment for depression/anxiety - You need clinical assessment tools - You want to share reports with therapist

Choose eMoods if: - You have bipolar disorder (it's designed for this)

Choose Sanvello if: - You want all-in-one mental health platform - You want CBT + meditation + tracking - You're interested in coaching/therapy

Choose My Bad Day if: - You want to understand WHY mood changes - You want cross-domain pattern recognition - You track cycle + mood connections - You want to see which relationships affect you - You want partner mood sharing - You want automated insights

The One Thing Most Apps Miss

After 90 days of testing, here's what became clear:

Most mood trackers show you THAT you have mood swings.

Only a few show you WHY.

The difference is:

App shows: "You were anxious 8 times this month." Versus: "You were anxious 8 times. 7 of those were on <6 hours sleep during Days 23-28 of your cycle."

The first is data. The second is insight.

And insight is what creates change.

Because once you know WHY, you can DO something about it.

Sleep more during PMS week. Reduce stress during vulnerable days. Avoid draining people when already depleted.

This is why cross-domain tracking matters.

Single-factor tracking (just mood) reveals patterns. Multi-domain tracking (mood + sleep + cycle + relationships + stress) reveals CAUSES.

Final Thoughts

There's no single "best" mood tracker. It depends on your needs.

Need medical reports? Bearable or Moodpath. Want customization? Daylio. Have bipolar? eMoods. Want CBT tools? Sanvello. Want to understand WHY mood changes? My Bad Day.

I built My Bad Day because I WAS the user who tried everything else and still didn't understand my patterns. I needed something that connected the dots ACROSS life domains, not just within one.

But that doesn't mean it's right for everyone.

Try a few. See what works for YOUR brain, YOUR life, YOUR goals.

And whatever you choose, the act of tracking itself - paying attention to your emotional patterns - is what matters most.

Because you can't change what you can't see.

Happy tracking.