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Free 7-day trial · then $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr

A cognitive distortions tracker for when the worksheet is too much friction

Log the distortion without completing the worksheet. Mendly tracks cognitive distortions on iPhone with one tap — no thought record to fill out, no balanced response required. You identify the distortion in real time (you already can), tap to mark it, and move on. Hourly patterns show when distorted thinking peaks. The capture itself is the value.

The research

A meta-analysis of randomized trials of mobile apps for depressive symptoms found a pooled dropout rate of 26.2%, rising to 47.8% once adjusted for publication bias — largely attributed to the effort required by structured exercises. Mendly's tap-to-log strips the CBT thought-record workflow down to the one step — capture — that adherence data suggests actually gets completed.

— Linardon and Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, 2020

Want to understand why this happens? What is catastrophizing — and how to tell when you're doing it

Quiz

What's your most frequent distortion's pattern?

Question 1 of 4

Which distortion do you catch yourself in most?

“The thought record was never the part that helped. The moment of catching the distortion was — the worksheet after that was mostly friction wearing the costume of rigor.”

Features

Hourly patterns

See when your inner critic is loudest. Morning spirals? Late-night overthinking? Your data, your story.

One-tap logging

One tap marks the thought — no typing, no prompts. The friction is so low it actually works mid-meeting, mid-walk, mid-spiral.

Voice notes

15 seconds to say what was actually going through your head. Optional, private, and yours.

Not quite your pattern? A rumination tracker for when mindfulness hasn't stopped the loop might fit better

Apps like MindLift are built around the full CBT thought-record workflow: log the distortion, weigh evidence, generate a balanced response. That workflow is right when you have time and headspace. Mendly is for when you don't — one tap, and the timestamp is in the log.

See the full comparison

Common questions

Do I have to label which distortion it is when I log it?
No. Mendly doesn't ask you to categorize the thought at all. You tap once to mark the episode — no labels, no thought-record fields, no selection from a list of distortions. Categorization can happen later via voice note or in session with your therapist.
Is this a replacement for CBT therapy?
No. Mendly is a logging tool, not a therapy intervention. If you're in CBT, it works as a between-session complement — a low-friction way to mark distorted thoughts in real time that produces a log your therapist can reference.
How is this different from a journaling app?
A thought diary in journaling form asks you to write out the thought and your response to it. Mendly marks the thought's occurrence without asking you to engage with it in the moment. The insight comes from the pattern over time, not from each individual entry.
What does the free trial include?
The full app, no restrictions, for 7 days. After 7 days you choose monthly ($7.99) or annual ($59.99, about $5/month). Cancel anytime via your Apple subscriptions — no emails required.
For when a mood score doesn't tell you what you were actually thinkingA catastrophizing tracker for when you know you're catastrophizing and can't stopWhat is mind reading (the cognitive distortion, not the party trick)?

See for yourself — 7 days free.

Try Mendly on iPhone. Cancel anytime via Apple subscriptions.

Download on theApp Store