Sanvello: Anxiety & Depression Reviews

by Snowe509275

I keep being banned from posting when I don’t even say anything wrong. I’m respectful toward others in the community. I’ve had so many good conversations with people in Sanvello. The community rules don’t say you’re not supposed to talk about suicide yet people are constantly being banned from posting when they get flagged for talking about suicide or self harm. I’ve told the staff how harmful it is to treat suicidal people the same as spammers and trolls multiple times, and they haven’t listened. The one response I’ve had was something along the lines of “this isn’t a place that can help with suicide”. Actually yes, being able to talk about suicidal thoughts or ideations freely does help people even though they should still seek professional help. Also, the unhelpful response I got doesn’t address the lack of clarity in your terms and conditions. It also doesn’t change the fact that you are making people who already feel marginalized and insecure feel WAY worse and like there is no community for them in this world. How does an app that doesn’t even clearly state that suicidal and self harm posts are taboo, then bans people for the slightest infraction against this unspoken and unnecessary taboo have so many good reviews?

by A Very Disappointed Listener👎

I would just like to point out that it was a very, VERY poor move to totally rebrand, change the name, etc. You are an app for people dealing with anxiety and mental illness, who, I’m sure like me- might be triggered or have adverse reactions to sudden change. I received no email of the upcoming change, and there was no mention of it in Sanvello itself that I saw (which would have been the smart thing to do). When I saw it’s name change, I panicked and feared it has gotten hacked and uninstalled. My OCD kicked in and I’m still afraid to download it again because of the fears still in mind of what this change means exactly and what I’m putting on my phone.

I used to love Sanvello. I used it a lot to talk to people inside the group chat features and track my moods. But, now I’m afraid to use it again. For an app that claims to have people’s mental health as a core value, this was very insensitive and a bad move. I’m so disappointed. I’m seeing a lot of people are having trouble with the new update, which is further reason to leave it uninstalled. Before this update, I would have given it 5 stars. Now I’m just so disappointed and upset.

by Carina3128

I do not like the new update. It almost made me instantly delete it. I'm not a fan of change as I'm sure most users aren't. The home screen makes no sense. I prefer the old look 100%. I've stopped using Sanvello almost completely since the update. Before the update I loved my home screen, it was easy access to everything I used the most. People with Mental and emotional issues do not like change. I want my old home screen back. I loved Sanvello and I'm honestly angry and a little heartbroken. I tried to leave feedback on the setting page of Sanvello but every button on that page works EXCEPT the feedback button. Take that as you will. I found that interesting.

Thoughts before the update:

I mostly use the Health part because visualizing my day into individual scales is very helpful for me. It's helpful to see the little heart fill up and I make it a goal to get it fuller than the day previous. Sadly I feel like most chat groups are in active. I was very excited about that but I posted in 10 in one night, two were for insomnia (it was 3am) and no one responded to any of the 10 groups.

by Monkeydoodlewho

Hi I don’t know whether you will be getting this message or not because I had written you a review once before with five stars and it was says it was never sent from this even though I tried it twice again today. My new problem is is that I was stupid enough this morning to try a different theme as I was familiarizing myself with Sanvello, And I selected Woodland stream or something to that effect. Well I could no longer get to any of the options within Sanvello all I see is a lovely scenery with trees and a brook and everything else and no way to get out of
it!!! I tried to delete Sanvello and reinstall it, and now all I’m getting is the ocean waves. I have no other way to contact the Developer except through this review, I just purchased the premium option on Sanvello, I hope I haven’t made a mistake in doing so. I now hope someone from the development group can get back to me and tell me what is wrong with Sanvello that I’m having a problem with I can’t do use any of the tools or anything.

by Ms Veganista

I like the concept of Sanvello and it helps in a lot of ways but some things about it lose me.
1) it sends me a reminder to do my sleep goal or my hobby goal but when I tap on it doesn’t bring me to that section and I don’t know how to get to that section and doesn’t tell me how to get to that section so I don’t ever get those done
2) it tells me how was my week in random days. I rather it ask me how was my week Saturday evening or Monday morning when it’s fresh in my mind. And if it passed Monday morning and I have not responded STILL do not ask me how was my week wait till next Monday. On Tuesday morning however it’s ok to send a reminder that I didn’t get to give an update such as say “oops we didn’t get a response yesterday on how was your week last week. It’s ok you can let us know how was your week now or don’t worry about it we have a whole new week now to work on.” Something like that. But after that leave it alone until Saturday evening or Monday morning or leave a window open from Saturday evening to Monday morning for us to record how our pass week went. Then DON’T ask us after that except a reminder on Tuesday for a last chance and that’s it.
Fix those issues and it’ll b good to go.

by TuringKai

I was recommended Sanvello by a professional and had high hopes, but was rather disappointed that immediately I was greeted with an upsell page that I was unable to close because I use a Pro Max iPhone. Not a big problem, just closed Sanvello and reopened to bypass… until I find that a lot of the interface bleeds into the screen corners when doing even the basics like logging the day.

I look at the reviews and see this has been mentioned before, and that the response was that it would be passed to the dev team for consideration. The pro max is NOT a new form factor. Apple provides a whole set of tools to avoid this set of issues. The last thing I want to see from an app (backed by UHG, which is NOT short on resources and capital) is an upsell push when the basics are neglected in UI design and the prior responses are generic tickets passed to the team to handle. Unfortunately that makes Sanvello a pass for me, and an absolute non starter for premium subscription consideration. What a disappointment.

by MoMo220011

Sanvello is nice to have to keep track of your daily thoughts and feelings and track your progress and the meditations are nice but some of the wording used throughout Sanvello makes me a little uncomfortable. When I tried to put in my name for the community posts or whatever it said “this name is not unique” and I assume that’s because it was already taken but it’s a really weird way to say it and for me at least it kind of turns it into a negative thought which is stupid but that was just my initial response and I think it could have been prevented with better wording. I also took the assessment for the first time and one of the questions asked if I still feel good about myself even when others look down on my illness which to me is kinda weird. I don’t think anyone feels good about themselves when someone looks down on them for something they can’t really control and especially not someone with anxiety/depression/self-image issues so that’s never really gonna be an “i feel great” moment but whatever. Another question referred to mental illness as “behavioral health issues” which seems inaccurate and kind of negative for someone who’s trying to better their mental health. Overall it’s a good app but some things are just a little weird and I think it could be improved by being a little more sensitive especially since it’s advertised as a tool to help people deal with and improve their mental illness.

by Huskiesandplants

I love that this app was available through my work’s healthcare, because otherwise I would not have tried it, so that’s definitely a plus that they make it easy to integrate with your insurance.

As far as assessments, I like them. They’re diverse enough to get me started without being overwhelming. As a dftba fan, I couldn’t help but love that they used John Green for one of the anxiety educational videos. Every other person or voice they use is soothing and not “over doing it.” I’m interested by the community feature, but I don’t use it as much as the activities.

As far as UX, just a couple things: some buttons are not compatible with iPhone features, for example, the adjust volume slider is too close to the bottom of the screen, and so my phone thinks I want to swipe away from Sanvello or close it. Also, sometimes the check ins don’t register and I have to start over or cancel them

by Godelincomplete

I would recommend Sanvello to anyone. It is truly a wholesome experience. I am very surprised that some health insurance coverage applies, thats amazing!

I have a personal caveat. While I appreciate what “this app” does for the community, I would like to suggest that you do not speak of this app as third-person during meditations or use the name during audios or text. Maybe just stick to “we are here for you” instead of “you can always come back to this app”. While meditating, you are probably in a very sensitive and exposed time in your life, when I hear “You can always come back to this app” I feel like I am being advertised to DURING that exposed time and it can be quite sour. So far I have been able to let it go, I am hoping it doesn't continue because the decision to move to an annual sub depends on it. I am already paying the monthly fee, please leave it without names, it feels
More honest and beautifully personal when you just stick to “we are here for you” since I know who “we” is.

by HeyYallItsKawaiiKun👻

This review is not bot-made, I just am so much better thanks to Sanvello. When I started skipping hygiene, personal health, social health, and only being on screens, I convinced myself to make a change. And the first step was using this app. My anxiety is getting so much better, and I’ve completely engaged in social activities and started dabbling in minimalism for my sake of OCD.
Next, the committee section. I have made so many allies and good advice givers here. The report section is top-notch, and I can find people with fellow interests without being afraid of internet bullying, homophobic people, and etc. I seriously don’t deserve the kindness here.
Lastly, the shorts. I personally enjoy Garden Mark, where he talks about plans, moving on, and other things while you see him tending to his plants. It keeps me focused but also calm!
The only thing I dislike is I’m not able to pay 10$ a month for more lessons. Please either lower the price or stop premium! People with mental health issues should have less expensive options!
Overall, mostly fantastic app, and anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who has stress should get Sanvello.

by Brebeebre

I struggle a lot with trying to help myself be the best that I can be, often with both my mental and physical health, and I've always tried a lot of apps seeing if I could find one that really works for me so I can improve myself and also attempt to track my mood and better understand my feelings. I saw a promotion for Sanvello under an article by Sanvello store and it looked interesting to me compared to all the other apps so I thought I'd give it a try. To this day I am very thankful of myself that I did try it because it has helped me become better aware of my health habits, taught me a bit on how to meditate, gives me a place where I can put inspirational thoughts down to help keep me going, write down all my goals, and so much more. I'd say if you're struggling with any kind of anxiety, maybe even depression, or really just you want to better yourself, give Sanvello a try and I think you'll be a bit suprised.

by Aly_Pu

I used Sanvello to help with panic attacks back in 2018 (when it was Pacifica), and now again with different issues, more depression related. I’ve tried many apps for years, and this one is the only one that sticks for me.

What I really love are the mediations and journeys. If you feel like you can’t control anxious or negative thoughts, they are great for getting “unstuck” in patterns, or at least helping one become aware. While I still lack confidence, I now know how my own thoughts reinforce beliefs and how I can reframe my perspective to combat that.

I also did not feel like I had the language to discuss my emotions with others as well before using this app. Sanvello helps a lot if you are trapped in internalizing your experience. Sanvello empowers me to open up to others and be more productive during therapy. Thank you so much!

by Meradilla

I’m a 30 yr old Autism mom with G.A.D and social anxiety. Living with depression, daily physical pain, RA arthritis and migraines. Believe me when I tell you. Just the great free advice, help, RESOURCES oh the resources!, tools, community love and support and much much more. I have tired everything (medications & cannabis) and nothing has done it like Sanvello. I see me in the data gathered and i can see where to fix myself. It’s a mirror to the true self in a healthy professional way. I’m informed about my diagnosis’s (must communicate to family), emotions are tracked to easily see triggers (coffee, bad memories) and advice on the best approach to tackle goals and all (step. U step). Trust me... As a mother. Woman. Once young. Once dumb. Once inexperienced. Once so so so tormented by my diagnosis’s now I’m on a steady road to recovery. I CAN see the light at the end of the tunnel. REMEMBER the part of Sanvello you pay is worth it even more. But just give it a true and honest chance. Peace and love everyone!

by Itssamisanchez

Within the last few months, my anxiety has skyrocketed; and within the past few weeks, I've been suffering from a lot of anxiety attacks and depressive states. Sanvello has been very helpful this past week. I discovered it after experiencing a meltdown and feeling like I needed to escape from my own bedroom and home. It helped me calm down and monitor myself. My boyfriend checks my journals every so often to understand me better (as I never know how to explain my emotions during and after my anxiety attacks); and he even opens Sanvello for me when he realizes I'm starting to feel anxious and tense to calm me down (since he doesn't know how to help me on his own). Needless to say, I've come to love Sanvello a lot. I'm actually considering to see a therapist because of Sanvello to better understand myself and assist with the coping process. I'm also considering upgrading to the yearly premium. Hoping to see more great things to come!

by Siflyn

I have depression, GAD, ADHD, and borderline personality disorder. Pacifica helps with all of that and then some. Not only is being able to track my mood throughout the week incredibly helpful on its own, but the meditation and mindfulness activities have helped me a lot when it comes to dealing with stress and bringing me back down to earth when I’m upset or having a panic attack.

On top of all that, the community feature is spectacular. Knowing that I can quickly and easily talk with hundreds of other people who are going through similar issues helps to put my mind at ease. Sanvello is simply amazing.

The only issue I’ve had so far is that it doesn’t seem like it’s been updated for the iPhone XS Max yet. Closing windows can be hard because it places the ‘X’ way up in the corner behind my battery monitor. Some of the other windows act weird on this phone too, but nothing too bad. Hopefully this gets updated soon so it’ll be perfect!

by Chgo129366

I’m not usually compelled by guided programs, but I’m off to a great start. This is highly professional and polished, allowing lots and lots of flexibility and different types stimuli. Allows places for free-flow and guided-response journaling and sharing (chatting) with others in several topical community areas. I like the music and relaxation imageries, even though I’m not typically one to be guided, it works well for now, although I usually appreciate shorter text-based programs. One thing that confuses me, maybe I just haven’t quite figured it out: the reminder notifications allow me to journal my current moods. Not sure these are random, and not sure where that journaling is saved. And the daily page is also unclear when I’m to do these different activities or where they are saved.
I need more clarity on how I see my progress. For now, I’m highly impressed by the content — and Thanks to the publishers for that — even though the process isn’t totally clear to me yet.

by Lucy, Proud LDS

Don’t be put off by the fact that this contains in-app purchases. The most helpful features are free.
One of my favorite things about Sanvello is the option to track various health habits alongside my mood. It helps to look back on my personal record and make connections. For example: “oh, I exercised every day for a week and it improved my mood” or “I didn’t sleep well that night; that must’ve been why I had such a bad day.”
Also: I suffer from bipolar depression, so there’s a cyclical nature to my depressive periods. When I use the mood tracker frequently, I am able to notice patterns. In my experience, I’ve noticed that, on average, my worst slumps last around five days. When I use the mood tracker, I’m able to recognize how much longer the period of depression will last (i.e., “I’ve been really numb for the past four days, so I’ll most likely feel better in a day or two”).
All in all, this is a great app for anyone, especially those suffering from an anxiety or mood disorder.

by Brooke Stump

Sanvello is a one stop shop! It offers so many helpful techniques for people with all different mental disorders. I am a person who has a lot of anxious tendencies, and I found Sanvello helped to calm both my thoughts and my breathing. For people that suffer from anxiety disorders, Sanvello offers a deep breathing exercise like I learned in my PYS250 class. This technique prevents one from having an anxiety attack/eases one while having an anxiety attack. To perform the breathing exercise simply count to 4 while slowly breathing in, hold your breath for a moment, and then slowly breath out to 4. This exercise should last for 2 minutes. Slowing one’s breathing allows the parasympathetic nervous system to be activated, calming the body. Another technique Sanvello uses is in vivo exposure for those with social anxiety. It has one imagine a social situation that makes them anxious but then walks them through the process of imagining a positive outcome to that situation. I am so glad I was able to find Sanvello and take advantage of all it has to offer!

by HEISMYREASON3012

I Came Across Sanvello While Reading a Magazine About Tools To Help Anxiety/Depression And Decided To D/L It As I Suffer From Depression, Anxiety, Mental, Emotional And Physical Abuse. I Never Used It Until Just Recently And Let Me Just Say... This Has Been My Saving Grace. WHY Did I Wait So Long To Explore What It Has To Offer??? When I Saw That I Can Actually Express How I Am Feeling With Their Words And Then Write About What It Is That Is Going On In My Thoughts Or With My Moods, I Became Hooked. I Am a Person That Can’t Verbalize My Internal Emotions. It’s Difficult For Me To Open Up And Let Anyone In Because I Am Always Judged And For Those NOT Going Through These Afflictions, It’s Easy To Give “Advice” That They Themselves Would Never Use. I Just Can’t Take Anymore Mental And Emotional Abuse. Being Able To Come Here And Truly Express The Things That Hurt And Haunt Me... Without Judgement... Has Been Healing To Me. I Thank Those That Created Sanvello And Praise Your Daily “Gift” Of Using a Premium Selection Because People Like Me That Are In Difficult Situations And Have No Financial Resources, It’s Such a Godsend That Otherwise Wouldn’t Be Possible. You Have Given Me & Others Like Me, A Ray Of Hope For Peace... Thank You...

by Makeup B

Sanvello is amazing if you want to be able to track your mood and habits in one place, learn new skills for your mental health, meditate, and vent. It really is an all in one app for me. I can’t afford therapy so this is so incredibly helpful with learning CBT and it’s almost like a game- you get to see your progress and you have levels. With your mental health, you can’t see how much you’ve progressed and how much you’ve grown, but with it all in Sanvello , you can see how you’ve changed and all the things you’ve done and it makes you feel so good about yourself.

For some improvements, I think the hope board would be great with some tags or maybe having the pictures in a different layout since it’s all on one page and then it’s more difficult to see. Also, you can have different tags for different situations you need hope for. Like, school stress motivation would be different from social anxiety motivation, you know? In the thoughts when you have to then highlight the thoughts and label them, it would be helpful to see them while you label since sometimes I forget what I actually said lol. But that’s just nit picky.

by Ingsmusic

I've been using Sanvello for about a week now. It has several tools for managing mental health- I feel like a lot of mental health is noticing patterns, and Sanvello is really good for that- you can log exercise, meals, family time, and other habits (both good and bad), there is a place to log your mood (which is made of three parts, you describe your mood on a good-to-bad wheel, and then you can optionally both tag words to describe your mood, and write out accompanying thoughts, which is good depending on if you do/don't have much time). I am recommending this to everyone I love who struggles with managing mental health. They have a lot of good, bite-sized meditations too. There's more tools than what I've described (thought exercises) but they are very elegantly laid out so it's not cluttering or overwhelming. A lot of CBT-style thought management, creates some good mental patterns for examining thoughts and not letting them spiral out of control- A very useful tool for someone who struggles with depression and anxiety. I am very grateful to the creators of Sanvello. Cool that you can sync it to your therapist too so they have ability to see how you did over the week (caus it can graph your data over time). Thank you Pacifica.

by No Name Annoymous

Going to give this a shot because suffer with both disorders. Trying to get healthy and comfortable in my own life, every day stressors and things to do. Have an app productive helps with reminders and keeping me on track have a very busy life. I’m a student getting a bachelors degree in college, mother of 5, and CNA as well then recently remarried today’s our 2nd month Anniversary and thinking it’s going to get even better every day the new life I’m creating for myself and this family. Think absolutely Sanvello will help me get and keep my life going in a good way. Not mention help me achieve good grades and happiness for myself more in such a fast paced life I’m living in at the moment. Saw Sanvello has a way to Coach me to breath more often like my watch says and the activity app but, also help me break a moment to get or take that breath and exhale it and repeat a few times then back to the races again. I’m going to try the free app first and then, see if I purchase the premium version like I read in the review. Having a chat group and all sorts of other features especially updates and updating app to improve and help Sanvello user fighting depression and anxiety disorders that’s amazing and very admirable to help keep up the fight with all of us and helping us possibly find a way to end these fights for each of us who have these disorders.

by Pharagill

I’ve been using Sanvello for the better part of a week, which isn’t too long in the big picture, but from what I can tell by this point is that this is the best app for coping with depression to be found. I already feel a difference with my condition after using Pacifica.

What sets Sanvello apart from others is that it doesn’t just analyze your thoughts or feelings, but is proactive and helps you move in the direction of healing. There’s much more focus on hope and not just how bad things feel. I’ve been more inspired to make progress since using this. There’s a lot of content to work with on the interface, which I found a little overwhelming at first, but it’s manageable after some learning.

Some features are locked for the premium members, but they’re more of the bells and whistles - you’ll still have access to the most important tools of what you need to get on a better path with the basic account. The prices for upgrading are a little daunting if you don’t have much extra money, but I do understand when comparing to the cost of meds/therapy. There’s obviously a lot of continuous effort put in here from the makers, and I plan to upgrade if I end up using this for the long term, to support them. I’ve been in a really bad place lately and having some form of help that’s working means a whole lot.

So, if you’re having issues with depression or anxiety, absolutely give Sanvello a try!

by BumbleBee :D

I struggle a lot with trying to help myself be the best that I can be, often with both my mental and physical health, and I've always tried a lot of apps seeing if I could find one that really works for me so I can improve myself and also attempt to track my mood and better understand my feelings. I saw a promotion for Sanvello under an article by Sanvello store and it looked interesting to me compared to all the other apps so I thought I'd give it a try. To this day I am very thankful of myself that I did try it because it has helped me become better aware of my health habits, taught me a bit on how to meditate, gives me a place where I can put inspirational thoughts down to help keep me going, write down all my goals, and so much more. I'd say if you're struggling with any kind of anxiety, maybe even depression, or really just you want to better yourself, give Sanvello a try and I think you'll be a bit suprised.

by Admiral Holdo's Fathiers

I've tried quite a few mental health apps, but this one has by far been the most helpful. It's been great to use it alongside going to therapy. I like that it breaks things down into simply steps and never makes you feel like you're on your own. one step at a time. The Hope board is probably my favorite part- I've added pictures, quotes, and reminders that I can now easily access to help calm myself during times of anxiety or sadness. And the reminders you can have Sanvello give you to check in with yourself help me as well.

A few small notes- I hardly use the health goals portion of Sanvello because for some reason the sliders don't really appeal to me and are slightly confusing. I also find that sometimes the background color changes to a light grey for some reason, making the white words difficult to read.

Also I'm really pleased about the new podcast!