Which ADHD apps actually help adults?

The ADHD apps that help adults most are the ones aimed at the specific job that keeps going wrong: planning around your energy, sticking to routines, starting tasks, staying focused, or working alongside someone. This guide groups the apps people mention most by that job, including BALAY, the iPhone and Android app we make for adults with ADHD, and says plainly what each one does, where it runs and whether it is free, at the time of writing.

Written by Balay Tech Ltd. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.

What kind of ADHD app do you need?

ADHD apps tend to do one of six jobs. Most people need one or two of them, not all six.

ADHD apps by the job they do, at the time of writing
Job	Helps with	Apps in this guide
Planning around energy	Days that vary, and plans that break by lunchtime	BALAY, Lifestack, Structured
Routines	Mornings, evenings, and the steps you forget	Tiimo, Routinery
A CBT-style programme	Understanding your patterns and building skills	Inflow
Breaking tasks down	Tasks too big or too vague to start	Goblin Tools, Llama Life
Body doubling	Starting when you are on your own	Focusmate
Focus	Phones, tabs and other distractions	Forest, Focus Bear

We make BALAY, so we have a stake in this list. We have described every other app the way its makers do, and linked to where we checked. Nothing here is ranked.

Apps for planning around your energy

For days that vary. These start from how much you have in the tank, not just from what is due.

BALAY

A daily companion for adults with ADHD that plans around the energy you actually have. You check in with one of five states, Flat, Foggy, Steady, Charged or Manic, and your tasks reorder so the ones you can start today are at the top. The daily score only rises, and on a low-energy day rest counts. On a paid plan Sumi, the companion inside the app, can break a task into steps for you.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone, iOS 17 and later, and Android, 8.0 and later. Free option: yes, a Free plan that doesn’t expire, with Plus at £7.99 a month and Ultimate at £14.99 a month in the UK. US pricing coming soon. Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play. What’s in BALAY

Lifestack

An AI planner that reads your sleep, recovery and focus data, from Apple Health and wearables such as Oura, WHOOP and Garmin, and drafts a schedule that puts demanding work in the times it predicts your energy will be high. It connects to Google Calendar, Outlook, Todoist and Trello.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone, Apple Watch, Android, Mac and a Chrome extension. Free option: none; the annual plan has a 7-day free trial. Official site: lifestack.ai

Structured

A visual day planner that lays your tasks and calendar events on one timeline. Its Energy Monitor, built with the Dutch institute Breinstraat, lets you give each task an energy level and warns you when a day's plan goes over the limit you set. The Pro plan adds AI day planning and reschedules missed tasks for you.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Android and web. Free option: yes, with a paid Pro upgrade; the Energy Monitor is free. Official site: structured.app

Apps for routines

For the sequences that should run on their own and don't: getting up, getting out, winding down.

Tiimo

A visual planner with a colour-coded daily timeline, a focus timer, widgets, mood check-ins and an AI co-planner. Its App Store listing says it was co-designed with ADHD and autism experts, and it won iPhone App of the Year at the 2025 App Store Awards.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Mac and web. Free option: a free version on iPhone and Android, with a paid Pro plan (the web app is Pro only). Official site: tiimoapp.com

Routinery

A routine app that walks you through each step with a timer and voice alerts, so a morning or evening sequence runs without you having to decide what comes next.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. Free option: a free tier, with a paid Pro plan. Official site: routinery.app

A CBT-style programme

For understanding why things go wrong, not just organising around it.

Inflow

A self-guided programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) principles, developed with clinical psychologists according to its App Store listing. Short daily modules cover focus, time management, emotional regulation and more, alongside an AI companion, live coworking sessions and a community. Inflow describes itself as a support tool and educational programme, not a medical device.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone and Android. Free option: none; a 7-day free trial, then a subscription. Official site: getinflow.io

Apps that break tasks down

For the task that sits on the list for weeks because nobody has said what the first step is.

Goblin Tools

A set of small, single-purpose tools made with neurodivergent people in mind. The best known, Magic ToDo, breaks an overwhelming task into smaller steps. Others estimate how long something will take or turn a messy brain dump into a list. Its makers say the website will stay free, and the phone apps help pay for it.

At the time of writing. Platforms: web, iPhone and Android. Free option: the website is free; the phone apps have a small one-off price, and an optional Pro subscription adds syncing and history. Official site: goblin.tools

Llama Life

A task list that gives every task its own countdown timer, an approach it calls timeboxing, so you work through one thing at a time and can see what time the list will be finished.

At the time of writing. Platforms: web, iPhone and Android. Free option: none; a 7-day free trial, then a monthly or annual subscription. Official site: llamalife.co

Body doubling

Body doubling means working with someone else present, even over video. It is widely recommended in ADHD communities. We have not found strong published research on it, so think of it as something to try rather than something proven. Inflow, above, also runs live coworking sessions.

Focusmate

Pairs you with another person somewhere in the world who is also trying to get something done. You meet on a video call, say what you are working on, get on with it, and check in with each other at the end. It runs in a web browser, with nothing to download.

At the time of writing. Platforms: any web browser, on a computer or a phone. Free option: up to three sessions a week, with a paid plan for unlimited sessions. Official site: focusmate.com

Apps for focus and distraction

For when the phone, or the next tab, wins.

Forest

A focus timer that grows a virtual tree while you stay off your phone, and lets it wither if you leave early. It can also block apps you choose, during a session or on a schedule.

At the time of writing. Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android and browser extensions. Free option: yes, with a paid Forest Plus. Official site: forestapp.cc

Focus Bear

Blocks distracting apps and sites, and guides you through morning and evening routines one step at a time. Its App Store listing says it was started by a late-diagnosed founder and that the team is largely neurodivergent.

At the time of writing. Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android. Free option: basic features, after a 7-day trial of the full version. Official site: focusbear.io

ADHD support where you are

These are not apps, but they are where you are most likely to find reliable information and support. We have described each organisation the way it describes itself.

In the United States

ADDitude. ADDitude is a magazine and website on ADHD science and everyday strategies. It publishes free webinars, podcasts and guides, and a directory of ADHD professionals.
CHADD. CHADD is a nonprofit for people affected by ADHD. It runs the National Resource Center on ADHD, a directory of professionals, and an online support community for adults.
ADDA. The Attention Deficit Disorder Association works only with adults with ADHD, and runs virtual peer support groups, some of them for members.

In the UK and Ireland

The NHS. The NHS page on ADHD in adults says to see a GP if symptoms are affecting your studies, work or relationships, and warns that waits for specialist services can run to months or years.^[1]
Right to Choose. In England you have a legal right to choose which NHS provider does your ADHD assessment, although some local NHS bodies have added restrictions. The charity ADHD UK explains how it works.^[2]
ADHD UK. ADHD UK, a charity run by people with ADHD, runs free online peer support groups.
ADHD Ireland. In Ireland, ADHD Ireland, a national charity, runs a helpline and support groups for adults, online and in person.
NHS app lists. Some NHS trusts publish their own lists of ADHD-friendly apps. One trust's resource pack (PDF), for example, includes Forest and Todoist.

In Canada and Australia

In Canada, CADDAC, a national ADHD charity, runs education programmes and peer support groups for adults. In Australia, ADHD Australia publishes information and lived-experience stories for adults with ADHD.

How do I choose an ADHD app?

Three questions do most of the work.

Which job keeps going wrong? Choose for that, not for the longest feature list. An app that does the one job you need beats one that does ten you don't.
Will you open it on a bad day? Most apps are easy on a good day. Try it on a flat or foggy one before you pay, because that is the day it has to work.
What happens when you stop paying? Some free plans are real plans and some are trials with a clock on them. Check before you build your routines inside one, and check you can take your data with you.

And one to ask of any app, including ours: is it honest about what it can do? These are wellness and productivity tools. None of them is a substitute for clinical care, however it is described.

Wellness insight, not medical advice. Check with a professional for anything health-related.

Questions people ask

There isn’t one best app, because ADHD shows up differently in different people. Start with the job that keeps going wrong, whether that is planning, routines, starting tasks, focus or working alone, and try the free version of one app for that job for a couple of weeks before paying for anything.

Several have an option you can keep using without paying, at the time of writing: BALAY’s Free plan, Structured’s free features, Tiimo’s free version, Routinery’s free tier, three Focusmate sessions a week, Forest, and the Goblin Tools website. Inflow, Lifestack, Llama Life and Sunsama offer a free trial and then need a subscription.

BALAY, Tiimo, Structured, Routinery, Inflow, Lifestack, Llama Life, Forest, Focus Bear and the Goblin Tools app all have Android versions at the time of writing; BALAY’s needs Android 8.0 or later. Focusmate runs in a browser, so it works on any phone.

An app is a different kind of thing. The apps in this guide are wellness and productivity tools, and none of them is a substitute for clinical care; BALAY and Inflow both say so in their own words. For medication or therapy, talk to your doctor or specialist.

Plenty of people do, but every extra app is one more thing to open on a bad day. Start with one app for the job that goes wrong most often, and add a second only if a different job keeps going wrong too. A focus timer or a body doubling session sits alongside a planner more easily than two planners do.

Sources

NHS (2025). ADHD in adults. nhs.uk, page last reviewed 19 March 2025. www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults
ADHD UK. Right to Choose. ADHD UK, accessed 26 September 2026. adhduk.co.uk/right-to-choose

Not medical advice

This guide is general information from the team that makes BALAY. It is not a substitute for talking to your doctor or specialist.

BALAY is a wellness app, not a medical one. It doesn’t diagnose, treat, or measure any condition. For anything health-related, please speak to a professional.