Otti vs How We Feel: an emotion journal and a self-care pet, compared
How We Feel helps you put a precise name to what you feel, and it’s completely free, made by a nonprofit. Otti is a different kind of app: a self-care pet with a simple mood journal. They do quite different jobs, so here’s who each one suits.
Updated October 20, 2026 · By the Otti team (yes, we make Otti, so read with that in mind)
Choose How We Feel if…
- You want to understand your emotions in depth and find the exact word for what you feel.
- You want something completely free, from a nonprofit, with no ads.
- You’d like to see patterns alongside your health, the weather and how your body feels.
- You want to share check-ins with a friend or partner and reply to each other.
- You’re 18 or older, as its terms require.
Choose Otti if…
- You want a little companion to care for, tamagotchi-style, that never gets sick or dies.
- A detailed emotion check-in feels like a lot some days, and five moods and a note is enough.
- You’d like tiny self-care steps and a story that grows with you, not just a journal.
- You like the idea of breathing slowly with your otter as it floats down the river.
- You want friends to cheer you on without sharing anything you wrote.
At a glance
| Feature | Otti | How We Feel |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | OttiA cozy self-care pet: tiny daily steps help your otter grow up on a journey down the river | How We FeelA science-based emotion journal: check in, find the precise word for what you feel on a colour-coded mood meter, and learn strategies to regulate emotions |
| Pet or character | OttiYes. Hatch one of six 3D otters, each with its own look and personality, and care for it tamagotchi-style (feeding, naps, baths, play) | How We FeelNo. It’s an emotion journal, with no pet or character |
| Missing a day | OttiYour otter may get hungry or sleepy, but never sick, and it never dies. A day count restarts, but growth and story progress never reset | How We FeelNo pet to look after. A day streak shows how often you check in; its team says notifications aren’t used to push behaviour. Adding missed check-ins later is still being tested |
| Price (US) | OttiFree during the beta. Pricing will be announced before launch | How We FeelCompletely free. No in-app purchases and no ads; funded by donations to the nonprofit |
| Mood tracking | OttiDaily mood check-in (five moods) with a note, and a week view | How We FeelEmotion check-ins on a mood meter, with tags, text, photos and voice memos; health, weather and body context; pattern charts; optional AI Reflect and Weekly Review |
| Breathing and calm | OttiFloat with your otter: calm 4-6 breathing for 1, 3 or 5 minutes | How We FeelShort video strategies for working with your emotions |
| Friends | OttiOptional Raft: friends’ otters hold paws, send cheers and small gifts. No chat, no public profiles | How We FeelAdd friends by link or code, choose how much of a check-in to share; friends can react and reply. Needs an account |
| Privacy | OttiJournal and mood check-ins stay on your phone. No ads, no selling data. No account needed to start | How We FeelAccount optional; without one, data stays on the device. Doesn’t sell personal information; sharing anonymised data with researchers is opt-in. AI features send check-in text to OpenAI. App Store label: no tracking |
| Platforms | OttiiPhone and Android (in beta) | How We FeeliPhone (plus Apple Vision) and Android. No iPad, Watch or web app |
| Store ratings (US) | OttiNew: in beta, not rated yet | How We FeelApp Store 4.9 (about 30K ratings), Editors’ Choice. Google Play 4.2 (4.32K reviews, 500K+ downloads) |
What How We Feel does well
How We Feel is made by The How We Feel Project, Inc., a San Francisco nonprofit founded in 2020, with a science team led by Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. You check in, place your feeling on a colour-coded mood meter and find the exact word for it, then add tags, text, photos or voice memos. Over time it shows patterns alongside health, weather and body sensations, and it offers short video strategies for working with your emotions. There are optional AI features (Reflect and a Weekly Review) and a way to share check-ins with friends. It’s free, with no ads, and funded by donations. Its terms say users must be at least 18.
- It’s completely free. There are no in-app purchases on either store and no ads; the nonprofit is funded by donations.
- A rich emotion vocabulary. The colour-coded mood meter helps you find the precise word for what you feel, and reviewers say therapists recommend it.
- Science behind it, from a team led by Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence.
- Context and patterns: health, weather and body sensations alongside your check-ins, pattern charts, and short video strategies for working with your emotions.
- A calm, low-pressure feel. Its team says features aren’t designed to drive unnecessary use, and notifications aren’t used to push behaviour.
- Sharing on your terms: add friends or a partner by link or code, choose how much of a check-in to share, and they can react and reply.
- Ratings to match: 4.9 stars from about 30,000 ratings on the US App Store, where it’s an Editors’ Choice, and 4.2 stars with 500K+ downloads on Google Play.
How Otti is different
- Otti is a pet first. You hatch one of six 3D otters (curious, silly, brave, gentle, cozy or dreamy) and care for it tamagotchi-style: feeding, naps, bubble baths and play. You can tap its head, rub its belly or squish its cheeks. It never gets sick and never dies.
- Self-care comes in tiny steps picked from a list of 16, like drinking water, stepping outside or naming one feeling. After three steps in a day, a clam opens with a little treasure.
- A story it grows up in: care days move your otter from pup to grown-up and down the river through six chapters, with an evening story to unlock on days you take care of yourself.
- Breathing instead of video strategies: float down the river with your otter doing calm 4-6 breathing for 1, 3 or 5 minutes.
- Otti’s mood journal is much simpler: five moods and a note each day, and a week view. There’s no mood meter or emotion vocabulary, no tags, photos or voice memos, no health or weather context and no AI.
- Friends work differently. In Otti’s optional Raft, friends’ otters hold paws and you can send cheers and small gifts, but there’s no chat, and your journal is never shared: only your otter’s name and kind, your day count and today’s step count.
- Otti is new and in beta. It’s free during the beta and its pricing will be announced before launch, while How We Feel is completely free today.
Pricing
How We Feel is completely free. There are no in-app purchases on either store and no ads. It’s run by a nonprofit and funded by donations, and one reviewer mentions occasional prompts to donate.
Otti is in beta and free to try. Pebbles, the currency for outfits and treats, are only earned through self-care and can’t be bought. We’ll share full pricing before launch.
Missing a day
How We Feel has no pet, so nothing is waiting on you. It does show a day streak, which its newsletter describes as a way to see how often you check in, and its team says features aren’t designed to drive unnecessary use and notifications aren’t used to push behaviour. Since the 2026 redesign, your current streak sits on the Today screen. You can’t add missed check-ins later yet, but a way to do that is being tested.
In Otti, your otter can get hungry, sleepy or a bit messy if you’ve been away, but it never gets sick, never dies and is always happy to see you. Its growth and story progress never reset. There is a simple day count, but nothing is taken away when it restarts.
Sources
Facts about How We Feel come from its own website, app store listings and help pages, checked on October 20, 2026. Prices and features change, so check the app store for the latest. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@ottiapp.com and we’ll fix it.
- How We Feel website
- How We Feel on the US App Store
- How We Feel on Google Play
- How We Feel privacy policy
- How We Feel terms of service
- How We Feel newsletter (June 2023)
- How We Feel newsletter (July 2026)
- Donate to How We Feel
How We Feel is a trademark of its owner. Otti isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by The How We Feel Project.
Questions people ask
Is How We Feel free?
Yes, completely. There are no in-app purchases and no ads on either store (checked October 2026). It’s made by a nonprofit, The How We Feel Project, and funded by donations.
Is Otti a How We Feel alternative?
Not as a replacement. How We Feel is a detailed emotion journal with a large vocabulary of feelings and science-based strategies. Otti is a self-care pet with a much simpler mood journal. They do different jobs, so if naming your emotions precisely is what you want, How We Feel is the better fit.
Does How We Feel need an account?
No. Without an account, your data stays on your device, but you need one to add friends. Otti doesn’t need an account to start either; its optional Raft of friends uses an anonymous one.
Daylio vs How We Feel: what’s the difference?
Both are mood trackers. Daylio is a quick “micro-diary”: tap a mood and some activities and see stats over months and years, with a free version and optional Premium. How We Feel focuses on naming emotions precisely, with video strategies and sharing with friends, and it’s completely free. Otti is different from both: a self-care pet with a simple mood journal.
Does How We Feel use AI?
Only if you choose to. Reflect and the Weekly Review are optional AI features powered by OpenAI, and they send your check-in text to OpenAI. The rest of the app works without them.
Can I use Otti and How We Feel together?
Of course. Some people may like How We Feel for understanding their emotions and Otti for gentle daily self-care. If two apps start to feel like a chore, pick the one you look forward to opening.