Reveri vs Nerva: two hypnotherapy apps for different jobs, and what happened to Mindset

The short answer

	Nerva	Reveri
Made by	Mindset Health	Reveri Health
Built for	Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)	Stress, anxiety, sleep, pain, focus, habits (smoking, vaping, overeating)
Format	Six-week program, about 15 minutes a day, 42 sessions	Library of sessions, interactive, guided by “Dr. Spiegel’s AI”
Method	Gut-directed hypnotherapy based on Monash University’s protocol	Self-hypnosis based on Dr. David Spiegel’s method, starting with a hypnotizability test
Best evidence for the app itself	Randomized controlled trial (240 adults, 2025)	Large observational study without a control group (84,395 users, 2025)
Website price (Oct 26, 2026)	US$199 for 12 months; US$149.25 with a clinician referral; 7-day free trial	US$44.95 a month, US$149.99 a year, or US$449 lifetime; 7-day free trial
US App Store price (Oct 26, 2026)	US$99 monthly, US$149 for three months, US$199 full access	US$24.99 a month or US$99.99 a year, among other listed options

Prices are from the Nerva website, Reveri’s pricing page, and the US App Store listings for Nerva and Reveri. App Store and website prices differ noticeably for both, so compare before you pay.

Nerva: a focused IBS program with strong evidence

Nerva does one thing. It delivers gut-directed hypnotherapy, a form of hypnotherapy that uses relaxation and suggestions focused on how the gut feels and functions, over six weeks of short daily sessions. It is based on work at Monash University in Australia, where a randomized trial of 74 people with IBS found gut-directed hypnotherapy improved symptoms about as much as the low-FODMAP diet: 72 percent improved with hypnotherapy and 71 percent with the diet (Peters and colleagues, 2016).

The app itself has now been tested directly. In a randomized trial of 240 adults with IBS, 81 percent of people using Nerva had a clinically meaningful drop in symptom scores by the end of the program, compared with 63 percent using a matched digital program without hypnotherapy. A 30 percent reduction in pain was reported by 71 percent versus 35 percent (Anderson and colleagues, 2025). That is unusually strong evidence for a consumer app.

Two caveats. First, a real-world analysis of about 15,000 Nerva users, funded by Mindset Health, found that 31 percent kept going with the program (Simicich and colleagues, 2024), so finishing it is the hard part. Second, IBS should be diagnosed by a doctor, because its symptoms overlap with other conditions that need different care. Nerva is a complement to medical care, not a substitute for a diagnosis.

Reveri: general self-hypnosis with a hypnotizability test

Reveri is a broad self-hypnosis app. You begin with a short hypnotizability test that looks at your attention, eye movement, and hand response, and the result shapes how sessions work with you (Reveri FAQ). Sessions cover stress and anxiety, sleep, pain, focus, and habits like smoking, vaping, and overeating. They are interactive: an AI guide modeled on Dr. Spiegel asks you questions and adapts as you go.

Dr. Spiegel is a Stanford psychiatrist and one of the best-known hypnosis researchers, and the general method behind Reveri has a long research history. The evidence for the app itself is newer and weaker than Nerva’s. A 2025 study of 84,395 Reveri users found stress ratings dropped consistently from before to after each of the first ten sessions, with larger drops for interactive sessions and for more hypnotizable users (Tran and colleagues, 2025). It was observational, with no control group, so it shows that people feel less stressed after a session but not how much of that comes from the hypnosis rather than from taking a quiet break.

What happened to the Mindset app?

People still search for “top hypnotherapy apps: Reveri, Mindset, Nerva,” because Mindset Health’s general-purpose “Mindset” hypnotherapy app used to appear on those lists. As of October 26, 2026, it is not in the US App Store. Mindset Health now publishes condition-specific programs instead, including Nerva for IBS and Claria for anxiety (Mindset Health). If you used Mindset for general relaxation or confidence, Reveri is the closest well-known replacement.

How to choose

• You have diagnosed IBS: Nerva. It is the only one of the two built and tested for it.
• You want help with stress, sleep, or a habit like smoking: Reveri. Try the free trial and see whether its interactive style suits you.
• You are not sure how hypnotizable you are: Reveri’s test is a useful start. People vary, and hypnosis tends to work more strongly for some than others. Our guide to what hypnosis feels like explains why.
• You want the suggestions in your own words, about your own situation: neither app writes a session around your exact wording. That is where a creation app fits.

For a wider view of what app-delivered hypnosis can and cannot do, see do hypnosis apps work?.

Where Manai fits

Manai is not a hypnotherapy program and makes no claims about treating IBS or any condition. It is a personal practice app: you describe the situation, the suggestions you want to hear, and how you like to be guided, and Manai writes a self-hypnosis script around them, narrates it with the pauses you ask for, and saves it to replay. You can read and change the script before audio is made. That suits people who want “calm before I drive on the highway” or “letting go of the day before sleep” in their own words rather than a fixed library.

Original illustrative request, not a tested example:

Create a twelve-minute self-hypnosis recording for the evening, to help me let go of the workday before bed. Use a slow countdown from ten as the induction, then a staircase deepener. Three suggestions in second person, for example “You can leave the unfinished list on the desk until morning.” Pause after each. End by letting me drift to sleep without counting back up.

You can create a self-hypnosis practice in Manai on the free plan. Our Manai vs Reveri and Manai vs Nerva pages compare each app with Manai in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Reveri or Nerva?

They are built for different jobs. Nerva is better for IBS, with randomized-trial evidence for the app itself. Reveri is better for general self-hypnosis such as stress, sleep, or quitting smoking. Pick by what you need help with rather than by which app is “better.”

Is Nerva clinically proven?

A 2025 randomized trial of 240 adults with IBS found that 81 percent of Nerva users met the main symptom goal by the end of the program, compared with 63 percent using a similar digital program without hypnotherapy. That is strong evidence for a wellness app, though it does not replace a doctor’s diagnosis and care.

Does Reveri use AI?

Yes. Reveri’s sessions are now guided by an AI modeled on Dr. David Spiegel, which asks questions and adapts the session to your answers. Reveri also uses a short hypnotizability test at the start to tailor its approach.

Is the Mindset hypnotherapy app still available?

Not in the US App Store as of October 26, 2026. Mindset Health now offers condition-specific programs such as Nerva for IBS and Claria for anxiety rather than the earlier general hypnotherapy app.

Why are App Store and website prices different?

Both companies sell through their own websites and through Apple, and the offers differ. On the day we checked, Reveri’s App Store yearly plan was cheaper than its website plan, while Nerva’s App Store and website pricing were structured differently. Check both before subscribing.

Create your personal practice with Manai →