Sunnyside alternatives: 5 apps for moderation or quitting

Sunnyside occupies an unusual spot. It is a mindful drinking tracker, not a sobriety app: you set a plan for how much you want to drink, and text-based coaching helps you stick to it. For people who want to moderate rather than stop, that framing is refreshing, because most apps in this space assume abstinence.

Full disclosure: Sobermark is our app, so we are not neutral. We have tried to keep everything below fair, and we tell you when a rival is the better fit.

People leave Sunnyside from two different doors. Some like moderation but not the subscription, or not the coaching texts, and want a cheaper or quieter way to track. Others discover through moderation that moderation is not working for them, and decide to stop altogether, which calls for a different kind of app entirely. This list covers both doors, in that order.

1. Try Dry

Try Dry is the official Alcohol Change UK app, the charity behind Dry January, and it is free. You log your drinks, track dry days, units and money, and take on challenges like Dry January without waiting for January. As a moderation tool it is simple and honest: no coaching, no plan tuning, just a clear record of what you actually drank.

If Sunnyside's cost was the sticking point, this is the least painful move a UK drinker can make. You lose the personalised nudges and keep the tracking.

2. Drink Less

Drink Less comes from UCL researchers and is free, built as an evidence-based app for cutting down. Its exercises and feedback are drawn from behaviour change research rather than a commercial playbook, which makes it one of the most credible moderation tools available. At the time of writing it is iOS only, which decides the question for Android users.

Pick it if you want your moderation guided by evidence and you would rather not pay a subscription for the privilege.

3. Reframe

Reframe is a neuroscience-based programme for changing drinking habits, with daily course content on iOS and Android. It sits between moderation and sobriety: many people use it to cut down, others to stop. Where Sunnyside coaches you around a weekly plan, Reframe teaches you about the machinery behind the habit, one short lesson at a time.

It is subscription based, like Sunnyside, so this is a swap of approach rather than a saving. Check the store listing for current pricing. Choose it if what you actually wanted from coaching was understanding, not reminders.

4. Sobermark

Sobermark, our app, is for the second door: you have decided to stop. It is a private counter for Android, made in the UK by one developer, with no account and no sign up, and it makes not drinking visible. Days done, money saved, time reclaimed and units avoided, all worked out from your own numbers. Craving SOS tools (a breathing exercise and a ride-it-out timer) cover the hard moments, a journal with moods covers the rest, and Bern the sun bear keeps the tone kind. A slip resets the counter but never earns a scolding.

Core tracking is free; Sobermark Pro is £14.99 a year with a 7 day free trial, £2.99 a week, or £24.99 lifetime. Two honest caveats: there is no iOS version yet, and it is not a moderation app. It has no drink logging or weekly targets, because it is built around quitting outright.

5. I Am Sober

I Am Sober is the other strong option for a full stop, on both iOS and Android. Its daily pledge gives structure to each day and its large community means constant company from people at your exact milestone. Coming from Sunnyside, the coaching texts are replaced by peers, which some people find more sustaining than any programme.

It is the natural pick for iPhone users going sober, and for anyone who knows that accountability to other humans is what keeps them on track. Some features are subscription gated, so check the current listing.

Who should pick what

If moderation is working and you value the coaching, staying with Sunnyside is a perfectly good decision, and none of us should talk you out of a thing that is working. If you want moderation without the subscription, Try Dry (any UK drinker) and Drink Less (iPhone) are free and credible. If you want to understand your drinking rather than just count it, Reframe is the most substantial option here.

If you have concluded that the answer for you is none rather than fewer, move to a sobriety counter. I Am Sober if you want community or you are on iOS; Sobermark if you are on Android and want privacy, calm and craving tools rather than a crowd.

Common questions

Is moderation or abstinence better?

That depends on you, your history and sometimes your health, and it is genuinely not a question an app should answer. Many people try moderation first and learn something either way. If drinking is causing real harm, talk to a doctor about the safest route.

Can I use Sobermark for mindful drinking?

Not really, and we would rather say so plainly. Sobermark counts days since you stopped; it has no drink diary or weekly allowance. If your goal is cutting down, Try Dry, Drink Less or Sunnyside fit better.

Are there free alternatives to Sunnyside?

Yes. Try Dry and Drink Less are free, and the core tracking in Sobermark and I Am Sober is free too. Where rivals charge, we have avoided quoting figures because they change; check each store listing.

What if I switch to sobriety and then slip?

Counters reset, life continues. Sobermark deliberately avoids streak shaming: the number goes back to zero because that is the truth, but your journal and history stay, and Bern's tone never changes.