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FocusQuestion
What makes a good brain training app?
Short answer
A good brain training app has games you enjoy across several skills, difficulty that adjusts as you improve, short sessions that fit your day, clear prices with a usable free tier, and a readable privacy policy. It should also be honest: research supports getting better at the games themselves, not sweeping claims about intelligence or health.
Wits teamPublished · Updated
We make Wits. Facts about other apps come from their own sites and App Store listings, checked November 7, 2026. No ratings or scores.
Games you enjoy
Start with the games themselves. Youâll only keep playing an app you like, and research on brain training finds that people mostly get better at the specific games they practice. If the games feel like homework in the first week, theyâre unlikely to feel better in the tenth.
Variety across skills
A good app mixes several kinds of thinking: logic, words, numbers, memory, attention and, ideally, general knowledge. Variety keeps things interesting and means youâre not repeating one task forever. Look at the game list before you sign up and check that it covers the skills you care about.
Difficulty that keeps up with you
Games should start easy and get harder as you improve, through levels, faster rounds or new rules. Too easy is boring and too hard is discouraging. Clear feedback, like seeing which answer was right, helps you learn how a game works instead of guessing.
Sessions that fit a real day
Most people play in small gaps: a coffee, a commute, a few minutes before bed. Rounds of a minute or two, and a daily routine you can finish in 5 to 15 minutes, are easier to keep up than long sessions. Being able to choose how long you play each day is a plus.
Clear prices and a real free tier
Check whatâs free before you start, and what it costs to upgrade. A good app tells you plainly how many games you get for free, the price of each plan, when a trial starts charging and how to cancel.
Free tiers vary a lot. Elevateâs includes one three-game workout a day, a game of the week and basic tracking. Impulse is free with ads. Wits Basic gives you Dot Path, Sort It, Word Wheel, Speed Math, Card Pairs and Color Clash in the iPhone app, and on the web a free Wits account plays Dot Path, Color Clash and Word Code (Word Code is Premium in the app).
Privacy you can read
Look for a privacy page in plain language that lists what the app stores, such as your email and your progress, and says whether it shows ads. You shouldnât need to hand over much more than an email address to play.
Honest claims
Be skeptical of apps that promise sweeping benefits. A large 2016 review of brain training research, led by Daniel Simons, found extensive evidence that people improve on the trained tasks, less evidence for closely related tasks and little evidence for everyday cognitive performance.
An honest app describes its games as games. It tells you what youâll practice and lets you judge the rest by playing, without claiming to make you smarter or to protect your health.
A quick checklist
Nine things to check before you commit to an app:
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Fun | You want to open it again tomorrow |
| Variety | Several skills, not one task on repeat |
| Difficulty | Levels that rise as you improve |
| Session length | Rounds of a minute or two, and a daily length you can choose |
| Free tier | A clear list of whatâs free |
| Pricing | Every planâs price, any trial length, and how to cancel |
| Devices | The phone, tablet, watch or browser youâll actually use |
| Privacy | A readable page listing whatâs stored |
| Claims | Descriptions of games, not promises about your brain |
How Wits lines up
We make Wits, so take this as our own description. Wits has 43 games across six skills, including general knowledge. In the iPhone app, one-minute lessons explain an idea before a game uses it, and you choose 5, 10 or 20 minutes a day. Wits Basic is free in the iPhone app and on the web. In the app: Dot Path, Sort It, Word Wheel, Speed Math, Card Pairs and Color Clash, plus daily trivia. On the web, a free Wits account plays Dot Path, Color Clash and Word Code (Word Code is Premium in the app). In the iPhone app, Premium unlocks every game and lesson for $39.99 a year with 3 days free for new subscribers, or $6.99 a week. It makes no claims about brain health, memory or mood.
Follow-up questions
Should I pay for a brain training app?
Only once you know you enjoy it. Use the free tier or a trial first, check the price of each plan and how to cancel, then decide whether the extra games are worth it to you.
How can I tell if a brain training appâs claims are true?
Look for specifics you can check: what the games are, whatâs free and what it costs. Be wary of promises about intelligence or health; research reviews have found little evidence that brain games make everyday thinking easier.
Is a free trial worth it?
Itâs a good way to see the full app, as long as you note when it ends. Trials usually turn into a paid plan automatically unless you cancel first; the 3-day trial on Wits Yearly, for new subscribers, works that way.