I Tested the Best Apps for Building Intimacy—These Are My Honest Thoughts
We’re all familiar with the adage there’s an app for that—and there’s plenty of proof that it rings true. You can download everything from productivity-boosting apps to journaling-made-easy solutions to even apps that help you cut down on screen time (a bit of a paradox, if you ask me). But intimacy apps? Revolutionary.
Revolutionary, but real—and they’re here to help you completely up-level not only your sex life, but the relationship you have with intimacy in every single sense of the word. To familiarize myself with what’s out there and provide a (well-tested) review of the best intimacy apps, I took a deep dive into three separate apps. Each are centered around the act of hanky panky and have all been developed to improve things like sex, desire, sex education, and relationship communication. After my experience, I can confirm with confidence: Yes, there’s definitely an app for that.
Feature image by Chelsea Francis.
Image by Michelle Nash
Why do we need intimacy apps?
Historically, hiccups within our sex lives or relationship dynamics surrounding sex often went unaddressed. This left sexual needs frustratingly unmet and one or both partners feeling sexually or emotionally unheard. These are big-hitter issues that can lead to relationships ending or becoming sexually stagnant.
But in 2022, what was once taboo, too intimidating to bring up, or maybe not even on our radar, is now integrated into an app. Intimacy apps are designed to make talking about and working on our sex lives approachable, educational, and reassuringly normal. Cue the Salt-N-Pepa—let’s talk about sex!
A Few Honest Thoughts
I was so impressed, surprised, and frankly—as a women’s health and sex education nerd—delighted to see the abundance of information and support that’s now so easily accessible. These apps are paving the way for so many topics around sexuality and sex to be given the spotlight they deserve. They’re making strides in normalizing speaking about and meeting challenging subjects with compassion, kindness, and empathy.
I downloaded a dozen or so apps, learned some surprisingly steamy and wild things (the world of kinks never fails to leave me slack-jawed). After sorting through them all, I landed on my top three favorites *plus a bonus app* to share today. From mild to wild, let’s dig in.
Image by Michelle Nash
The Best Intimacy Apps for Every Relationship
Best for Building Connection: Coral
Developed in 2019 and backed by a host of seriously impressive experts in sexual health and wellness, Coral focuses on evidence-based methods of improving sex lives and connection. In 2021, the app launched a feature called “couples connect” that hosts in-app secure messaging with daily prompts to encourage you and your partner to embrace flirtation and open sexual communication. The app also offers anonymous or private opportunities to ask experts specific question or troubleshoot challenges you’re working through.
Key Highlights
Step-by-step lessons on topics like connection, feeling confident during sex, and learning to get out of your head and embrace pleasure.Sexy playlists.Curated weekly exercises, such as learning to create space for sex.Games designed for couples or solo play.Mindfulness practices geared toward building eroticism and getting in the mood.Game-changing sex tips.Brief audio sexual health lessons.
Pros
Coral offers TONS of content and is mindful of supporting diverse experiences. I loved the emphasis on practicing ways of connecting deeper not only with your partner or partners, but also with yourself.
Cons
There’s loads of free content on the app, but it does come with a bit of a price tag: $60 annually. Broken down though, for $5 a month you’ll get an experience that’s akin to sex therapy in an app. In my opinion, absolutely worth it.
Image by Michelle Nash
Best for Addressing Sexual Wellness, Therapy, and Education: Rosy
What started as an app designed to support women with a low sex drive has transformed into a community-based platform where women can connect over a broad swath of sexual wellness concerns. The wellness plans and general structure of the app are intended to educate, empower, and give you sexy content for boosting desire.
The Dallas-based founder is an OB/GYN who was perplexed by the idea that there was plenty of treatment offered to men with low sexual drive. But for women, there were few resources, training, or education options available. Rosy is a go-to for anyone looking to address sexual dysfunction or hiccup you may be experiencing. From physical to mental to the emotional components of sex, Rosy offers space and support for it all.
Key Highlights
Educational videos on topics like over-the-counter medications to erotica and more.Audio-based erotic short stories to get you in the mood.Community discussion boards where you can connect, share, and learn from others using the app.Access to personal or small group coaching sessions addressing topics such as juggling it all and taking the shame out of self-pleasure.
Pros
You start your experience with Rosy by taking a quiz and providing information on what you’re looking to accomplish. After that, the app sets you up with personalized wellness plans, plenty of audio content to get you feeling sexy, and access to community forums and coaching. Rosy takes a medical and therapeutic approach to sexual wellness concerns that, in my opinion, is desperately needed. It’s doing so much in terms of widening access to these resources, and it’s all done in a way that’s engaging and safe.
Cons
There’s less content available on Rosy than on the Coral app. With that too, my initial impressions found it to be pretty female-centric and focusing on male/female or female/female relationships with less space or visibility for other folx. The app does offer *some* free content, but the majority is behind a pay wall.
Payment plans offer access to the app for either $24.99 or $74.99 to receive various levels of content. This is followed by a $49.99 or $149.99 monthly fee depending on whether you’re opting for the gold or platinum membership. IMO, pretty pricey, but the more expensive platinum plan does include two group coaching sessions and personal coaching sessions each month. It may be helpful to think of this as a therapy bill, because the content is truly medicine for whatever you’re dealing with.
Image by Belathée Photography
Best for Sexy, Flirty Fun: Kindu
This app is light and easy to use. It aims to encourage intimacy, increase play, and get you and your partner thinking about sex and proactive ways to spice up your sex life. Think Tinder meets truth or dare, but only you and your partner are swiping.
Here’s how it works: Create an account on the app and link up to your partner’s account. Toggle to the “den” section of the app where you can swipe through a number of content “decks.” You and your partner privately swipe through suggestive cards with ideas to enhance connection and pleasure. If you and your partner both swipe yes on the same card, it’ll show up in another tab labeled “matches.”
Essentially, the app provides sexy suggestions and ideas for things like having sex outside, experimenting with gentle bondage, or roleplaying. This offers a comfortable and pressure-free opportunity for you and your partner to connect on ideas you’re both intrigued by but may be too shy to discuss.
Key Highlights
Free to download, plus you’ll receive a daily deck of ideas for no extra cost.All content is relatively affordable compared to other apps.User-friendly design and experience.Offers creative ideas for new, varied ways of experiencing pleasure.Easy for both partners to use and connect.
Pros
Kindu offers a broad range of ideas from mildly experimental to the more risqué, satisfying all levels of interest and flavors of desire. It’s simple and easy to navigate and lets you go back to access matched cards or archive cards to return to later. It’s great for couples who want to play, have fun, and keep things light.
Cons
Some of the ideas and decks might be a little intense for some couples. While it helps you step outside of your comfort zone, it may be a lot to take in initially. This app also doesn’t focus on therapy or wellness. Instead, it’s a pretty basic tool and resource for light and easy fun. If you are looking for more therapy-based work, I’d recommend opting for one of the other intimacy apps instead.
Image by Michelle Nash
Bonus! Best for Advice and No-Judgement Support: Okayso
A quick nod to this amazing resource! Okayso is beyond helpful for teens, young adults, or anyone who wants to ask questions in a judgement-free, chat-style space that is WAY more reliable and vetted than Google. When you log in to Okayso, you’ll find a list of subtopics to choose from depending on the question you want to ask.
The app offers insights from a number of experts in each topic. This way, users can ask specific questions about sex, sexuality, sexually-transmitted infections, sexual wellness, relationships, and so many others. From what I can tell, this app is run by volunteers who are sexual health and wellness experts, students in sex therapy or sexual work, and who have an invested interest in helping others.
I tested it out with a basic sex question and got an amazing response that was thoughtful, open-minded and safe. Don’t hesitate to download this one when you have questions you can’t ask anyone else or are too scared to bring up. I feel confident the experts will give you great answers and/or point you in the direction of helpful resources to address whatever it is that’s coming up for you.
Key Highlights
Expert-based deep dives into a range of sexual health and wellness topics.Information speaks to a diverse range of resources, offering something for everyone.An open-minded, inclusive tone and approach.A safe platform where users can feel comfortable asking questions and accessing information.
Happy app-browsing! Like most tough things in life, relationships, self-discovery and growing more comfortable with yourself are all things that take time and energy. I’m convinced, however, that the resources available now are better than ever—and we’re only just getting started. It’s a good time to be a consenting, sexual person!
Originally found on Camille Styles Read More
