Tools · Dry January 2027
The best Dry January apps and trackers, honestly compared
A tracker sounds like a small thing. But in one large study, people who used the official Dry January app, website or emails were about twice as likely to get through the month without a drink. Here are the main options, free and paid, and how to choose.
Photo is illustrative, not from a past month. Credits.
Quick answer. The official Dry January app is Try Dry, from the charity Alcohol Change UK: free, no adverts, and it tracks dry days, units, calories and money saved. NHS Drink Free Days is a free, simpler app with no sign-up that stores data on your phone. I Am Sober is a free day counter with optional paid extras. Sunnyside and Reframe are paid coaching apps aimed at drinking less. Prefer no app? A printed 31-day checklist works too.
Most of us already have too many apps. So why add one in January? Because the research suggests it helps. In a University of Sussex study of Dry January 2019, people who used the charity's website, app or email support were twice as likely to complete the month without drinking. A tracker makes the invisible visible: the days stacking up, the money kept, the weekends survived.
I have looked at the main options as they stood in early November 2026. Prices and features change, so check the store listing before you pay for anything.
Please read this first. If you drink heavily or every day, or use other drugs daily, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you stop. The Quiet Month is not medical, not therapy and not rehab. In a crisis, call your local emergency number or find a free helpline at findahelpline.com. More in our questions.
The quick comparison
| App | Made by | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Try Dry | Alcohol Change UK (charity) | Free, no adverts | The official Dry January app: dry days, units, calories, money |
| NHS Drink Free Days | NHS (England) | Free, no sign-up | Simple: pick drink-free days each week, tips, reminders |
| I Am Sober | Independent developer | Free, optional paid extras | A day counter and daily pledge, for longer stretches too |
| Sunnyside | Private company | Paid subscription, free trial | Drinking less rather than none; text-based coaching |
| Reframe | Private company | Paid subscription, free trial | Daily lessons and tools for changing drinking habits |
| Paper checklist | Us | Free, nothing to download | People who want less screen time: 31-day challenge |
Try Dry: the official Dry January app
Try Dry is made by Alcohol Change UK, the charity that runs Dry January, and is free with no adverts. You set a goal (a fully dry month, or cutting down), then mark each day as dry, drank as planned, or not. It shows units avoided, calories avoided and money saved, with badges for milestones. It pairs with the charity's free daily emails during January.
Good for: anyone doing Dry January who wants the official experience and the encouragement of millions doing the same thing. Watch for: the money and calorie figures are estimates from the numbers you enter; one reviewer noticed the savings looked high. Enter your real price per drink and they'll be truer. You can check the maths with our Dry January calculator.
NHS Drink Free Days
The NHS app is built around a different idea: not a dry month, but drink-free days each week. You pledge a number of days, mark them off, and get practical tips and reminders. It needs no account, and its privacy policy says your progress is stored on your own device.
Good for: people doing Damp January or planning February after a dry month. Watch for: it is simpler than Try Dry, and aimed at England.
Rowan is our AI assistant. Please keep health details for the video call.
I Am Sober
I Am Sober is a long-running day counter: you set a start date and it counts days, money and time, with a daily pledge and an online community. The core app is free; extras come with an optional paid subscription. Good for: people who want to keep counting beyond January. Watch for: its community and language lean towards people stopping for good; that can feel like more than you signed up for, or exactly right.
Sunnyside and Reframe (paid)
Both are subscription apps that go beyond tracking. Sunnyside describes itself as a mindful drinking app focused on drinking less rather than none, with planning and text-message coaching. Reframe offers daily lessons on the psychology of habits, tools for cravings and a community. Both offer free trials.
Good for: people who want structure and are happy to pay. Watch for: subscription renewals. Set a reminder to cancel before the trial ends if you don't want to continue, and check the current price in your store; it varies by country and plan.
No app? Three low-tech trackers that work
- A paper checklist on the fridge. Print our 31-day alcohol-free challenge: a small task a day and a box to tick.
- A wall calendar and a red pen. A cross on every dry day. Seeing the chain grow is surprisingly motivating.
- One email a morning. 30 Quiet Days is free from 1 January: one short idea and one small thing to try, no streaks and no guilt.
How to choose in one minute
- Doing a fully dry January? Start with Try Dry.
- Cutting down instead? NHS Drink Free Days, or Sunnyside if you want coaching.
- Planning to keep going past January? I Am Sober or Reframe.
- Trying to spend less time on your phone? Paper. Honestly.
Privacy: worth one minute
Drinking data is personal. Before you sign up, check where the app stores your entries, whether it needs an account, and whether you can delete everything. Free charity and NHS apps have published privacy policies; read the short version at least. If an app wants your contacts or location, ask why.
If the app stops working
"Dry January app not working" is a common search on 1 January, when millions open it at once. Update the app, restart your phone, and if it still fails, keep a paper tally for a day or two and add the days later. Your dry days count whether or not an app saw them.
Where The Quiet Month fits
Some people would rather spend January with fewer screens altogether. The Quiet Month is built around that: phones away at meals, slow mornings, long walks, and conversation instead of notifications.
The Quiet Month is a calm month away for up to four guests, each in their own private flat a short walk from me: slow mornings, a short, always optional meditation, daily movement, shared low-carb meals and long evening talks, with no alcohol, no smoking and no drugs for anyone, me included. The first month starts on 1 January 2027, then on the 1st of every month. Honestly: I'm self-taught, not a doctor or counsellor, and The Quiet Month is not medical and not therapy. Every guest is 21 or over and brings a doctor's fit-to-join letter. I don't publish where I am; after a free video call, if we both want to go ahead, you learn the country and city before you sign anything, and nothing is paid before that call and a signed agreement. The programme fee is US$10,000 for the month; your flat and flights are extra. See the January 2027 month and what the fee includes.
Email me first at info@thequietmonth.com, start step 1 of the application (about five minutes, free, no commitment), or book a free 20-minute call.
The Quiet Month team
Questions people ask
What is the official Dry January app?
Try Dry, made by the charity Alcohol Change UK. It is free with no adverts and tracks dry days, units, calories and money saved.
Is there a free Dry January app?
Yes. Try Dry and NHS Drink Free Days are both free. I Am Sober is free with optional paid extras.
Do Dry January apps actually help?
In a University of Sussex study of Dry January 2019, people who used the charity's app, website or emails were about twice as likely to finish the month without drinking.
Which app is best for cutting down rather than stopping?
NHS Drink Free Days (free) helps you plan drink-free days each week. Sunnyside is a paid app focused on drinking less.
Do I need an app for Dry January?
No. A paper checklist or calendar works well. Our free 31-day alcohol-free challenge page can be printed and stuck on the fridge.
Sources
- University of Sussex (2020): Take part in Dry January and you'll reap the benefits for months (over 6,000 people surveyed January to August 2019; read 3 Nov 2026)
- Alcohol Change UK: Try Dry, the app for the Dry January challenge and beyond (free, no ads; read 3 Nov 2026)
- App Store: TRY DRY, The Dry January app (tracks units, calories and money saved; read 3 Nov 2026)
- App Store: NHS Drink Free Days (pledge drink-free days each week)
- NHS: Privacy policy for the NHS Drink Free Days app (no sign-up; progress stored on your device)
- App Store: I Am Sober (free, optional in-app purchases)
- App Store: Sunnyside, Drink Less Alcohol (subscription; read 3 Nov 2026)
- Find A Helpline: free helplines in many countries
Prices and facts were checked on 3 November 2026. Prices change; always check the source before you book anything.