Czech app Calmory brings crisis intervention to the phone. Built without investors, it reports its first thousand users.

The Czech project Calmory offers a mobile app that brings crisis-intervention methods into digital form. A small team worked on its development for more than two years without external funding. In the first month after launch, more than 1,000 people downloaded it. The app responds to a situation in which about 30% of the population shows symptoms of anxiety or depression.

i Tým autorů Calmory

Press Releases

30.04.2026

Press release to download (PDF, 300 kB)

Calmory is entering the market at a time when psychological overload carries major economic consequences. According to the National Action Plan, mental illness in the Czech Republic is among the fastest-growing reasons for awarding disability pensions. This burden feeds directly into the economy through significant productivity losses, a high rate of sick leave, and so-called presenteeism (reduced performance while working under stress). The project therefore does not focus on treatment, but on everyday prevention, which is more effective for users and for the economic system alike. Experts at the National Institute of Mental Health note that timely intervention in this area can substantially raise quality of life and work productivity.

Crisis intervention as an answer to market demand

The idea of digitising crisis-intervention methods arose three years ago in conversations between the founders Stanislav Knotek and psychotherapist Filip Hajna. They were responding to field experience, where working with tension in time had helped prevent deep personal and family crises.

“From practice we know that preventing psychological overload has a direct impact not only on quality of life, but also on work performance. Simple interventions can catch problems early, before they would otherwise lead to long-term absences,” says Mgr. Filip Hajna, psychotherapist and expert guarantor of Calmory.

“The strongest feedback at the time came from families whose home atmosphere changed thanks to these techniques. The question arose whether we could deliver this calm to people at the very moment they need it,” says Stanislav Knotek, director of Calmory.

Technology that protects privacy and peace of mind

A key role in turning professional methodology into digital form was played by the project’s CTO, Leoš Silný. The technology work focused on making sure the app in the user’s pocket would not feel like another stressor demanding attention, but like a quiet, reliable guide.

“Our aim was to create a platform that combines a high level of protection for sensitive data with the greatest possible simplicity of use. We focused on a smooth user experience so that people would feel safe in the Calmory environment from the first moment they open the app,” explains Leoš Silný, CTO of Calmory.

A sustainable freemium model

From the start the project chose the path of bootstrapping and is built on a freemium model, in which basic stabilising tools remain free and extended professional content is part of a subscription. This approach is meant to ensure the project’s long-term stability even without the need for external funding. The Calmory app is already available to download for iOS and Android. Users can try a fourteen-day full-access trial for free.

i Tým autorů Calmory

About the Calmory app

Calmory – a therapeutic mobile app for a calmer mind is a Czech mobile application focused on everyday work with mental wellbeing. It offers courses, SOS techniques, daily phases, meditations, breathing exercises, music, nature sounds, white noise, affirmations, and fairy tales and bedtime stories. It is intended for the general public, for people who want to handle everyday stress better, work with their mental wellbeing, or look for simple tools to settle in demanding days.

The project’s main motto is Calm can be learned.

More information: https://calmoryapp.com

Key facts about the Calmory app

Czech origin: A project focused on everyday care for mental wellbeing.
Long-term development: More than two years of intensive app development.
Expert guarantee: Mgr. Filip Hajna, psychotherapist and director of the organisation Velký vůz Sever.
Comprehensive content: SOS techniques, daily phases, breathing exercises, meditations, music, nature sounds and bedtime stories.
Educational reach: The project includes a blog with professional articles and personal stories.
Availability: An app for iOS and Android; basic content is available free of charge.

Data sources for the editorial team (for fact-checking):

Prevalence of mental difficulties in the Czech Republic (30% of the population): The data come from national monitoring by NÚDZ and the long-term PAQ Research study “Život k nezaplacení”, which confirms that up to 30% of adults show symptoms of moderate depression or anxiety.
- Link to the research: PAQ Research – Mental Health 2025
Impact on the economy and disability pensions: Mental illnesses are the fastest-growing reason for awarding disability pensions in the Czech Republic. These data and the analysis of the economic burden (including presenteeism) are published by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.
- Link to the document: National Action Plan for Mental Health 2020–2030 (Analytical section)
Return on investment in prevention (1:4): A professional estimate based on data from the think-tank Ministr zdraví and statements by experts from the Initiative for Effective Healthcare.
- Link to the report: Ministr zdraví – A Path to Better Care
The app’s expert guarantor: Calmory’s methodology draws on the principles of crisis intervention under the auspices of the organisation Velký vůz Sever and Mgr. Filip Hajna.