Free education · How to choose a tracker

Track your symptoms before your visit.

A short, dated record can help you remember what to tell your clinician. You can start on paper today. If you would rather use an app, this page explains what to look for and lists several options side by side, with their prices and trade-offs.

How to choose Compare apps

Start small

You do not need to record everything. Pick one or two symptoms or questions that matter most to you, and write a short note when they come up.

Date and time. When it happened and how long it lasted.
What you noticed. In your own words, plus a simple 0–10 rating if that helps.
Effect on your day. What you could not do, or had to do differently.
Context. Sleep, meals, activity or medicines you want to mention. A pattern in a log does not prove what caused a symptom.
Your question. What you want to ask your clinician about it.

MedlinePlus suggests bringing a list of your symptoms, when they started, and every medicine and supplement you take.¹ Do not change a medicine based only on what a log shows; ask your clinician or pharmacist.

How to choose a tracker

Cost now and later

Check what is free, what the paid plan costs, and what happens when a trial or offer ends.

Effort on a bad day

Pick something you can use when you feel worst: a few taps, a voice note, or a pen.

Privacy

Read where your data is stored, who processes it, and how to export or delete it.

Doctor sharing

Look for a printable summary or export you can bring to an appointment.

Try any app with a few non-sensitive entries first. If it feels like work, paper is a good choice.

Paper: free, no account

A notebook works. So does BHI’s free visit worksheet, which runs in your browser; you can copy or print the result, and nothing you type is sent to BHI.

Open the visit worksheet →

Symptom-tracking apps compared

Please note: BHI’s founder built Good Tracker, one of the apps below. It is a separate for-profit product, not part of BHI’s nonprofit work. We list it with other options so you can choose for yourself, and you never need it to use BHI’s guides or worksheet.

Listed alphabetically, not ranked. BHI has not tested these apps, audited their security, or reviewed them clinically. Prices are US prices from each company’s own pages, checked November 12, 2026; they change, so check before you sign up.

Bearable

Cost: Free version. Optional subscription: $6.99 a month or $34.99 a year.
Works on: iPhone and Android
May suit: Tracking symptoms, mood, energy, sleep and habits side by side, with weekly reports and charts in the free version.
Keep in mind: Some history and analysis features need the subscription. It is an app-store download with an account.
Sharing with a doctor: Its help pages describe exporting your data to share with a doctor or care team.

Visit Bearable ↗Privacy policy

CareClinic

Cost: Free to download and track. Premium plans are sold in the app, which shows the price before you buy.
Works on: iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, Mac and web
May suit: Medication schedules and reminders alongside symptoms, plus caregiver or care-team access you control.
Keep in mind: An account is required. Longer history and PDF reports are part of Premium, so check what the free version includes for you.
Sharing with a doctor: Describes PDF and CSV reports for appointments.

Visit CareClinic ↗Privacy policy

Guava

Cost: Free plan. Optional Premium: $8 a month or $78 a year.
Works on: iPhone, Android and web
May suit: Bringing patient-portal records, device data and symptom logs into one place, and sharing records with a doctor or family member.
Keep in mind: Connecting medical records means sharing more data with the app. Its AI assistant and automatic insights are part of Premium.
Sharing with a doctor: Describes sharing records with doctors and visit-prep features.

Visit Guava ↗Privacy policy

Visible

Cost: Free app for symptom check-ins. The paid pacing membership costs $19.99 a month on the monthly plan (lower per month on longer plans) and needs Visible’s heart-rate band.
Works on: iPhone and Android. Paid membership is sold in the US and UK only.
May suit: People who pace their activity, for example with ME/CFS or Long COVID, who want heart-rate-based energy budgeting.
Keep in mind: The membership and band are the most expensive option here. The free app does not include the band features.
Sharing with a doctor: Describes a private clinician dashboard link and a PDF health report.

Visit Visible ↗Privacy policy

Not listed: Flaredown, a free tracker many people remember. Its phone apps are no longer in the US app stores, so we could not confirm it is still maintained.

About the Good Tracker offer

Who: new Good Tracker accounts created through the link on this page.
What: free access until 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on January 1, 2027. After that, a discount for BHI readers. Good Tracker is also free for everyone during its current early-access period.
What BHI sees: only that someone clicked the link. BHI does not receive your account details or anything you log, and Good Tracker handles your data under its own privacy policy.
Your choice: the paper worksheet and the other apps above work just as well for preparing for a visit.

Using your record at the visit

Before the appointment, pick two or three examples that show the problem best.
Put your most important question first.
Bring a one-page summary or printout rather than scrolling through months of entries.
Ask your clinician what, if anything, would be useful to track next.

Want a step-by-step checklist and questions to ask? See our free visit-preparation guide.

Prepare for your visit →

Sources

MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Talking With Your Doctor. medlineplus.gov
App details and prices: each company’s own website, pricing, plans and help pages, checked November 12, 2026.

General information only, not medical advice. Talk with a qualified healthcare provider about your situation. If you think you are having an emergency, call 911.