GUIDE
A comparison of the top pregnancy tracking apps — what they do well, what they lack, and what matters most.
The right app keeps you informed week by week and helps you prepare for what is ahead. Here is how the major options compare.
Be prepared from day one
A pregnancy app should do three things well: keep you informed about your baby's development week by week, help you track important health data, and provide practical tools for the journey ahead. Everything else — 3D animations, social features, daily horoscopes for your baby — is optional.
The best pregnancy apps are the ones you actually open. If you prefer detailed medical information, choose an app with robust content. If you want a simple weekly update and a kick counter, choose something streamlined. You do not need five pregnancy apps — pick one that matches your style and use it consistently.
Think about the transition to postpartum too. Some apps only cover pregnancy and leave you searching for a new tracker after birth. Apps like tinylog are designed to carry you from pregnancy through the newborn period and beyond, tracking feeds, diapers, and sleep from day one without needing a separate app.
| App | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| tinylog | Free with premium | Week-by-week updates, kick counter, contraction timer, transitions to baby tracking after birth — one app for pregnancy through infancy |
| The Bump | Free with ads | Weekly size comparisons (fruit metaphors), articles, registry integration, 3D baby development visuals |
| What to Expect | Free with ads | Based on the popular book series, community forums, weekly videos, large content library |
| Ovia Pregnancy | Free | Daily updates, health insights, symptom tracking, food safety lookup, health data tracking |
| BabyCenter | Free with ads | Large community forums, week-by-week development, birth club groups by due date month |
| Pregnancy+ | Free with premium | Detailed 3D models of baby development, kick counter, weight tracker, hospital bag checklist |
| Flo | Free with premium | Period and pregnancy tracking, AI-powered insights, symptom logging, large user community |
| Glow Nurture | Free with premium | Daily insights, appointment tracking, partner app, community forums, fertility tracking integration |
Download and set up your baby tracking app before your due date. When the baby arrives, you will be exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to remember when the last feed was. Having the app already installed and configured means you can start logging from the first feed in the hospital. tinylog lets you start tracking immediately — feeds, diapers, and sleep from the very first day.
The kick counter and contraction timer are two features you will not think about until you suddenly need them. Make sure your app has both.
Every major pregnancy app provides weekly updates on your baby's development. These typically include how big the baby is (often compared to fruits or vegetables), what organs and systems are developing, and what symptoms you might be experiencing.
These updates serve an important psychological purpose: they make the invisible visible. In the weeks between prenatal appointments, when you cannot see or measure your baby's growth, the weekly update reassures you that something is happening. It helps you understand why you feel the way you do and gives you context for the changes in your body.
For deeper dives into specific milestones, pair your app with guides on key appointments like the first prenatal visit, the NIPT test, and the anatomy scan. Apps provide the overview; detailed guides provide the depth.
In the third trimester, kick counting becomes an important part of monitoring your baby's well-being. Your provider will likely ask you to start tracking fetal movement around 28 weeks. The standard guidance is to count 10 movements within 2 hours during a time when your baby is typically active.
A good kick counter in your app makes this easy — tap each time you feel movement, and the app records the time and count. If your baby's pattern changes significantly (much less movement than usual), contact your provider.
The contraction timer is the other must-have tool. When labor begins, you will need to time contractions — how long each one lasts and how far apart they are. Doing this manually while in pain is difficult. A contraction timer lets you tap at the start and end of each contraction, and the app calculates duration and frequency automatically. When contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for 1 hour (the 5-1-1 rule), it is typically time to head to the hospital. For more on recognizing labor, see our signs of labor guide.
An app should reduce anxiety, not increase it. If your app is sending you alarming notifications or making you feel worse, switch to a different one.
Pregnancy apps collect sensitive health data — your due date, medical history, symptoms, and sometimes your location. Before entering personal information, understand how the app uses your data.
Key questions to ask: Does the app sell data to third parties? Can you delete your data? What permissions does the app request (and are they all necessary)? Is your data encrypted? After the Dobbs decision, some users have become more cautious about period and pregnancy tracking data. If privacy is a priority, choose apps that store data locally on your device rather than in the cloud, or that have clear, transparent privacy policies.
At minimum, avoid apps that require your full name, address, and social security number to create an account. A good pregnancy app needs your due date — it does not need your home address.
Downloading multiple pregnancy apps leads to notification fatigue and conflicting information. Pick one app that matches your needs and commit to it. If that app does not do something well (like food safety lookups), use a web search for specific questions rather than installing another app. Simplicity reduces stress during an already overwhelming time.
A pregnancy app is a great daily companion, but it works best alongside other resources. Pair it with one or two good pregnancy books for depth on topics that a 200-word app blurb cannot cover. Use a pregnancy journal for reflections and memories that a data tracker will not capture.
And when the baby arrives, the right tracking app becomes even more important. Those first weeks are a blur of feeds, diapers, and fragmented sleep. Having a reliable tracker to log everything means you can answer your pediatrician's questions at the two-week visit without guessing. Set it up before your due date — your sleep-deprived future self will thank you.
This guide is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with any questions about your pregnancy.
