Best period tracker app free: the genuinely free options compared

What "free" really means in period apps

Plenty of period apps are free to download. Far fewer are free to use without upsells, and some pay for themselves with your attention or your data. We sorted the options into three honest groups:

• Completely free: no subscription, no paid tier. Funded by a big company (Apple) or by donations and volunteers (Drip, Euki).
• Freemium: core tracking is free, extras sit behind a subscription, and the app nudges you to upgrade (Clue, Flo).
• Paid with a free trial: you try everything, then pay to keep going (Lulu).

The best free period tracker apps side by side

Prices and labels are as listed on each app's US App Store page in October 2026 and can change. "Data used to track you" is Apple's label for data the developer says it links with other companies' apps or websites for advertising or measurement.

Who each free app suits best

Apple Health Cycle Tracking: best if you have an iPhone and want zero effort

It's already on your phone, there's nothing to sign up for, and it covers the basics well: period logging, symptoms, predictions, fertile window estimates and alerts when your cycles look unusual. With an Apple Watch Series 8 or later, it adds retrospective ovulation estimates from wrist temperature. What it doesn't do is help you understand moods: there's no mood pattern or phase guide. Our Lulu vs Apple Cycle Tracking page goes deeper.

Drip: best completely free app for detail and privacy

Drip is open source and non-commercial, made by a nonprofit, Heart of Code. It keeps everything on your device, shows no ads and lets you password-protect and export your data. It's a strong pick if you chart temperature and cervical mucus. The trade-off: it's plainer than commercial apps, and because data stays on one device, losing your phone without an export means losing your history.

Euki: best for privacy-first sexual health

Euki stores data only on your phone, lets you set a PIN and can delete sensitive entries on a schedule. It also includes sexual and reproductive health information. It's simple rather than smart: don't expect detailed insights.

Clue and Flo free tiers: best if you want lots of content

Both let you track periods without paying and have large, well-written health libraries. Expect regular prompts to upgrade, and an account-based, cloud model. Flo settled with the FTC in 2021 over sharing health data with third parties; it now offers Anonymous Mode. Read more in our Flo alternative and Clue alternative roundups.

Where Lulu fits (and where it doesn't)

If you need a period tracker without a subscription, Lulu isn't the one: after the 3-day free trial it's a yearly subscription. What you pay for is a tracker built around how you feel: one-tap mood check-ins that, after a couple of cycles, show how you usually feel in each phase, with a heads-up before harder days, plus a PMS chart you can take to your doctor. It has no ads and no account, and your cycle data stays on your iPhone. If mood is the reason you track, the trial is a free way to see whether it's worth it. See our period tracker with mood comparison.

How to pick a free period tracker in five minutes

1. Read the App Store privacy label ("App Privacy" on the listing). "Data Not Collected" is the cleanest answer; "Data Used to Track You" means sharing for ads or measurement.
2. Check whether it needs an account. No account usually means less data leaves your phone, but also no cloud backup.
3. Look at in-app purchases. A long list of prices usually means a freemium app with upsells.
4. Try exporting your data before you commit, so you're never locked in.
5. Remember the limits: no calendar app, free or paid, is a reliable method of contraception. Apple itself says Cycle Tracking shouldn't be used as birth control.