WHAT ARE HEALTH APPS?
Health apps can geared toward nearly every aspect of your physical and mental health, with countless options focused on diet, nutrition, fitness, workout programs, mental health, sleep and guided meditation.
- Best Nutrition App: Noom
Key features:
- Price: Varies based on how long you subscribe, from $70/month to $209/year
- Free Trial: Seven-day free trial
- Ratings: 4.7 on iOS store | 4.3 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Weight loss support and behavioral change
Pros:
- Very high user reviews
- Scientific approach to weight loss with educational lessons to support lasting changes
- Easy to log foods
- Information and lessons developed by highly-qualified professionals
Cons:
- Much more expensive than most apps
- Can be time-consuming for some people
- Best Exercise App: Future
Key features:
- Price: $149/month, or prepaid membership plans, including three months for $405, six months for $760 and 12 months for $1,425
- Free Trial: No, but the first month is $19
- Ratings: 4.9 on iOS store | 4.3 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Individualized virtual personal training with a designated coach
Pros:
- Very high user reviews
- Tons of coaches to choose from
- Truly individualized fitness training
Cons:
- Expensive
- No Android app
- Requires Apple Watch for full functionality
- Best for iPhone: Caliber
Key features:
- Price: Caliber Premium starts at $200 per month and there’s also a free version of the app
- Free Trial: Free version of the app
- Ratings: 4.9/5 stars on Apple App Store, 4.7/5 stars on Google Play
- Best For: People who want a custom workout plan with an optional one-on-one coach who can offer feedback and encouragement
Pros:
- Valuable free features that don’t have a paywall or ads
- Educational material to help you understand your goals
- Syncing available so that you can do you own workouts
- Easy-to-use app
Cons:
- You need a smartwatch to get the most out of the tracking features
- You’ll need to buy the Pro or Premium membership to access meal plans
- Best Fasting App: Yazio
Key features:
- Price: Free, but pro version requires membership; $19.99 for 3 months or $39.99 for 12 months
- Free Trial: Basic version of the app is free
- Ratings: 4.7 on iOS store | 4.3 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Calorie counting, meal tracking, guidance on intermittent fasting
Pros
- Large database of food makes for easy calorie counting
- Can sync with fitness tracker to keep track of your workouts, steps and activity during the day
Cons
- Only one fasting tracker available in free version of the app
- Users complain the calories are often listed incorrectly for food items in the database
- Best Meal Delivery App: Trifecta
Key features:
- Price: Starting at $110.99/week
- Free Trial: No
- Ratings: 4.3/5 stars on iOS, 4.3/5 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Prepared meals designed by a registered dietitian, eco-friendly packaging
Pros:
- Multiple meal plans to accommodate dietary preferences
- All meals take macro count into consideration
- Designed by registered dietitians for your specific needs
- Eco-friendly packaging for all shipments
Cons:
- Canceling an order requires seven-day advanced notice
- You have to pay for a subscription and the meals separately
- Best Mental Health App: Talkspace
Key features:
- Price: Varies based type of plan (messaging, live therapy or psychiatry); messaging plans run $276 per month, $744 per quarter or $1320 per year; live therapy (four sessions/month) costs $396 per month or $1,896 per year; psychiatry is $249 for the initial evaluation and $125 for each follow-up session.
- Free Trial: No
- Ratings: 4.7 on iOS store | 4.3 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Online therapy via text, phone and video
Pros:
- Very high user reviews
- Unlimited messaging with your dedicated therapist
- More accessible than going to in-person therapy
- Sessions with licensed therapists
- Costs may be covered by insurance
- All communication is secure and private
Cons:
- It can take several days to be matched with a therapist
- Pricing structure can be confusing
- Expensive
- Best Sleep App: Sleep Cycle
Key features:
- Price: Premium subscription costs $9.99 per month or $39.99 per year.
- Free Trial: 7-day free trial
- Ratings: 4.7 on iOS store | 4.4 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Sleep tracking, alarm clock and sleep optimization
Pros:
- Annual fee is reasonable
- Detailed sleep analysis can be quite helpful
- Easy to use
- Smart alarm clock leads to less grogginess upon waking
- Can vibrate your watch to wake you up, so as not to disturb others
- Compare your sleep habits with trends and averages around the world.
Cons:
- Monthly fee is expensive
- Uses a lot of battery life
- May not be as accurate as a wearable sleep tracker
- Auto renews
- Best Meditation App: Headspace
Key features:
- Price: Annual plan is $69.99 /year($5.83/month) and monthly plan is $12.99/month
- Free Trial: 14-day free trial for annual plan and seven-day free trial for monthly plan
- Ratings: 4.8 on iOS store | 4.8 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Guided meditations and stress relief
Pros:
- Very high user reviews via App store
- Lots of very short meditations to choose from, making it beginner-friendly
- Intuitive interface
- Extensive library of subjects to choose from
Cons:
- Auto-renews so you need to remember to cancel
- Fairly expensive subscription fees
- Best Online Counseling App: BetterHelp
Key features:
- Price: $60-90 per week, depending on plan
- Free Trial: No
- Ratings: 4.8/5 stars on Apple App Store | 4.6/5 stars on Google Play
- Best For: Online counseling over text, phone or video
Pros:
- BetterHelp counselors are accredited, plus boast a range of specializations to address specific needs
- Eliminates many traditional barriers toward getting counseling, like time constraints and location
- Well-reviewed on the Apple App store (4.8/5 stars among 124,000+ ratings)
Cons:
- Unlike Talkspace, BetterHelp does not accept insurance
- Generally, online therapy is not suitable for addressing severe or pressing mental health challenges
source: https://www.si.com/showcase/health/best-health-apps
EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE
Best health apps according to cosmopolitan.fr
- AllergoBox, the anti-allergy health app
- The Health For You health application
- Gluci Check, the health app to monitor your diabetes
- Santé.fr: the public service app
- The Qualyo application for strong health
