16 Best Diabetes Apps to Try This Year

These apps organize all your data, from blood glucose to diet and exercise. Putting all that information in one place may be convenient, but these apps tend to be more expensive — at least if you want to access all their features.

Glucose Buddy

Apple rating: 4.8

Android rating: 4.0

Free, with in-app upgrades available

Like other glucose trackers, Glucose Buddy lets you input blood glucose, medication, and meals, and track trends over time. But it also includes an extensive food database, and it lets you scan barcodes to grab nutrition information from food products. It syncs to the Dexcom continuous blood glucose monitoring system, as well as the Apple Health app to track your steps and other physical activity. All that data can be exported to printable reports you can bring to your medical visits. It also includes a 12-week diabetes education plan that features five-minute lessons to help you better manage your diabetes. You’ll need to subscribe to the premium version to access the A1C calculator and get rid of the ads. (The current premium cost is $14.99 per month or $39.99 per year.)

Diabetes Tracker by MyNetDiary (Apple)

MyNetDiary’s Diabetes and Diet Tracker (Android)

Apple rating: 4.7

Android rating: 4.5

$9.99

You’ll find just about everything you might want to track in this app: blood glucose, insulin, medication, meals, water intake, and physical activity. It comes with a built-in barcode scanner and a food database to tally up your nutrient intake. Also included is a GPS tracker to log distances for walking, running, or bicycling.

It will remind you to check your blood sugar, and it will give you summary reports to help you understand the relationships between blood sugar, diet, and exercise. Add the app’s subscription for a few premium features, including syncing with fitness trackers and smart scales. (The current subscription cost is $8.99 per month or $59.99 per year.)

Diabetes:M

Apple rating: 4.6

Android rating: 3.5

Free, with in-app upgrades available

On top of tracking your blood glucose and meals (with a nutrition database and barcode scanner), the Diabetes:M app will calculate insulin boluses for you. Through the Apple Health app, Diabetes:M will sync with other devices, including glucose meters, Fitbit, Garmin, and many others. You’ll need to pay extra for the subscription to access the full food database, download reports, and get rid of the ads. (The current subscription cost is $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.)

One Drop

Apple rating: 4.5

Android rating: 3.7

Free, with in-app upgrades available

Not only does the free One Drop app track your blood glucose, medications, food (search the library, scan barcodes, or build and save your favorite meals), weight, blood pressure, and activity, it also offers a Bluetooth-enabled glucose meter that sends readings directly to the app. Plus, you can order test strips right from the app when needed.

One Drop includes a helpful coaching component (for a fee), too, Kimberlain says. Pay for a membership to get health forecasting insights that predict your future blood sugar levels, and get matched with a personal coach who can answer your questions, provide feedback, and offer encouragement. You’ll also receive an interactive transformation plan with helpful infographics, quizzes, articles, commitment pledges, and prompts designed to encourage healthy habits. (The current subscription cost is $19.99 per month.)

Noom

Apple rating: 4.7

Android rating: 3.5

Free, with in-app upgrades available 

Noom aims to help users lose weight by using education and behavior change to create healthy habits. (According to Noom, users lose 15.5 pounds over 16 weeks on average.)

The app itself is free, but a monthly program starts at $44.99.

Through daily lessons and quizzes, Noom teaches you how to create healthy, sustainable habits that ultimately lead to weight loss. “I like that it offers some behavioral support to truly modify behaviors that may be negative,” Gradney says. Noom may be pricey, but it offers more support than your typical weight loss app. For one thing, you’re partnered online with a live person (your coach) who’s trained to help you change unhelpful thinking patterns that lead to unhealthy behaviors. You’re also added to a coaching group made up of other Noom users so you can share wins and challenges and ask for advice.

The app offers a food tracker (with feedback on your food choices), weight log, recipes, interactive challenges, informative articles, as well as the ability to log your blood glucose and blood pressure (you take readings separately and manually input those readings into the app).