Ruva vs Apple Health Cycle Tracking
Ruva brings your periods, symptoms and notes together with guidance for each life stage. Every feature is free, with no ads and no account needed to track.
Apple Health Cycle Tracking lets you log periods, symptoms and cycle factors on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. When your device is locked with a passcode, Touch ID or Face ID, Health data other than Medical ID is encrypted. Ruva gives you dedicated tracking with entries kept on your device and guides alongside your records.1,2
Ruva has modes for your cycle, trying to conceive, pregnancy, after a birth and perimenopause. You get every mode, the guide library and a doctor summary for free. Start in any browser or on Android today. The iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps are on the way.
At a glance
- Apple’s Health app is listed as free on the US App Store.3
- Health data, apart from Medical ID, is encrypted when your device is locked with a passcode, Touch ID or Face ID. iCloud sync is optional.2
- With two-factor authentication enabled, Cycle Tracking data synced to iCloud is end-to-end encrypted. Apple says it cannot decrypt it.4
- Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models can estimate past ovulation from wrist temperature, in certain countries and regions.5,4
- Apple says Cycle Tracking should not be used as birth control.4
Side by side
| Feature | Ruva | Apple Health |
|---|---|---|
| Price and free tier | Every feature free You get every Ruva feature for free, with no paywall or premium tier. That includes every mode, the doctor summary and the library of guides. | Free The Health app is listed as free on the US App Store. Ovulation estimates require Apple Watch Series 8 or later, or an Apple Watch Ultra, and are available in certain countries and regions. 3,4 |
| Ads | No ads No ads anywhere in Ruva, and no advertising ID. Ruva uses Google Analytics for Firebase with advertising switched off to see how the app is used, and counts health-related screens itself so they never reach Google. You can switch it off in Settings › Privacy settings. | HealthKit ad use prohibited Apps that work with HealthKit are not allowed to use or disclose HealthKit data to third parties for advertising. The US App Store privacy label lists data not linked to your identity. 3,6 |
| Account needed | No account needed Start tracking without an account. Linking Google, Apple or an email account is optional, needed only to join the Community or restore a cloud backup on a new device. | Not stated The pages we checked don’t say whether an account is needed for Cycle Tracking. |
| Where your data is kept | On your device Your entries stay on your device, in your browser when you use Ruva on the web. They leave only if you make a cloud backup, share with a partner or post in the Community. | On device, optional iCloud Health data, apart from Medical ID, is encrypted when your device is locked with a passcode, Touch ID or Face ID. Optional iCloud sync encrypts data in transit and on Apple’s servers, with end-to-end encryption for Cycle Tracking when two-factor authentication is enabled. 2,4 |
| Selling and sharing data, per their policy | No data sales Ruva doesn’t sell your data, and your cycle data isn’t shared with Google or Apple if you link an account. You choose whether to make a cloud backup, share with a partner or post in the Community. | You choose what to share Apps must ask to read or write Health data. Apple says it cannot see data you share with other Health app users. 2,3 |
| Export your data | Download everything Download everything as one file you can restore into Ruva on another device without an account. You can also get a CSV copy for spreadsheets. | Full export and cycle PDF Export All Health Data gives you a copy of the Health data on your device. You can also export the last 12 months of cycle history as a PDF. 2,4 |
| Delete your data | Delete inside the app You can delete everything from inside Ruva. | Delete in the app You can review, edit and delete Health data at any time. Cycle Tracking includes a Delete All option. 2,4 |
| Languages | Eight languages Use Ruva in English, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Simplified Chinese or Hindi. Arabic has a right-to-left layout. | 33 languages The Health app’s US App Store listing shows English and 32 more languages. 3 |
| Platforms | Browser and Android Use Ruva in any browser, or get the Android and Wear OS apps on Google Play. Apps for iPhone and iPad are on the way, along with Mac (as the iPad app) and Apple Watch. | iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch You can use Cycle Tracking on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. 1,3 |
| Pregnancy, after a birth, perimenopause | Yes, each has its own mode Choose cycle tracking, trying to conceive, pregnancy, after a birth or perimenopause. You can switch modes without losing what you’ve logged. | Life-stage logging You can log a pregnancy to track gestational age and add Pregnancy or Lactation as cycle factors. You can also log perimenopause or menopause and related symptoms. 7,4,8 |
| Contraception | Not contraception Ruva helps you track your cycle, with dates that are estimates based on what you’ve logged. It isn’t contraception or a medical device. | Not contraception Apple says Cycle Tracking should not be used as birth control, and that its temperature sensing is not intended for medical use. Ruva is not contraception or a medical device either, and its dates are estimates. 4,1 |
| Offline use | Log offline Your entries save on your device, so you can log without a connection once Ruva has loaded in your browser. | Not stated Not mentioned on the pages we checked. |
Use Ruva free in your browser or in the Android and Wear OS apps from Google Play, with no account needed. Apps for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch are on the way. The feature availability table shows which features come with the phone apps, and the privacy policy explains your data choices.
Features compared
| Feature | Ruva | Apple Health |
|---|---|---|
| Hormone chart | Typical hormone curves See how FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone typically change across a cycle, drawn to your cycle length with today marked. It’s a typical cycle, not your own levels. | Not stated |
| Patterns from your logs | From your own logs Recorded patterns count what you log before and during your periods. They show patterns, not causes, and there are no scores. | Cycle statistics Cycle Tracking summarises your typical period and cycle length over the last year and can notify you of a possible cycle deviation. 9,1,3 |
| Temperature and LH chart by cycle | One cycle at a time Your basal temperature by cycle day, with your LH test results and period days. It never marks fertile days. | Wrist temperature changes You can log basal body temperature, and a compatible Apple Watch shows nightly wrist temperature changes. Apple doesn’t describe a chart of one cycle with test results. 4,10 |
| Report for your doctor | Free PDF A summary of your cycle lengths, periods, symptoms and patterns for your doctor, saved as a PDF. | Free PDF Cycle History can be exported as a PDF of the last 12 months to share with a healthcare provider. 4,3 |
| Partner sharing | Free Share a view of your cycle with a partner and choose what they see. | Through Health sharing You can share chosen health data with someone you trust through the Health app’s Sharing tab. 11,12,13 |
| Community | Anonymous communities Join topic communities without showing your name. Joining needs a linked Google, Apple or email account; tracking never does. | Not stated |
| Choose what you log | Hide and reorder Choose which sections and trackers appear when you log, and put them in your own order. | Choose categories You can choose which categories appear when you log in Cycle Tracking. 14,3 |
| Your own tags | Your own tags Add tags for what matters to you, like a supplement or a trigger, and see them counted in your patterns. | Not stated |
| Automatic deletion | By section and age Choose sections and an age, and older entries in them are deleted automatically. Period days stay, because your estimates need them. | Not stated |
| New-phase reminder | Opt-in reminder A reminder on the first day of each new phase, with discreet wording if you prefer. In a browser, reminders arrive while Ruva is open in a tab. | Period and fertile window Notifications cover your next period and the start of the fertile window. Apple doesn’t mention alerts for other phases. 4,13 |
| Import from other apps | From Flo, Clue and more Import a data export from Flo, Clue, Natural Cycles, Apple Health, drip. or Mensinator, or a CSV file. Ruva reads it on your device and shows a preview first. | From the Health app Cycle Tracking can use cycle history that other apps have saved in Health. Apple doesn’t describe importing a file. 4 |
What Apple Health offers
- End-to-end encryption for Cycle Tracking data synced to iCloud with two-factor authentication enabled.4
- Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models can estimate past ovulation from wrist temperature and improve period predictions.5
- Notifications for possible cycle deviations, including irregular, infrequent or prolonged periods and persistent spotting.1
- Support for using third-party apps that work with Health alongside Cycle Tracking.4
- A PDF of the last 12 months of cycle history to share with your healthcare provider.4
- Apple says its Women’s Health Study has helped improve Cycle Tracking predictions.1
Where Ruva goes further
- Start Ruva in any browser or on Android, with every feature free and no account needed to track. Apps for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch are on the way.
- Choose a mode that follows your needs: cycle tracking, trying to conceive, pregnancy, after a birth or perimenopause. Ruva brings week-by-week pregnancy guidance, recovery notes and perimenopause symptom and treatment records into the same app.
- Read Ruva’s plain-language guides in eight languages, each with its sources and guidance on when to get help. Save a guide and return to where you left off.
- Bring a one-page doctor summary to your appointment. Ruva gathers cycles, symptoms, medicines and notes, with versions for pregnancy and after a birth and a menopause section for perimenopause.
- See period and fertile-window estimates based on your logged history, without needing a watch. Ruva shows date windows and confidence, so you can see the uncertainty alongside each estimate.
Choose Ruva for everyday tracking
If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or later
Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models can use wrist temperature to estimate past ovulation and improve period predictions. Ruva can mark a likely past ovulation from the basal temperature you log, with no watch needed, and shows its period and fertile-window estimates as date ranges with their confidence.5
If you want your daily records together on iPhone
The Health app is free on the US App Store and runs on iPhone and iPad. Ruva gives you a free place for periods, symptoms, medicines and notes, alongside sourced guides and a doctor summary. Open it in your iPhone browser today, with the iPhone app on the way.3,4
If you use Android or switch between phones
Use Ruva in your browser or the Android app today, with the iPhone and iPad app on the way. Download your records and restore the file into Ruva on another device without an account.1
If you want guidance as your needs change
Apple Health lets you log pregnancy, lactation, perimenopause and menopause. Ruva gives you dedicated modes with week-by-week pregnancy guidance, recovery notes after a birth and symptom and treatment tracking for perimenopause. Every mode is free, and switching keeps what you’ve logged.7,4,8
Moving your history to Ruva
Ruva can import the export.xml file from an Apple Health export. Unzip export.zip first. Ruva doesn’t connect to Apple Health directly. It reads the file on your device and shows a preview of what it found before saving anything, and you can undo the import. Settings and anything Ruva has no match for are left out.
Questions
Is Apple’s Cycle Tracking private?
Apple says Health data, apart from Medical ID, is encrypted when your device is locked with a passcode, Touch ID or Face ID. iCloud sync is optional, and with two-factor authentication enabled, Cycle Tracking data synced to iCloud is end-to-end encrypted so Apple cannot decrypt it. Ruva keeps your entries on your device unless you choose cloud backup, partner sharing or a Community post, with no ads.2,4
Can Apple Health tell me when I ovulate?
Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models can estimate the likely day of ovulation after it has happened, in certain countries and regions. Apple says these estimates do not guarantee that ovulation occurred. Ruva gives you fertile-window estimates based on your logged history, with confidence shown alongside them. They are estimates, not confirmation of ovulation.5,4
Can I use Cycle Tracking and Ruva together?
You can keep your own records in Ruva while using Cycle Tracking. To bring your history into Ruva, import an Apple Health export. Ruva reads the file on your device and shows a preview before saving, with an undo if you change your mind.
Is either one birth control?
No. Apple says Cycle Tracking should not be used as birth control. Ruva helps you keep records and understand estimates, and is neither contraception nor a medical device. Its dates are estimates based on what you log.4
Sources
Every statement about Apple Health on this page comes from the pages below, read on the date shown. We quote the wording we relied on.
- Apple Health (Apple)
The Cycle Tracking experience on iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad lets you log your period and record symptoms or cycle factors
The temperature sensing feature is not intended for medical use.
With Cycle Tracking you can receive a notification if your logged cycle history shows a possible deviation, such as irregular, infrequent, or prolonged periods and persistent spotting.
Most recently, data from our ongoing Women’s Health Study — the first of its kind — has helped to improve Cycle Tracking predictions.
- Health app & privacy (Apple)
When your device is locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all of your health and fitness data in the Health app — other than your Medical ID — is encrypted and inaccessible by default.
You can choose to use iCloud to keep your data up to date across your devices, choose to back up your data to an iTunes encrypted backup on your computer, or choose to share your data.
You are in control over which data is stored in the Health app and which data is shared with third-party apps and people you trust.
Apps must request the ability to read data from or write data to your Health app.
Apple will not be able to access or view any of the data that you share with other Health app users.
The Health app also gives you the ability to export a copy of your Health app data available on your device. To do so, tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner, then tap Export All Health Data.
You can review, edit, and delete your Health app data at any time.
- Apple Health, US App Store listing (Apple App Store)
Seller Apple Inc.
Apple Health Health & Fitness Free
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity: Health & Fitness Location Search History Identifiers Usage Data Sensitive Info Diagnostics Other Data
Data Not Linked to You The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity: Health & Fitness
English and 32 more English, Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese
Language EN + 32 More iPhone, iPad
- Track your menstrual cycle with Cycle Tracking (Apple Support)
when you use the Cycle Tracking feature and have enabled two-factor authentication, your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data
Ovulation estimates are available only with Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models and are available only in certain countries or regions.
Cycle Tracking should not be used as a form of birth control.
Any health data synced to iCloud is encrypted both in transit and on our servers.
Tap Cycle History. You can tap Export PDF to generate a PDF of the last 12 months of your cycle history.
Tap the Remove button to each item, then tap Delete. You can also tap Delete All in the upper corner.
select Pregnancy, Lactation, or Contraceptive.
your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data and therefore cannot read it.
Third-party apps that work with the Health app can also be used with Cycle Tracking.
export the last 12 months of your cycle history as a PDF to share with your healthcare provider.
Turn on notifications to tell you when your next period or fertile window is approaching.
These notifications can let you know when your fertile window is likely to start.
You can track symptoms, spotting, basal body temperature, and more.
You can enter this data manually or you can confirm data that was previously in the Health app from the use of third-party apps.
Cycle Tracking can inform you if your logged cycle history from the previous six months shows a pattern of irregular cycles, infrequent periods, prolonged periods, or persistent spotting.
- About ovulation estimates on Apple Watch (Apple Support)
Apple Watch Series 8 or later, and all models of Apple Watch Ultra, can use wrist temperature data to estimate the likely day of ovulation after it has occurred and improve period predictions.
Ovulation estimates are estimates only, and do not guarantee that ovulation has occurred.
- Privacy features (Apple)
Apps that work with HealthKit are prohibited from using or disclosing HealthKit data to third parties for advertising or other data mining purposes
- Log a pregnancy in the Health app (Apple Support)
You can log a pregnancy with your iPhone or iPad to track gestational age and the impact of your pregnancy on other health features
- Apple Watch User Guide: Cycle Tracking (Apple Support)
After logging perimenopause or menopause, you can log related symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, sleep changes, and more.
- View menstrual cycle predictions and history in Health on iPhone (Apple Support (iPhone User Guide))
You can view a summary of your last menstrual period, typical period length, typical cycle length, ongoing factors, and more.
Scroll to view statistics of your last year of data.
- Track your nightly wrist temperature changes with Apple Watch (Apple Support)
Apple Watch Series 8 or later, and all models of Apple Watch Ultra, can gather wrist temperature data while you sleep to help give you insight into your overall well-being.
Advanced algorithms then use this data to provide an aggregate for each night that you can view as relative changes from your established baseline temperature in the Health app.
- Apple advances personal health by introducing secure sharing and new insights (Apple Newsroom)
In the Health app, a new Sharing tab lets users privately share their data with a trusted partner or caregiver.
a partner who chooses to share their fertility window insights
- Share your data in Health on iPhone (Apple Support (iPhone User Guide))
You can share health data stored in the Health app—such as health alerts and trends—with friends, family, and others caring for you.
- Apple Health, US App Store listing (features) (Apple App Store)
Track your menstrual cycle with Cycle Tracking. Turn on notifications to tell you when your next period or fertile window is approaching.
Share your health data with people important to you or those who are caring for you.
- Log menstrual cycle information in Health on iPhone (Apple Support (iPhone User Guide))
To add categories to the data logging screen, tap Options next to Log, then choose from the categories below Log.