Best migraine tracker apps compared

There is no single best migraine tracker app. Cephalo fits people who want fast, private tracking on an iPhone; Migraine Buddy suits people who value a large community and broad platform support; N1-Headache offers a structured 90-day self-study; Bearable tracks migraine alongside other conditions.

Cephalo publishes this comparison. Every app below gets a clear best-fit use case, a relevant limitation, and links to the vendor sources behind factual claims.

Which migraine tracker fits you best?

Start with the job you need the diary to do. The four apps take meaningfully different approaches, even when their feature lists overlap.

Cephalo

Best for fast, private tracking with ongoing personal analysis

No account, local health data, quick logging, and on-device insights on iPhone.

Migraine Buddy

Best for community and broad platform support

An established tracker with millions of users, doctor reports, and iOS and Android apps.

N1-Headache

Best for a structured 90-day self-study

Daily tracking followed by individual Trigger, Protector, and No Association maps.

Bearable

Best for tracking several conditions together

Custom symptoms, mood, sleep, medication, and lifestyle factors in one broad diary.

Migraine tracker comparison at a glance

Claims and US prices checked in July 2026. Prices can change and vary by storefront.

Decision factor Cephalo Migraine Buddy N1-Headache Bearable
Best fit Fast, private migraine tracking on iPhone Established cross-platform tracking with a large community[1] A formal personal self-study with daily tracking for at least 90 days[3] Migraine as part of a broader picture of symptoms, mood, sleep, habits, and treatment[7]
Logging approach Start an episode in seconds; add intensity, medication, symptoms, and context now or later Customizable attack record covering triggers, symptoms, medication, relief, sleep, and weather[1] Daily entries on migraine and non-headache days to build the dataset behind its maps[3] Custom daily check-ins across symptoms, factors, mood, medication, sleep, and other health metrics[7]
Personal analysis Plus analyzes personal triggers, patterns, and risk with confidence levels; processing stays on the device Pattern insights in the tracker; premium adds predictive risk analysis and tailored action plans[1] Premium Trigger, Protector, and No Association maps after at least 90 days of daily data[3] Weekly reports and a customizable graph are free; premium adds full correlation reports and experiments[7]
Account None: no sign-up, email, or login Email address and password[2] Onboarding collects name, email address, and phone number[5] Email and password, or sign-in through Google, Apple, or Facebook[8]
Health-data location On your iPhone; optional encrypted sync through your personal iCloud account. The App Store privacy label lists no health-data collection[9] Vendor cloud infrastructure with processors in EU, US, and Singapore regions; anonymized statistics may be disclosed with an opt-out[2] Vendor servers; the privacy policy describes encryption when possible and sharing anonymized data with selected research groups[5] Google Firestore in Frankfurt; health data is encrypted server-side and the vendor says it does not sell personal data[8]
Offline use The diary, history, and on-device analysis work in airplane mode Not stated by the vendor Not stated by the vendor Not stated by the vendor
Reports and export Full JSON backup is free. Doctor-ready PDF and CSV exports require Plus; a separate 14-day report unlock also opens PDF reports Diary and specialist reports for medical consultations; detailed reports are part of MBplus[1] Personal analytical report listed in the plan comparison; secure web dashboard available to participating clinicians[4][6] Weekly reports are included free; a clinician-specific PDF is not stated in the vendor's public product materials[7]
Free and paid Free: unlimited diary, complete history, 7-day insights, MIDAS, and JSON backup. Plus: $2.99/month or $24.99/year, with a lifetime option[9] Free tracker; MBplus purchases listed at $9.99-$12.99/month and $69.99-$89.99/year[1] Free Basic tier; Premium maps and analysis via a $49.99 one-time purchase[4] Free custom tracking and weekly reports with history limited to 30 days; premium is $34.99/year with a 7-day trial[7]
Platforms iPhone; the iPhone app also runs on Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision. No Android or web login[9] iOS and Android; the iOS app also supports iPad and Apple silicon Mac[1] iOS and Android; web dashboard for participating healthcare providers[3][6] iOS and Android[7]

“Not stated by the vendor” means the fact was not found in the vendor's public website, app-store listing, or privacy policy. It does not mean the app lacks the capability.

Which migraine app is best for privacy?

Cephalo is the clearest fit when privacy means no account and no vendor copy of your headache diary. Entries stay on your iPhone, optional sync uses your personal iCloud account, and personal analysis runs on the device. The full diary also works without an internet connection.

Choose differently if you need Android, browser access, or community features. Cephalo is iPhone-only, has no web login, and does not connect users to one another.

Which migraine tracker is best for community and platform support?

Migraine Buddy is the strongest fit for reach, community, and access across iOS and Android. Its public App Store listing reports millions of users, active community features, customizable attack records, and reports for medical consultations.[1]

That approach requires an account and stores health information in vendor-managed cloud infrastructure. Its logging flow is also broader than Cephalo's deliberately compact diary.

Which migraine tracker is best for personal pattern analysis?

Cephalo fits ongoing personal analysis within a normal diary; N1-Headache fits a formal self-study. Cephalo Plus analyzes triggers and patterns on your phone as your diary grows. N1-Headache asks for daily migraine and non-headache data for at least 90 days before producing its individual maps.

N1-Headache is the more deliberate protocol, but it asks for a longer daily commitment. Cephalo is designed for lower-friction episode logging, but it does not claim to reproduce N1-Headache's formal 90-day method.

Which app is best for tracking migraine with other conditions?

Bearable is the better fit when migraine is one part of a wider health picture. It combines customizable symptoms, mood, medication, sleep, habits, and treatments, then provides reports and correlations across those inputs.[7]

Its breadth is the tradeoff: Bearable is not centered on a migraine-specific diary or a no-account, on-device architecture.

Is Cephalo free?

Cephalo keeps the diary itself useful without a subscription. Plus pays for deeper analysis and presentation-oriented exports, not continued access to your own history.

Cephalo Free

  • Unlimited logging and complete editable history
  • 7-day basic insights
  • MIDAS assessment
  • Full JSON backup for restore and portability

Cephalo Plus

  • Personal trigger, pattern, and risk analysis
  • 30-day, 90-day, and 365-day insights
  • Weather correlation and MIDAS trends
  • Doctor-ready PDF and CSV exports

A separate one-time unlock opens PDF reports for 14 days. CSV export and the other Plus features are not included in that temporary report unlock.

Which migraine tracker should you choose?

Choose Cephalo if

  • You use an iPhone and want to start without creating an account.
  • You want quick episode logging and a complete, unlimited diary history.
  • You prefer your health data and personal analysis to stay on your device.
  • You want a private diary first, with deeper analysis and doctor exports available when needed.

Choose another app if

  • You need Android, web access, or a large community: consider Migraine Buddy.
  • You can commit to daily tracking for a formal 90-day self-study: consider N1-Headache.
  • You need one diary for migraine, mood, pain, fatigue, sleep, and other conditions: consider Bearable.

How we compared these migraine trackers

Cephalo selected apps with meaningful public reach or a materially different tracking model. We compared the decisions that change day-to-day use: logging effort, analysis method, account requirement, data location, offline use, reports, pricing, and platforms. We used official vendor websites, privacy policies, and app-store listings rather than third-party feature roundups.

Feature and privacy claims were checked in July 2026. Where a vendor does not publish an answer, the table says so instead of treating missing documentation as proof that a feature is absent. Cephalo's Free and Plus boundary was also checked against the current app behavior.

Migraine tracker comparison FAQ

Which migraine tracker works without an account?

Of the four apps compared here, Cephalo is the only one that requires no account, email address, or login. It stores the diary on your iPhone and can optionally sync it through your personal iCloud account.

Which migraine tracker is best for personal pattern analysis?

Cephalo is the better fit for ongoing, on-device trigger and pattern analysis alongside a normal diary. N1-Headache is the better fit if you want a formal self-study and can complete daily entries for at least 90 days before receiving its individual maps.

Which migraine tracker is best for sharing with a doctor?

Cephalo Plus is a strong fit if you want a doctor-ready PDF generated privately on your iPhone; a 14-day report unlock is also available. Migraine Buddy offers diary and specialist reports, while N1-Headache includes a personal analytical report. Bearable offers weekly reports but does not publicly state a clinician-specific PDF.

Is Cephalo free?

Cephalo's free diary includes unlimited logging, complete editable history, 7-day basic insights, MIDAS, and a full JSON backup. Cephalo Plus adds personal analysis, longer insight periods, weather correlation, and PDF and CSV exports.

When should I choose another app instead of Cephalo?

Choose another app if you need Android or web access, want a large user community, prefer a formal 90-day self-study, or need to track migraine alongside several other health conditions. Those are the clearest strengths of Migraine Buddy, N1-Headache, and Bearable.

Want a migraine diary that stays on your iPhone?

Start logging without an account. Your complete history and JSON backup stay available in the free diary; pay only when you want deeper analysis or doctor-ready exports.

Download Cephalo on the App Store

See all Cephalo features, or read the user guide first.

Sources

  1. Apple App Store, Migraine Buddy listing by Voluntis: users, community, logging, reports, premium features, pricing, and Apple platforms, apps.apple.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  2. Migraine Buddy Privacy Policy: account data, cloud infrastructure regions, and anonymized disclosure, migrainebuddy.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  3. N1-Headache, “For Patients”: supported mobile platforms, daily tracking, minimum 90-day protocol, and individual maps, n1-headache.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  4. N1-Headache patient pricing: Basic and Premium features and one-time purchase, n1-headache.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  5. Curelator/N1-Headache Privacy Policy: onboarding data, storage, encryption, and research sharing, n1-headache.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  6. N1-Headache, “For Healthcare Providers”: secure clinician web dashboard, n1-headache.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  7. Bearable website: product scope, reports, free tier, history limit, premium features, pricing, and platforms, bearable.app (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  8. Bearable Privacy Policy: account creation, Firestore storage, encryption, and data-sale statement, bearable.app (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩
  9. Apple App Store, Cephalo listing by Iterica B.V.: pricing, platforms, and App Privacy disclosure, apps.apple.com (accessed July 18, 2026). ↩