Kasane

Bearable alternatives: five symptom trackers and journals compared

By Paul Mederos, founder of Kasane · Updated

Clinician review pending · sources checked

The best Bearable alternative depends on what you want more of. Kasane is a family health journal you write in sentences; Guava brings in records from patient portals; mySymptoms is an IBS food diary with a web app for clinicians; CareClinic covers the most devices and caregivers; and Bowelle is a quick diary that keeps your data on your phone.

We make Kasane, so weigh our take accordingly. Everything about the other apps comes from their own sites and US App Store listings, checked on October 23, 2026, and each fact links to where we found it. What follows describes the version on the App Store on October 28, 2026.

At a glance

AppGood forFree versionPaidDevices
BearableTapping in custom symptoms and factors, with correlations and experimentsUnlimited tracking, 30-day trends, CSV exportPremium $34.99, 7-day trialiPhone, Android
KasaneWriting it down in sentences, one question and one change at a time, for your family7-day free trial$9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, covering your Family Sharing groupiPhone
GuavaRecords from patient portals, labs, and devices in one placeRecord sync, tracking, summaries, trends, and correlationsPremium $8 a month or $78 a yeariPhone, Android, web
mySymptomsAn IBS food diary with a food database and the Bristol scale7-day free trial$9.99 a month, $39.99 for 6 months or $59.99 a yeariPhone, Android
CareClinicMany devices, and caregivers managing a child's or parent's profileCore featuresIn-app purchases from $1.99 to $139.99iPhone, Android, web
BowelleA quick diary with no account, kept on your deviceNot itemized on its site"Bowelle Premium" in-app purchases from $2.49 to $17.99iPhone, Android

Why people stay with Bearable

Bearable has the most ratings of the apps we checked, 4.8 stars from 6.5K on the US App Store (App Store), and it updates often. Its free version includes unlimited tracking of symptoms, mood, energy, sleep, and medicines (Bearable), and Premium is $34.99 with a 7-day free trial (Bearable). If you like building your own factors and reading correlation reports, it's a strong choice. For a side-by-side, see Kasane vs Bearable.

The alternatives

Kasane

A health journal for your family, on iPhone. You type or say what happened the way you'd text it, and Kasane files meals, symptoms, workouts, and notes at the right time, in your words. Name a question, and the coach reads your days and suggests one change to test for one to four weeks, with a look-back at the end. Or ask for help with any habit, and Kasane coaches it. Kids and parents you care for each get a journal, and a co-parent can write in a shared child's journal from their own phone. Each person on your care team has a "For the next visit" list. There's no Kasane server in any path: records sync through your own iCloud, and Apple Health is read live. Kasane Family starts with a free week, then costs $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year and covers up to five more people in your Apple Family Sharing group: download Kasane.

Where it shines: writing it down the way you'd say it, and getting from a question to one change you can test.

Guava

Guava syncs records from patient portals, which it says reach "over 50,000 US providers", and connects devices including Apple Health, Dexcom, Oura, and Whoop (App Store). The free plan includes tracking for symptoms, medicines, cycle, and food, with summaries, trends, and correlations, and sharing with doctors or family. Premium is $8 a month or $78 a year and adds the Guava Assistant, lab-result detection, and unlimited profile managers for families and caregivers (Guava). Its visit prep lets you "download, send, or print" a summary (Guava). Data is stored in Guava's cloud with "AES-256 at rest", and Guava says "We do not sell your information" (Guava). It runs on iPhone, Android, and the web.

Where it shines: the deepest medical-records connections of the apps here, with caregiver access on Premium.

mySymptoms

Built for gut symptoms: food database search and barcode scanning, symptom intensity and duration, the Bristol scale, and correlation analysis, with PDF or CSV export and a web app for clinicians called mySymptoms Clinic (App Store, mySymptoms). It costs $9.99 a month, $39.99 for 6 months or $59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. Accounts start with an anonymous username; name and email are needed only to share with a clinician (App Store). It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Android, with 4.6 stars from 4.1K ratings.

Where it shines: an IBS-first food diary with a clinician-side web app.

CareClinic

CareClinic tracks symptoms on a body map, with notes, triggers, medicines, and mood questionnaires, and works with Apple Health, Fitbit, and Apple Watch (CareClinic, App Store). It makes "professional PDF reports with charts and summaries" for your care team, and one account can manage profiles for children and elderly parents (CareClinic). The free version has core features; on the App Store, in-app purchases run from $1.99 to $139.99 (App Store). Data is hosted on AWS in Canada and the US, encrypted at rest (CareClinic). It runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android, and the web (CareClinic).

Where it shines: the widest device coverage here, and caregiver features built in.

Bowelle

Bowelle puts feelings, food, water, stress, bowel movements, and notes on a single screen, with custom fields and meal photos, and reads sleep, steps, water, and weight from Apple Health (Bowelle, App Store). It "does not require you to register", and your entries are kept on your device and in your phone's own backup, "never on Bowelle's servers" (Bowelle). Reports go out by email, print, or AirDrop, as PDF or CSV. It runs on iPhone and Android (Bowelle), with 4.7 stars from 2.2K ratings, and sells "Bowelle Premium" as in-app purchases from $2.49 to $17.99 (App Store).

Where it shines: a fast diary with no account and your data on your phone.

How to choose

  • You want to write it down the way you'd say it, for yourself or your family: Kasane.
  • You want your medical records and devices in one place: Guava.
  • Your main question is food and gut symptoms: mySymptoms or Bowelle, and see the best food diary app for IBS.
  • You care for someone and use many devices: CareClinic.
  • You like custom factors and correlation reports: Bearable is still a great fit.

Whichever you pick, a tracker is a record. Take any symptom that worries you to a doctor, and if your notes are long, here's how to turn them into one page for a visit.

Questions people ask

Is there a free alternative to Bearable?

Guava's free plan includes tracking, summaries, trends, correlations, and record sync from patient portals (Guava). Bearable's own free version is generous too. Kasane starts with a free week, then costs $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year.

Which Bearable alternative works for a family?

Kasane gives kids and parents you care for their own journals, and a co-parent can write in a shared child's journal from their own phone. CareClinic manages profiles for children and elderly parents from one account (CareClinic), and Guava Premium adds unlimited profile managers for families and caregivers (Guava).

Which Bearable alternative is best for IBS?

For a food diary built around gut symptoms, mySymptoms and Bowelle are made for it, and Tract runs structured food tests. Our best food diary app for IBS compares them.

Sources and dates

Every detail about another app was checked on October 23, 2026, on its own site and its US App Store listing, linked next to each fact. Prices and features change, so check their pages for the latest. Kasane's details describe the version on the App Store on October 28, 2026.