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Healthcare · head to head

Flo vs OpenClinica

Flo logo

Flo

Healthcare

Period and cycle tracking app that settled with the US FTC in 2021 over sharing health data with third parties despite promising not to

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenClinica logo

OpenClinica

Healthcare

Clinical trial EDC with a genuinely open source community edition alongside a quoted commercial platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Flo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Flo flo Health settled with the US FTC in 2021 over allegations it shared sensitive health data, including pregnancy and menstruation details, with Facebook, Google and other third parties despite telling users the data would stay private, a fact directly relevant to how much a user should trust current privacy claims without independently checking the published policy.; OpenClinica the free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • They diverge on capability: Flo covers Cycle and ovulation tracking, OpenClinica covers Open source community edition.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flo and OpenClinica actually diverge.

Attributes where Flo and OpenClinica differ
AttributeFloOpenClinica
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree with a Premium subscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Healthcare).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Flo

  • Cycle and ovulation tracking
  • Pregnancy mode
  • Anonymous Mode
  • Symptom and mood logging
  • Expert content library
  • Community and forums

Only in OpenClinica

  • Open source community edition
  • Electronic data capture
  • eConsent
  • eCOA and ePRO
  • Randomisation
  • EHR-to-EDC
  • Audit trail
  • Reporting and analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flo

  • Someone tracking cycle and ovulation who wants to weigh app convenience against the sensitivity of the data being loggednot OpenClinica
  • A user in a jurisdiction with legal risk around reproductive health data who wants to check Anonymous Mode and current data sharing policy before logging pregnancy or fertility attemptsnot OpenClinica
  • A buyer wanting to compare Flo directly against Clue on published data practices before choosing which app to trust with this informationnot OpenClinica
  • Someone who wants pregnancy tracking content alongside cycle tracking in one app rather than switching apps mid-pregnancynot OpenClinica

OpenClinica

  • An academic coordinating centre running investigator-initiated trials that needs Part 11 compliant capture without an enterprise eClinical budgetnot Flo
  • A registry or observational cohort study collecting structured data across many sites over yearsnot Flo
  • A small device sponsor that needs eConsent and ePRO in the same system as its case report formsnot Flo
  • An informatics group that wants to self-host the open source edition for a non-regulated internal studynot Flo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Flo

  • Flo Health settled with the US FTC in 2021 over allegations it shared sensitive health data, including pregnancy and menstruation details, with Facebook, Google and other third parties despite telling users the data would stay private, a fact directly relevant to how much a user should trust current privacy claims without independently checking the published policy.
  • Reproductive health data, including logged periods, fertility attempts and pregnancy status, has been the subject of law enforcement data requests in some jurisdictions following changes to reproductive rights law, and cloud-stored logs are a real category of exposure regardless of a vendors intentions.
  • Anonymous Mode, the privacy feature introduced after the settlement, is a setting that must be checked and understood rather than assumed, and its exact scope and default status should be verified in the current privacy policy rather than taken from marketing copy.
  • Free tier predictions rely on self-reported symptom data and general population models, so accuracy for irregular cycles or specific medical conditions is limited compared with clinical tracking.
  • The subscription auto-renews and, like most mobile subscriptions, must be cancelled through app store account settings rather than inside the app itself.

OpenClinica

  • The free community edition is a different and older product line from the commercial platform, so evaluating the open source build tells you little about what the paid product actually does.
  • The vendor provides no support or services at all for the community edition, which means outages, patching, database upgrades and validation documentation are entirely your problem.
  • Commercial pricing is not published, so you cannot benchmark it against alternatives without entering a sales process, and third-party figures around USD 1,000 a month are indicative rather than contractual.
  • Study build is skilled work: complex edit checks, randomisation schemes and integrations usually mean paying for vendor or consultant configuration services on top of the licence, which is a frequently underestimated line in the budget.
  • As a smaller vendor than the large eClinical suites it has a thinner partner and consultant ecosystem, so finding experienced build staff or a CRO already fluent in the platform is harder than with the market incumbents.

Pricing, plan by plan

Flo

Free
  • Flo Premium$11.99/month
    • Free tier covers core cycle tracking, predictions and symptom logging
    • Premium adds deeper personalised insights and expert content, around $11.99 a month
    • Annual and lifetime purchase options typically offered at a lower effective rate

OpenClinica

On request
  • Community Edition$undefined/year
    • Free and open source under the LGPL
    • Self-hosted, on the older 3.x line
    • No vendor support or services of any kind
  • OpenClinica Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Pricing only through a sales process
    • Hosted and validated instance
    • EDC, eConsent, eCOA, randomisation and analytics modules

Which should you pick?

Choose Flo if

  • You need cycle and ovulation tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want pregnancy mode.
Flo review

Choose OpenClinica if

  • You need open source community edition.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
  • You also want electronic data capture.
OpenClinica review

Questions people ask

Is Flo or OpenClinica better?
Neither clearly leads. Flo starts at Free and OpenClinica at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flo or OpenClinica?
Flo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flo and On request for OpenClinica.
Does Flo or OpenClinica run on more platforms?
Flo runs on iOS, Android, Web. OpenClinica runs on Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android.
Can I use Flo for free?
Yes. Flo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OpenClinica starts at On request.
What is Flo best used for?
Flo is most often used for someone tracking cycle and ovulation who wants to weigh app convenience against the sensitivity of the data being logged, a user in a jurisdiction with legal risk around reproductive health data who wants to check anonymous mode and current data sharing policy before logging pregnancy or fertility attempts, a buyer wanting to compare flo directly against clue on published data practices before choosing which app to trust with this information, someone who wants pregnancy tracking content alongside cycle tracking in one app rather than switching apps mid-pregnancy. Of those, someone tracking cycle and ovulation who wants to weigh app convenience against the sensitivity of the data being logged and a user in a jurisdiction with legal risk around reproductive health data who wants to check anonymous mode and current data sharing policy before logging pregnancy or fertility attempts are not what OpenClinica is typically brought in for.
What can Flo do that OpenClinica cannot?
Flo covers Cycle and ovulation tracking, Pregnancy mode, Anonymous Mode, Symptom and mood logging. OpenClinica covers Open source community edition, Electronic data capture, eConsent, eCOA and ePRO.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flo: What happened with the FTC in 2021?

The US FTC alleged Flo Health shared sensitive health data, including pregnancy and menstruation details, with third parties like Facebook and Google despite promising to keep it private. Flo settled without admitting liability, agreeing to obtain consent for future sharing and to an independent privacy review.

OpenClinica: Is OpenClinica free?

There is a genuinely free, LGPL licensed community edition you host yourself with no vendor support. The commercial platform with eConsent, eCOA and a validated hosted instance is quoted and paid.

Flo: What is Anonymous Mode?

A privacy setting Flo states disconnects entered health data from an identifiable profile. Check the current app and privacy policy for whether it is on by default or must be turned on manually, since this affects what data is linked to your identity.

OpenClinica: Is the open source version still maintained?

Yes, releases on the 3.x line continued through 2025, but it is a separate and older architecture from the commercial product.

Flo: Is Flo free?

Core cycle tracking and predictions are free. Deeper personalised insights and expert content require Flo Premium.

OpenClinica: Does it meet 21 CFR Part 11?

The commercial hosted platform is built for Part 11 and GCP compliance. If you self-host the community edition, compliance and validation are entirely your responsibility.

OpenClinica: What does the commercial version cost?

Not published. Third-party listings suggest enterprise arrangements from around USD 1,000 per month, but real cost depends on study count, subjects, modules and build services.

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