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Healthcare · head to head

Flo vs GNU Health

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
GNU Health logo

GNU Health

Healthcare

Free hospital and health information system from a small NGO, built on the Tryton framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; GNU Health development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • They diverge on capability: Flo covers Cycle and ovulation tracking, GNU Health covers Electronic medical record.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flo and GNU Health actually diverge.

Attributes where Flo and GNU Health differ
AttributeFloGNU Health
Pricing modelFree with a Premium subscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebLinux, Web, Self-hosted

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 GNU Health

  • Electronic medical record
  • Hospital management
  • Laboratory information system
  • Social medicine modules
  • Tryton business modules
  • Health federation
  • ICD and standards support
  • Modular installation

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 GNU Health
  • 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 GNU Health
  • A buyer wanting to compare Flo directly against Clue on published data practices before choosing which app to trust with this informationnot GNU Health
  • Someone who wants pregnancy tracking content alongside cycle tracking in one app rather than switching apps mid-pregnancynot GNU Health

GNU Health

  • A public hospital in a low-resource setting that cannot fund commercial EMR licensing and has in-house Linux capabilitynot Flo
  • A ministry building a national health network where source code inspection and data sovereignty are policy requirementsnot Flo
  • A university teaching health informatics that needs a complete, inspectable system rather than a vendor demonstrationnot Flo
  • A community health programme that needs socioeconomic determinants recorded alongside clinical datanot 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.

GNU Health

  • Development depends on GNU Solidario, a very small nonprofit funded by donations and training, so release cadence and long-term continuity are tied to a handful of people rather than to an engineering organisation.
  • It is built on Tryton, a framework few health IT staff know, so hiring or contracting people who can extend and maintain it is materially harder than for a mainstream stack.
  • Installation, upgrades and database administration assume Linux and Python competence, which puts the real cost on staffing rather than on licensing and defeats hospitals that lack that team.
  • The interface is functional rather than designed, and clinician acceptance is a genuine deployment risk compared with commercial systems that have invested heavily in usability.
  • Certification, regulatory conformance and interoperability testing that some jurisdictions demand of clinical systems are not provided by a vendor, so the adopting institution has to carry that work and that liability itself.

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

GNU Health

Free
  • GNU HealthFree
    • GNU GPL licence
    • All modules included
    • No patient, bed or user limits
  • Support and training$undefined/year
    • Paid support and implementation from GNU Solidario
    • Training courses and certification
    • Quoted per institution

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 GNU Health if

  • You need electronic medical record.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want hospital management.
GNU Health review

Questions people ask

Is Flo or GNU Health better?
Neither clearly leads. Flo starts at Free and GNU Health at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flo or GNU Health?
Flo starts at Free and GNU Health at Free.
Does Flo or GNU Health run on more platforms?
Flo runs on iOS, Android, Web. GNU Health runs on Linux, Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Flo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 GNU Health is typically brought in for.
What can Flo do that GNU Health cannot?
Flo covers Cycle and ovulation tracking, Pregnancy mode, Anonymous Mode, Symptom and mood logging. GNU Health covers Electronic medical record, Hospital management, Laboratory information system, Social medicine modules.

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.

GNU Health: Who develops GNU Health?

GNU Solidario, a Spanish nonprofit NGO, as an official GNU package under the GPL.

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.

GNU Health: Is there commercial support?

Yes, in a limited form, from GNU Solidario itself and a small number of implementers. It is not a vendor support organisation.

Flo: Is Flo free?

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

GNU Health: What is it built on?

Tryton, a Python business application framework, which is where its accounting, stock and HR modules come from.

GNU Health: Is it suitable for a large hospital?

It is deployed in hospitals, but the deciding factor is whether you have internal Linux, Python and Tryton capability rather than the size of the institution.

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