# CDC's Milestone Tracker vs Willow®

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CDC's Milestone Tracker at 61% against Willow®'s 13%. CDC's Milestone Tracker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). Willow®'s advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

CDC's Milestone Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10K and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of CDC's Milestone Tracker's written reviews are positive against 13% of Willow®'s.

CDC's Milestone Tracker ships an update every 6 months, Willow® monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CDC's Milestone Tracker | Willow® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdcs-milestone-tracker/id1232718688/reviews)** | [4.5 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/willow/id1579004074/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | **61.2% of reviews** | 13.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 61 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Centers For Disease Control and Prevention](https://appshunter.io/developer/439259253) | [Willow Innovations, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1168207125) |

## What reviewers say

### CDC's Milestone Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdcs-milestone-tracker/id1232718688)

Monitor your child's developmental progress from 2 months to 5 years with interactive checklists. Includes tips, videos, and guidance on when to seek professional advice. Easily share milestone summaries with healthcare providers.

**Highlights:** Add multiple children, Interactive milestone checklists, Milestone photos and videos, Developmental tips and activities, Guidance on early developmental concerns, Track doctor's appointments, Share milestone summaries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Comprehensive milestone tracking
- 💡 Helpful videos and activities
- 🔍 Useful for monitoring child development
- ⭐ Great resource for parents and caregivers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g., app crashes, incorrect age display)
- 🔍 Overly sensitive to missing milestones, causing unnecessary worry
- 🗣️ Needs more language options beyond English and Spanish
- 🔗 Broken or missing links to external resources
- 🔍 Lacks flexibility for customizing milestones (e.g., for children with special needs)

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect age display for children
- Milestone checklist reset after app updates
- Reference videos not working as expected
- Inability to input child's exact age or prematurity details

**Requested features**

- Ability to sync data between multiple devices
- Option to track milestones beyond early childhood
- Integration with other child health and development apps
- More customization options for milestone tracking
- Improved data visualization and reporting


### Willow®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/willow/id1579004074)

Manage your Willow breast pump, track milk output, and access expert advice for pumping and postpartum care. Features include personalized pump control, session history, and AI-powered support.

**Highlights:** Control Willow pumps remotely, Track milk output and session history, Manage digital milk stash (SmartStash), Access expert articles and videos, AI-powered women's health chat, Book expert consultations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Convenient for on-the-go pumping
- 👍 Comfortable and effective pumps

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with connectivity issues
- 🔋 Poor battery life
- 👎 Lacking key features like pump history and volume tracking

**Reported bugs**

- App frequently disconnects from pumps
- Timer and session data not always accurate
- Pumps sometimes stop working mid-session

**Requested features**

- Add ability to log pumping volume and history
- Allow customization of pump timer
- Improve app responsiveness and reliability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CDC's Milestone Tracker free?

CDC's Milestone Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Willow® free?

Willow® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CDC's Milestone Tracker or Willow®?

CDC's Milestone Tracker is rated higher. CDC's Milestone Tracker averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Willow® averages 4.5 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do CDC's Milestone Tracker or Willow® have ads?

Willow® shows ads; CDC's Milestone Tracker does not.

### Which is updated more often, CDC's Milestone Tracker or Willow®?

CDC's Milestone Tracker ships an update every 6 months, and Willow® monthly. Most recently, CDC's Milestone Tracker was updated on September 23, 2026 and Willow® on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*