# CDC's Milestone Tracker vs Aqua

The clearest difference is rating: CDC's Milestone Tracker at 4.9 against Aqua's 2.8. CDC's Milestone Tracker also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 30%) and ratings volume (11K vs 74). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CDC's Milestone Tracker has 11K ratings behind it against 74, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of CDC's Milestone Tracker's written reviews are positive against 30% of Aqua's.

CDC's Milestone Tracker ships an update every 6 months, Aqua every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CDC's Milestone Tracker | Aqua |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdcs-milestone-tracker/id1232718688/reviews)** | [2.8 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqua-tots/id1625129431/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | 74 |
| Positive reviews | **62.0% of reviews** | 29.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 61 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Centers For Disease Control and Prevention](https://appshunter.io/developer/439259253) | [AQUA-TOTS SWIM SCHOOL HOLDING LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625129433) |

## 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


### Aqua

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqua-tots/id1625129431)

Easily manage your child's swim lessons with this app. View schedules, cancel classes, book make-up lessons, and receive reminders. Track your child's progress and ensure they gain water safety skills.

**Highlights:** View class schedule, Cancel upcoming classes, Schedule make-up lessons, Receive lesson reminders, Track child's progression

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Functional for basic needs
- 👍 Good for tracking schedules
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Clean app layout
- 👍 User-friendly screens

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Annoyingly buggy
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Scheduling difficult and confusing
- 🐛 Fails to update progress
- 🐛 App freezes frequently

**Reported bugs**

- Login buttons circling into nothingness
- Same notifications pop up 5 times in a row
- Latest app update broken Apple login
- App keeps failing to update child's progress
- App freezes and fails to load, requires reinstallation

**Requested features**

- Push swim lesson times to Apple/Google calendar
- Export class schedule to calendar
- Digital report cards
- Preview makeup class availability before cancelling
- Schedule makeup classes further than 1 week out


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CDC's Milestone Tracker free?

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

### Is Aqua free?

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

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

CDC's Milestone Tracker is rated higher. CDC's Milestone Tracker averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Aqua averages 2.8 from 74 ratings.

### Do CDC's Milestone Tracker or Aqua have ads?

Neither CDC's Milestone Tracker nor Aqua shows ads.

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

CDC's Milestone Tracker ships an update every 6 months, and Aqua every 4 months. Most recently, CDC's Milestone Tracker was updated on October 26, 2026 and Aqua on October 24, 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.*