Comparison

UCSF Eureka Research vs Apple Research

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

UCSF Eureka Research

Participate in real medical research studies from your smartphone to help solve major health issues. Contribute to world-changing research with top universities and make a significant impact on causes you care about.

Highlights
  • Join medical research studies
  • Contribute to health problem solutions
  • Participate via smartphone
  • Support top research universities
  • Track impact on health causes
Features
Read full description

Eureka makes it easy to join real medical studies and help solve the world’s biggest health problems—including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental illness, healthcare inequities and more. It’s now easier than ever to have a big impact on causes you care about . All it takes to contribute to world-changing research with Eureka is a smartphone and a little bit of free time. Team up with millions of other study participants helping top researchers from research universities like UCSF, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins to answer questions like, “What signals from my smartphone might predict heart disease?” and “How does physical activity affect cancer risk?” Eureka is a non-profit resource built by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco with support from the National Institutes of Health. If you have questions about signing up or your current participation, reach out to us at support@eurekaplatform.org. For the studies that are on our app, we are not currently pulling HealthKit data but are collecting approval for future use. We use the CareKit framework in our application but do not connect to it in any other way.

About

Apple Research

Contribute to groundbreaking health research by participating in studies using your Apple Watch and iPhone. Gain insights into your health and help advance medical science and Apple's health technologies. Choose which data to share and manage your contributions.

Highlights
  • Join health research studies
  • Learn about research partners and goals
  • Understand study expectations
  • Enroll by providing consent
  • Choose and manage data sharing
  • Perform study-related tasks
  • Access Apple Health data
Features
Read full description

Making the world a healthier place just got a lot easier. We invite you to join over 350,000 people contributing to groundbreaking research using Apple Watch and iPhone. Your participation will add to an unprecedented initiative that has already led to new insights in human health and advancements in Appleʼs health technologies. 1. Join the Apple Women's Health Study, conducted in partnership with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and National Institute of Health Sciences to help advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and health conditions such as infertility, osteoporosis, and menopause. 2. Join the Apple Health Study, conducted in partnership with the Brigham and Women's Hospital to explore different areas of health. Researchers are especially interested in the interconnectivity of various areas of health, such as the relationship between the menstrual cycle and heart health, or how hearing health can influence mental health. The study brings together diverse perspectives to advance science and develop features that work for us all. 3. Join the Apple Hearing Study, conducted in partnership with the University of Michigan to help advance the understanding of how sound exposure levels over time can impact your hearing, stress levels, and cardiac health. Features: Review available studies, learn about the research partners and the research goals, understand study expectations, and if you are eligible, enroll by providing your consent. Choose which data to share and with what study, and review and manage data collected. Perform relevant tasks for enrolled studies. Learn how other Apple research studies have contributed to advancements in health science and to the development of innovative health products. With your permission, this app can securely access the data you choose to share through the Apple Health app.

Screenshots

UCSF Eureka Research4 screens
Apple Research4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Apple Research at 4.2 against UCSF Eureka Research's 3.1. Apple Research also leads on review sentiment (37% vs 22%) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 330). UCSF Eureka Research's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Apple Research holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 330 and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of UCSF Eureka Research's written reviews are positive against 37% of Apple Research's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UCSF Eureka Research ships an update every 5 weeks, Apple Research every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
UCSF Eureka Research versus Apple Research: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUCSF Eureka ResearchApple Research
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (330 ratings)4.2 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews36.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3301.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB105 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUniversity of California at San FranciscoApple

Customer experience

UCSF Eureka Research

All ratings329 ratings
Positive47.1%
Neutral11.2%
Negative41.6%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral16.2%
Negative61.5%

Apple Research

All ratings1,551 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative14.0%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive36.7%
Neutral21.9%
Negative41.4%

User reviews

UCSF Eureka Research

From 330 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Allows participation in multiple studies
  • 👍 Reassuring to be run by academic institution

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Concerns about data security and privacy
  • 👎 Buggy and unstable
  • 👎 Unreliable login and password reset functionality

Apple Research

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Frictionless participation
  • 🚀 Excellent data collector
  • 💡 Great concept
  • 🌟 Behind you 100%
  • 👍 Love collaborative research

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Privacy concerns
  • 🐛 Buggy app
  • 🔋 High battery drain
  • 🚫 Limited to Apple devices
  • 💰 Lack of compensation

Bugs and requests

UCSF Eureka Research

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes during data entry
  • Login issues, unable to reset password
  • Incompatible with certain devices (e.g., jailbroken, older devices)
  • Unexpected behavior when trying to opt out or delete account

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve stability and reliability
  • Provide better instructions and guidance
  • Add support for international users
  • Improve battery optimization

Apple Research

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Transferring studies to new device fails
  • Hearing test issues
  • Menstrual cycle survey crashes
  • Demographic info not editable
  • Quiet place detection not working

Requested features

6 requests
  • Save progress in surveys
  • Ability to edit/review submitted data
  • Incentives for participation
  • Expand to non-Apple devices
  • More diverse study options
Show 1 more
  • Ability to share data with medical providers

In-app purchases

None

UCSF Eureka Research

No in-app purchases

None

Apple Research

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is UCSF Eureka Research free?
UCSF Eureka Research is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Apple Research free?
Apple Research is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, UCSF Eureka Research or Apple Research?
Apple Research is rated higher. UCSF Eureka Research averages 3.1 out of 5 from 330 ratings, while Apple Research averages 4.2 from 1.6K ratings.
Do UCSF Eureka Research or Apple Research have ads?
Neither UCSF Eureka Research nor Apple Research shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UCSF Eureka Research or Apple Research?
UCSF Eureka Research ships an update every 5 weeks, and Apple Research every 2 months. Most recently, UCSF Eureka Research was updated on November 2, 2026 and Apple Research on November 11, 2026.

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