5Strands vs Function Health
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
5Strands
Track your food intake, environmental exposures, and symptoms to identify patterns and make informed lifestyle changes. Features include food scanning, easy calendar logging, access to test results, and curated recipes. Gain insights into your body's unique needs and connect with a supportive community.
- Food ingredient scanning
- Daily meal and symptom logging
- Access to test results
- Intolerance-friendly recipes
- Personal wellness scoring
- Community insights and sharing
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The 5Strands app helps you track the foods you eat, the environmental factors you're exposed to, and your symptoms so you can identify patterns and make the lifestyle changes needed to feel more at home in your body. Stop second-guessing and give yourself the tools to make more confident choices every day. --APP FEATURES-- Scan Your Food: Use the built-in scanner to instantly check ingredients at home or on-the-go. Easy Calendar Tracking: Log your daily meals, surroundings, and symptoms so you can recognize patterns over time. Access Your Test Results Anytime: Filter your results by severity level to make smarter food and environmental choices anywhere. Find New Recipes: Browse curated recipes that help you avoid your food intolerances. Upgrade Your Test Results: Purchase digital upgrades to expand your results beyond food intolerances and environmental sensitivities without sending a new hair sample. Personal Wellness Score: Scoring is based on your results, so you can track your progress over time. Access New At-Home Tests: Explore more tests to further refine your daily diet and lifestyle choices. Gain Community Insights: Connect with others, ask questions, and share your own experiences. You're not just tracking. You're actively learning what works for your unique body. Download the 5Strands app and make meaningful lifestyle changes today!
Function Health
Gain deep insights into your health with over 160 lab tests annually, personalized protocols, and AI-powered chat. Understand your body's evolution, track progress, and make informed changes with advanced science and your data.
- 160+ annual lab tests
- Personalized health protocols
- AI-powered private chat
- Home or office blood draws
- Advanced MRI & CT scans
- Connect wearables
- Upload health records
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Function membership helps you take control of your health with 160+ lab tests each year, personalized Protocols, and Private AI Chat powered by Medical Intelligence—all backed by advanced science and your real data. Built with top doctors, Function gives you the power to understand your body, track how it evolves, and make meaningful change. NOW AVAILABLE: HOME OR OFFICE BLOOD DRAWS Schedule a concierge blood draw at your home or office. A licensed specialist comes to you and completes your blood draw in under 20 minutes. Available in select locations. 160+ LAB TESTS Membership includes testing for your heart, hormones, thyroid, liver, kidneys, toxins, nutrients, inflammation, autoimmunity, immunity and more. ADVANCED MRI & CT SCANS Detect early signs of cancer and hundreds of other potential conditions with the option to purchase advanced imaging for your brain, pancreas, liver, spine, ovaries, prostate, heart and much more. MEDICAL INTELLIGENCE Built with leading medical scientists, Function’s proprietary model brings together your health history and insights from a large population to help you better understand your health and find steps you can take today to support your health over time. PRIVATE AI CHAT Ask questions about your results, identify meaningful patterns, and figure out where to focus next, with Private AI Chat—powered by Medical Intelligence and built in partnership with top clinicians. CONNECT WEARABLES Connect Apple Health and other health devices and wearables to see how your activity, sleep, and daily habits affect your lab test results and long-term health. PROTOCOLS Translate your lab results, scans and health history into clear, evidence-based plans for nutrition, activity, and supplements—all customizable to your goals and preferences. UPLOAD HEALTH RECORDS Upload past lab test results, scans, and other medical records for a more complete view of your health, all in one secure place. PROGRESS YOU CAN SEE Twice-yearly and On-Demand testing helps you track your results over time, monitor for early signs of disease, and identify where to focus next. ADVANCED LAB TESTS Membership includes 160+ lab tests, plus the option to purchase advanced On-Demand tests for: - Detection of 50+ cancers - Alzheimer’s risk detection - MTHFR gene variants - Advanced MRI and CT scans starting at $365 - Food allergies and sensitivities - …and much more ACCESSIBILITY What could cost as much as $15,000 on your own is included with membership for just $365/year. Lab testing is available at over 2,000 lab locations across the US, with no insurance needed. SECURITY Function was built for privacy and security. Function is built to HIPAA standards. Your information is secure. How it works: 1. Join Function and schedule your first set of lab tests. 2. Get your results and personalized Protocols. Ask questions with your Private AI Chat. 3. See your progress with 60+ lab tests at your Mid-Year Test. 4. Purchase MRI or CT scans and other advanced On-Demand Tests any time. DISCLAIMER Function Health is a technology company and not a laboratory or medical provider. All laboratory and medical services are provided by independent third parties. Function Health does not offer medical advice, laboratory services, a diagnosis, medical treatment, or any form of a medical opinion; its services are not a substitute for medical care, medical advice, and/or a detailed discussion with a physician or other licensed provider. If you have any questions regarding any laboratory results or any other information that you access through Function Health, you should contact a physician or other licensed provider. All material, information, data, and content that Function Health provides is strictly for general information purposes. For additional important information: https:// www.functionhealth.com/terms-of-service.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Function Health at none against 5Strands's 1. Function Health also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (25K vs 252). 5Strands's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 62%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. 5Strands sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Function Health asks for nothing beyond the download.
Function Health holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Function Health has 25K ratings behind it against 252, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of 5Strands's written reviews are positive against 62% of Function Health's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.
| Parameter | 5Strands | Function Health |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (252 ratings) | 4.9 (25K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.5% of reviews — better | 61.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 252 | 25K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 80 MB | 206 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Affordable Allergy Test, LLC | Function Health |
Customer experience
5Strands
Function Health
User reviews
5Strands
From 252 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Easy navigation
- 👍 Convenient for grocery shopping
- 👍 Helpful for understanding results
- 👍 Great customer service (Destiny mentioned frequently)
Room to improve
- 😞 Test results accuracy questioned
- 😞 Additional costs for more info
- 😞 App crashes during journal entry
- 😞 App not working after update
- 😞 Cannot sign in after update
Function Health
From 25K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless process for blood tests and results
- 📊 Comprehensive health insights and tracking
- 🧠 Helpful clinician notes and recommendations
- 👍 User-friendly and visually appealing app
- 💰 Affordable compared to other options
Room to improve
- 🔍 Lack of communication and support responsiveness
- 🐛 Some bugs and usability issues in the app
Bugs and requests
5Strands
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes when making journal entry
- App not working after update
- Cannot sign in after update
- Login screen issue (not going past email screen)
Requested features
2 requests- Ability to scan barcodes of foods
- More detailed view of all tested items, not just categories
Function Health
Reported bugs
2 issues- App sometimes redirects back to the home screen when trying to view results
- Occasional typos and formatting issues in the app
Requested features
3 requests- More customization options in the app settings
- Ability to print or export test results and recommendations
- Specific supplement recommendations rather than broad suggestions
In-app purchases
5Strands
- 5Strands VIP$4.991 Month
Function Health
No in-app purchases









