Comparison

Willow® vs Malama

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

Head to head
About

Willow®

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
Read full description

More than a pump app. A support system. Control your pumps with a tap from your phone or your wrist, track your session history, and view your pumping trends and metrics. Scan and manage Willow SmartStash Bags in your fridge and freezer. Plus, get access to expert guidance from educational content, live services, and our specialized, AI-powered chat—a virtual support system designed to support you across pumping, feeding, and postpartum care. Who can use the Willow app? This app is compatible with all connected pumps, including Willow Go, Sync, 360, and 3.0. Willow Wave users can manually add manual pump sessions to their session history. And anyone wanting to manage their milk stash can keep track in our SmartStash inventory tracker. All of the pumping, feeding, maternal healthcare, parenting and baby development resources in the app are free for anyone to use! Operate your pumps with a tap. Start and stop your session, switch between modes (Go and Sync), adjust suction levels, and view your pumping duration, all from your phone or smart watch. Set up your own Pumping Preferences, including suction levels and custom timer settings, and set reminders so every session works just the way you like. Get the only app that lets you control your session from your Apple Watch. NEW! You can now control your Go pumps, in addition to Willow 360 and 3.0. Track your sessions. Understand your output. Follow your milk output, session durations, add manual pump sessions and more for a complete picture of your pumping history. Spot trends, optimize your routine, and pump with confidence. With SmartStash, you can quickly and easily scan Willow Milk Bags into your digital stash to manage your inventory in the app. Get your questions answered. Access a comprehensive library of expert-backed articles and videos on all things pumping, feeding, and postpartum care, from establishing supply and building schedules to combo-feeding and more. The Willow app also includes our conversational AI, specially dedicated to women’s health, designed by moms for moms. With both expert resources and AI-powered support, you always have trusted guidance at your fingertips. Book expert sessions for personalized guidance. Connect with lactation consultants, pelvic floor therapists, mental health professionals, Willow sizing experts, and more. Because we know it takes a village. Visit onewillow.com to learn more about the app and explore accessories, content, and more.

About

Malama

Easily track blood sugar levels by syncing with a Bluetooth glucose meter or manually logging. Integrate health and fitness data, tag meals with photos and notes, and receive AI-powered insights into food triggers for high glucose. Connect with specialized prenatal nutritionists.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth glucose meter sync
  • Manual glucose logging
  • HealthKit integration
  • Meal tagging with photos and notes
  • AI-powered food trigger identification
  • Connect with prenatal nutritionists
Features
Read full description

Malama helps women manage gestational diabetes during pregnancy and continue wellness support postpartum. Using Malama’s app, you can sync with a Bluetooth glucose meter to automatically pull in blood sugar and glucose levels. You can also manually log your glucose levels if your meter is not yet supported. Malama can integrate health and fitness data from the Health app using HealthKit and display your trends in a useful, easy-to-understand way. After logging glucose levels, you can add meal tags, photos, carb notes, and other details to share with your care team. Malama also offers powerful analytics using AI to help identify foods and meals that may trigger high blood glucose levels. With our postpartum wellness program, Malama supports healthy routines after pregnancy, including ongoing food insights, glucose awareness, and lifestyle support. We also offer connections to a network of prenatal nutritionists who specialize in gestational diabetes, pregnancy nutrition, and other prenatal conditions. Disclaimer: This app is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please seek a doctor’s advice in addition to using this app and before making any medical decisions.

Screenshots

Willow®4 screens
Malama4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Malama at 94% against Willow®'s 13%. Malama also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Willow®'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 232). On price, update cadence, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Malama sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Willow® asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Malama holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Willow® has 2.8K ratings behind it against 232, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of Willow®'s written reviews are positive against 94% of Malama's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Willow® versus Malama: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWillow®Malama
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.8K ratings)4.8 (232 ratings) — better
Positive reviews13.5% of reviews93.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K — better232
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB35 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperWillow Innovations, Inc.MALAMA HEALTH, INC.

Customer experience

Willow®

All ratings2,756 ratings
Positive85.8%
Neutral4.7%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews289 reviews
Positive13.5%
Neutral15.6%
Negative70.9%

Malama

All ratings194 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.0%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.6%

User reviews

Willow®

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Malama

From 232 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 Photo-based food logging with AI recognition
  • 📱 User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • 🔔 Helpful text reminders for glucose testing
  • 📊 Clear charts and visual data tracking
  • 💾 Easy report export for healthcare providers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and fails to load
  • 💾 Data not saving properly
  • 🔐 Login and verification code issues
  • ⏳ Slow syncing and upload times
  • 🌐 Network error messages

Bugs and requests

Willow®

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Malama

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App won't load or becomes unresponsive
  • Data entries fail to save
  • Verification code screen freezes during login
  • White screen prevents adding logs
  • App stuck on analyzing screen
Show 4 more
  • Network error messages blocking access
  • Syncing delays after submitting entries
  • Glucose range settings don't accept all recommended values
  • Fasting log doesn't display correctly for night shift workers

Requested features

14 requests
  • Water intake tracker
  • Fitness and workout logging
  • Integration with MyFitnessPal or similar apps
  • More detailed macro tracking (carbs, fiber, fat, protein breakdown)
  • Support for additional glucose monitors (Freestyle Libre)
Show 9 more
  • Ability to download food and glucose logs as PDF
  • Blood pressure tracking for preeclampsia monitoring
  • Snooze or pause option for meal tips
  • Apple Health integration for workout data
  • Extended graph viewing beyond one week
  • Improved graph visualization and clarity
  • Customizable reminder timing (5 minutes before test)
  • Ability to set ranges below current minimum thresholds
  • Better support for shift workers and non-traditional schedules

In-app purchases

None

Willow®

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Malama

One-time3
  • Donation$0.99
  • Donation$4.99
  • Donation$9.99

Questions

Is Willow® free?
Willow® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Malama free?
Malama is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Willow® or Malama?
Malama is rated higher. Willow® averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Malama averages 4.8 from 232 ratings.
Do Willow® or Malama have ads?
Willow® shows ads; Malama does not.
Which is updated more often, Willow® or Malama?
Willow® ships an update monthly, and Malama monthly. Most recently, Willow® was updated on October 30, 2026 and Malama on October 27, 2026.

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