# CDC vs COVID Symptom

The clearest difference is review sentiment: COVID Symptom at 72% against CDC's 22%. COVID Symptom also leads on rating (4.4 vs 2.9) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, 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.

COVID Symptom holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 413 and 402 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of CDC's written reviews are positive against 72% of COVID Symptom's.

CDC ships an update monthly, COVID Symptom weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CDC | COVID Symptom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (413 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdc/id487847188/reviews) | **[4.4 (402 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/covid-symptom/id1510692333/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **413** | 402 |
| Positive reviews | 22.5% of reviews | **72.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 38 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Centers For Disease Control and Prevention](https://appshunter.io/developer/439259253) | [The University of Michigan](https://appshunter.io/developer/380339599) |

## What reviewers say

### CDC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdc/id487847188)

Access the latest health information and news directly from the official source. Organize your home screen to prioritize what matters most and receive real-time updates. Explore a variety of content including disease data, videos, podcasts, and journal articles.

**Highlights:** Up-to-date health information, Customizable home screen, Disease case counts, Videos and podcasts, Journal articles, Searchable web content

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Informative and reliable health information
- 🚀 Easy to navigate and access data
- 👍 Useful for public health professionals and students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- ⚠️ Outdated or inaccurate information, especially regarding COVID-19
- 🔒 Privacy and security concerns
- 👎 Lack of trust in the CDC due to political influence

**Reported bugs**

- Links within articles not working
- App freezing or not loading past the splash screen
- Symptom checker and other features not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Improved contact tracing tools
- More up-to-date and comprehensive disease data
- Better integration with other health apps and platforms
- Landscape mode support for tablets


### COVID Symptom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/covid-symptom/id1510692333)

Easily record and monitor your COVID-19 symptoms over time. This app helps alleviate anxiety by providing a clear history of your health status and test results. Contribute to vital COVID research by sharing anonymized data.

**Highlights:** Track key COVID symptoms, View symptom history, Alleviate anxiety, Contribute to COVID research, Share symptom reports with doctors, Record test results

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for tracking symptoms
- 🚀 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Convenient for daily health monitoring
- 👍 Great for research and public health data collection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable
- 🐛 Unable to add custom symptoms or notes
- 🐛 Cannot enter historical data
- 🐛 Issues with accepting location data (postcodes/zip codes)
- 🐛 Reports not generating or corrupted

**Reported bugs**

- Symptom and health data not saving properly
- Gender and other settings not persisting
- Oxygen saturation readings not accepted below certain levels
- Inconsistent app behavior and crashes

**Requested features**

- Add more symptom options, including uncommon ones
- Allow users to add custom symptoms or notes
- Implement ability to retroactively add past symptoms and data
- Improve location data handling to accept more formats
- Generate comprehensive health reports for users


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CDC free?

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

### Is COVID Symptom free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CDC or COVID Symptom?

COVID Symptom is rated higher. CDC averages 2.9 out of 5 from 413 ratings, while COVID Symptom averages 4.4 from 402 ratings.

### Do CDC or COVID Symptom have ads?

Neither CDC nor COVID Symptom shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CDC or COVID Symptom?

CDC ships an update monthly, and COVID Symptom weekly. Most recently, CDC was updated on September 15, 2026 and COVID Symptom on September 28, 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.*