Comparison

ACS CARES vs Soothe Note

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

Head to head
About

ACS CARES

Navigate a cancer diagnosis with personalized guidance and support. Connect with peer volunteers, access reliable information on treatment options and resources, and explore survivor stories. Find free services for cancer-related needs and speak with information specialists anytime.

Highlights
  • Peer support connections
  • Personalized cancer information
  • Survivor stories and articles
  • Access to free support services
  • 24/7 information specialist support
Features
Read full description

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer, your first thought may be "what's next?" ACS CARES provides answers by helping you navigate cancer with guidance, information and hope. With ACS CARES, you can: » Connect one-on-one with peer support volunteers who match your lived experiences with cancer, including diagnosis and personal characteristics. » Access personalized, reliable cancer-related information like treatment options and other resources that update as your situation changes or new evidence becomes available. » Explore articles, interactive activities, and real stories from cancer survivors tailored to your unique experience.  » Access free services to help with cancer-related needs like transportation and lodging, and more.  » Speak to an American Cancer Society information specialist when you have questions day or night, 365 days a year. » Download the ACS CARES app today and gain the trusted support you need!

About

Soothe Note

This app helps cancer patients and their caregivers track daily health, symptoms, mood, and medications. It provides insights into patterns, helps organize appointments, and facilitates sharing clear health information with the care team. It also offers tools for encouragement and grounding during treatment.

Highlights
  • Track daily health logs
  • Understand health patterns
  • Organize appointments and medications
  • Share health summaries with care team
  • Patient and Caregiver modes
  • Breathing tools and encouragement
Features
Read full description

Soothe Note is a free, privacy-first cancer tracker for patients, survivors, caregivers, and families managing treatment, recovery, and life between appointments. Built by two high school students, one with caregiving experience and one a two-time cancer survivor, Soothe Note helps organize the details that are easy to forget on low-energy days. DAILY CHECK-INS • Track mood and energy • Log symptoms and intensity • Mark affected areas on a body chart • Add tags and small wins • Use voice input • Review past check-ins SYMPTOM TRACKING Track symptoms, pain, side effects, intensity, and body location over time. Edit or delete entries anytime and review patterns before appointments. MEDICATION TRACKING • Add medication names, doses, and schedules • Record doses taken, skipped, or taken as needed • Track missed-dose reasons and side effects • Monitor supply and refills • Review adherence and streaks • Set reminders and export your medication list TRUSTED HEALTH INFORMATION Look up plain-language information from public U.S. health sources. • Learn about a symptom with articles from MedlinePlus • Look up a medication and see its active ingredient, including for brand names • Find official FDA labels on DailyMed • See current FDA drug shortages and recalls Only the word you look up is sent, never your name or records. Sources are always shown. APPOINTMENT PLANNING • Save dates, times, providers, and locations • Prepare questions and pre-visit notes • Add private post-visit notes • Export appointments to your calendar • Review symptoms and medications before a visit HEALTH INSIGHTS & REPORTS • See mood, energy, symptom, and medication trends • Review symptom intensity and adherence • View your health history in one place • Create, print, email, or download doctor-ready reports • See what has changed since your last visit, including new or worsening symptoms, missed medications, upcoming appointments, and other updates PRIVATE JOURNAL Write reflections, track mood, and save important thoughts. Journal entries are end-to-end encrypted before they sync. PATIENT & CAREGIVER CONNECTION Patients can choose to share updates with trusted caregivers using a secure sharing code. Caregiver access is read-only by default. Caregivers can: • Link multiple patients • See recent check-ins and updates • Review symptoms, medications, and appointments • See plain-language alerts for important changes • Share care handoff notes • Send gentle support pings • Prepare information for doctor visits • Complete caregiver wellness check-ins BUILT FOR PRIVACY • No ads • No social feed • No third-party tracking • End-to-end encrypted journal entries • Health lookups never include your personal information • Secure accounts and offline-first storage • Data export tools • Full account and data deletion anytime DESIGNED FOR LOW-ENERGY DAYS Cancer care is already complicated. Soothe Note uses clear navigation, quick actions, voice input, and simple workflows so important information can be recorded without adding more stress. WHO IT'S FOR • Cancer patients and survivors • Parents, family members, and caregivers • People managing medications and side effects • Patients preparing for doctor visits Soothe Note is free to use. MEDICAL DISCLAIMER Soothe Note is an organizational and informational tool. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, emergency monitoring, or treatment. Health reference information comes from MedlinePlus, RxNorm, DailyMed, and openFDA. Soothe Note is not affiliated with or endorsed by these agencies. Always contact your doctor or care team with medical questions, and do not stop or change a medication without talking to them. Contact emergency services during a medical emergency.

Screenshots

ACS CARES4 screens
Soothe Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Soothe Note at 4.7 against ACS CARES's 4.3. Soothe Note also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Soothe Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 23 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ACS CARES ships an update every 3 weeks, Soothe Note every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ACS CARES versus Soothe Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterACS CARESSoothe Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (22 ratings)4.7 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2223 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB1 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperAmerican Cancer Society IncTeddy Aaron

Customer experience

ACS CARES

All ratings22 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%

Soothe Note

All ratings23 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ACS CARES

No in-app purchases

None

Soothe Note

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ACS CARES free?
ACS CARES is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Soothe Note free?
Soothe Note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ACS CARES or Soothe Note?
Soothe Note is rated higher. ACS CARES averages 4.3 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Soothe Note averages 4.7 from 23 ratings.
Do ACS CARES or Soothe Note have ads?
Neither ACS CARES nor Soothe Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ACS CARES or Soothe Note?
ACS CARES ships an update every 3 weeks, and Soothe Note every 5 days. Most recently, ACS CARES was updated on October 23, 2026 and Soothe Note on October 25, 2026.

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