Comparison

IBD Radar vs Trace Elements

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

Head to head
About

IBD Radar

This app helps individuals with Crohn's or colitis understand their body's signals, even before symptoms appear. By translating fitness tracker data into wellness insights, it empowers users to make informed choices and regain control over their lives.

Highlights
  • Daily wellness insights from fitness tracker data
  • Early detection of subtle body signals
  • Trend identification via calendar view
  • Personalized check-ins for IBD management
  • Private and secure data handling
Features
Read full description

Made for people with Crohn’s or colitis—because you deserve to feel in control again. IBD Radar helps you understand how your body is doing, even before symptoms appear. By translating hidden signals from your fitness tracker into daily wellness insights, it empowers you to make confident choices and reconnect with the life you want to live. Whether you're working on flares, rebuilding energy, or simply staying steady, IBD Radar is your personalized check-in—designed just for people with inflammatory bowel disease. KNOW YOUR BODY’S STATUS Wake up each morning with a clear picture of how your body’s trending—so you can plan your day with confidence. LISTEN TO HIDDEN SIGNALS Even when you feel fine, your body might be telling a different story. IBD Radar helps you spot subtle shifts so you can stay ahead of symptom changes and feel more in sync with yourself. SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE Use the calendar to identify trends and understand how your lifestyle, stress, or routines affect how you feel. Track progress over time and reflect on what’s helping you thrive. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your data is yours. We never share, sell, or compromise your information. BUILT FOR WELLNESS IBD Radar is not intended to provide medical services such as diagnosis, cure, mitigation, prevention, or treatment of any disease or medical condition. The app is not a substitute for the advice of a medical professional based on your personal circumstances. Always consult a doctor before making any medical decisions. REAL STORIES FROM THE IBD RADAR COMMUNITY “Attended my sister’s wedding symptom-free—IBD Radar helped me enjoy the day without anxiety.” “First camping trip in years without fear of flare-ups. This app gave me back my adventurous spirit.” “Understanding my body’s ups and downs helped me stay present at work.” “Life-changing peace of mind from knowing my triggers—more energy and far fewer bad days.” “Spent a full weekend dancing at a music festival—having clarity made it feel carefree again.” You’ve learned to listen to your symptoms. Now start listening to your body. Download IBD Radar and live on your terms. -- This app is intended for use in regions where wellness tracking apps are permitted and does not require regulatory approval. Disclaimer: IBD Radar is intended for general wellness purposes only. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions. This app reads wearable data (e.g., steps, heart rate) to provide general wellness insights. It does not interface with medical hardware or make health decisions. Privacy Policy: https://www.ibdradar.com/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.ibdradar.com/terms-of-service For technical support, reach out to: ryan@octopusdreams.com

About

Trace Elements

This app helps individuals manage restricted diets by logging food intake and estimating nickel or cobalt content. It offers offline functionality, a customizable food database, and trend tracking to monitor daily intake against set limits.

Highlights
  • Offline food logging
  • Nickel and cobalt intake estimation
  • Customizable food database
  • Barcode scanning
  • Recipe building
  • Daily trend calendar
  • Journaling for mood and notes
Features
Read full description

Trace Elements is a private, offline food diary for people on a restricted diet — a low-nickel diet for Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome (SNAS) or nickel-sensitive dermatitis, or a low-cobalt diet. Log what you eat and the app estimates how much nickel (or cobalt) each meal and each day adds up to, against a daily limit you set. It works fully offline, has no account, no ads, and no tracking. Your data stays on your iPhone. FAST DAILY LOGGING • Add foods to Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks • Enter amounts in grams or common serving sizes • A progress ring shows your running daily total at a glance • Copy a meal forward from yesterday with one tap • Save favorite meals and re-add them in seconds A FOOD DATABASE THAT GROWS WITH YOU • Hundreds of foods with reference values from the Rebelytics low-nickel and low-cobalt diet datasets • Edit or add your own values — they're saved and reused • Scan a packaged product's barcode to pull in its ingredient list • Can't find a food? Look it up in the USDA FoodData Central database, or use the in-app web lookup. These optional lookups are the only times the app goes online. RECIPES • Build compound foods (a sandwich, a stew, a takeout order) from ingredients and the app totals them automatically • Save them as reusable recipes SEE YOUR TRENDS • A calendar colors each day Good, Caution, or Over against thresholds you choose • Keep a per-day journal with mood and notes PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No sign-in, no user accounts • No advertising, analytics, or crash-reporting SDKs • Camera images from barcode and menu scans are read on the device and never stored or uploaded TRACE ELEMENTS PRO (optional subscription) • Track cobalt alongside nickel, with its own daily limit and dataset • Scan a restaurant menu: photograph it, pick your dish, and its ingredients are looked up — on supported iPhones, your phone's own on-device AI can estimate ingredients and portions without anything leaving the device • Export PDF reports to share with your clinician • Back up and restore everything: to a file, or to your own iCloud • $1.99 per month or $12.99 per year. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings after purchase. • Prefer a one-time thank-you? A tip jar is there too. Core tracking stays free. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://traceelements.app/privacy A NOTE FROM THE DEVELOPER I built this app for my wife after she was diagnosed with a nickel sensitivity. Managing it day to day was harder than it needed to be, and this was the only way I knew how to help. If it makes your days a little easier too, it's done its job. Please note: Trace Elements is a self-tracking aid. Reference values are estimates and vary by source, growing region, and preparation. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical or dietary advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your diet and any food sensitivities.

Screenshots

IBD Radar4 screens
Trace Elements4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Trace Elements at 5.0 against IBD Radar's 3.7. Trace Elements also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). IBD Radar's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, 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. IBD Radar sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Trace Elements sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Trace Elements holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IBD Radar ships an update monthly, Trace Elements weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
IBD Radar versus Trace Elements: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIBD RadarTrace Elements
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOctopus Dreams LLCCode Cowboys

Customer experience

IBD Radar

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Trace Elements

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

IBD Radar

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Monthly$15.991 Month
  • Yearly$60.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly$119.001 Year
5 purchases

Trace Elements

Subscriptions2
  • Trace Elements Pro$1.991 Month
  • Trace Elements Pro$12.991 Year
One-time3
  • A coffee$1.99
  • A big coffee$4.99
  • Coffee for a week$9.99

Questions

Is IBD Radar free?
IBD Radar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Trace Elements free?
Trace Elements is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, IBD Radar or Trace Elements?
Trace Elements is rated higher. IBD Radar averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Trace Elements averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do IBD Radar or Trace Elements have ads?
Neither IBD Radar nor Trace Elements shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IBD Radar or Trace Elements?
IBD Radar ships an update monthly, and Trace Elements weekly. Most recently, IBD Radar was updated on October 24, 2026 and Trace Elements on October 8, 2026.

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