# Substrata vs Alison

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alison at none against Substrata's 4. Alison also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). Substrata's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Substrata sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Alison asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Substrata against 5.0 for Alison. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

Substrata ships an update every 3 days, Alison every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Substrata | Alison |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substrata-headache-tracker/id6759664433/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alison/id6803248485/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.2 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Steven Knauss](https://appshunter.io/developer/1877190883) | [Paturious Grey](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803190947) |

## What reviewers say

### Substrata

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substrata-headache-tracker/id6759664433)

This app analyzes environmental factors like weather and noise alongside your personal health data, such as sleep and heart rate, to identify potential triggers for headaches and other symptoms. It uses on-device intelligence to provide plain-English explanations and predictive alerts, helping you understand what affects your well-being.

**Highlights:** Sleep condition scoring, Headache and symptom logging, Personal trigger profile building, Predictive alert system, On-device AI correlation, HealthKit and Apple Watch integration, PDF and CSV export

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Substrata Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Substrata Premium Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Substrata Premium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Substrata Premium Lifetime | $89.99 | one-time |


### Alison

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alison/id6803248485)

Track headaches, meals, water, and sleep with this personal journal. It offers observational insights into potential patterns without diagnosing or forecasting. Data remains on your device for privacy.

**Highlights:** Start and stop headache logging, Log meals with ingredients, Track water and sleep intake, Optional Apple Watch integration, Read-only Apple Health integration, Optional weather data, Generate clinic letters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Substrata free?

Substrata is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Alison free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Substrata or Alison?

Substrata and Alison are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Substrata or Alison have ads?

Neither Substrata nor Alison shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Substrata or Alison?

Substrata ships an update every 3 days, and Alison every 9 days. Most recently, Substrata was updated on October 13, 2026 and Alison on October 14, 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.*