# Private Cycles vs Cara

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cara at none against Private Cycles's 2. Private Cycles's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Private Cycles sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Cara asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Private Cycles against 5.0 for Cara. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

Private Cycles ships an update fortnightly, Cara every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Private Cycles | Cara |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-cycles/id6760430617/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cara-private-period-tracker/id6775905306/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stephen Mummolo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884428376) | [Cassidy Barton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1859097455) |

## What reviewers say

### Private Cycles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-cycles/id6760430617)

This app offers a private and secure way to track your menstrual cycle, ovulation, and fertility. It prioritizes user privacy with on-device encryption and no cloud storage. Features include detailed symptom logging, fertility insights, and pregnancy mode.

**Highlights:** On-device encryption, Zero-cloud architecture, Period and ovulation tracking, Fertility window identification, Pregnancy mode, Symptom logging, Exportable reports

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PrivateCycles Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| PrivateCycles Premium Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


### Cara

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cara-private-period-tracker/id6775905306)

This app allows you to privately track your menstrual cycle and related health data. All your information is stored locally on your device, ensuring complete privacy and control over your personal health insights. It offers a beautiful, calm interface without ads or data sharing.

**Highlights:** Local data storage, Encrypted at rest, No servers or accounts, No analytics or ads, Biometric lock support, Customizable tags, CSV data export

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Private Cycles free?

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

### Is Cara free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Private Cycles or Cara?

Private Cycles and Cara are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Private Cycles or Cara have ads?

Neither Private Cycles nor Cara shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Private Cycles or Cara?

Private Cycles ships an update fortnightly, and Cara every 2 months. Most recently, Private Cycles was updated on October 31, 2026 and Cara on November 5, 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.*