# GluBuddy vs Palmful

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Palmful at none against GluBuddy's 3. GluBuddy's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. GluBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Palmful asks for nothing beyond the download.

GluBuddy ships an update weekly, Palmful every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | GluBuddy | Palmful |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palmful-a-portion-journal/id6784763781/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 29 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gianmarco Colagrossi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884890730) | [Nishal Narechania](https://appshunter.io/developer/6784758659) |

## What reviewers say

### GluBuddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/glubuddy-glucose-tracker/id6760545482)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GluBuddy Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| GluBuddy Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| GluBuddy Premium | $69.99 | one-time |


### Palmful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palmful-a-portion-journal/id6784763781)

This app helps you track your daily nutrition using a hand-portion method, eliminating the need for calorie counting or barcode scanning. It visualizes your intake at a glance and adjusts targets for different activity levels, all while keeping your data private on your device.

**Highlights:** Hand-portion nutrition tracking, No calorie counting, Visual daily intake summary, Adjustable targets for activity days, Weekly eating pattern overview, Private local data storage, No streaks or nagging reminders

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is GluBuddy free?

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

### Is Palmful free?

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

### Do GluBuddy or Palmful have ads?

Neither GluBuddy nor Palmful shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, GluBuddy or Palmful?

GluBuddy ships an update weekly, and Palmful every 3 weeks. Most recently, GluBuddy was updated on November 9, 2026 and Palmful on November 10, 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.*