Comparison

Dawn Phenomenon vs GlucoWrist

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

Head to head
About

Dawn Phenomenon

Features
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Dawn Phenomenon analyzes your overnight glucose data and shows the patterns most people never see — when your sugar bottoms out, when it starts rising, and whether last night fits the classic "dawn phenomenon" pattern. • Reads your CGM glucose readings and sleep window from Apple Health • Great for users of a GLP-1 • Detects the dawn phenomenon (overnight low to morning rise of 30+ mg/dL by default) • Differentiates dawn phenomenon from the Somogyi effect (a rebound after an overnight hypo) • Shows last night with an interactive curve, nadir, peak, waking reading, and time-in-range • Swipe to revisit the last 5 nights • Trends tab overlays your week, shows a "dawn score" (how often dawn pattern appears), the average rise, and how sleep duration correlates with rise size • Export a PDF report of any single night or your full week to share with your endocrinologist **Privacy first** All analysis happens on your device. Your glucose and sleep data never leave it. No accounts. No third-party services. Settings sync via iCloud key-value storage only. **Customize the analysis** Tune the rise and hypo thresholds in Settings to match your own targets. Choose whether to pull bed/wake times from Apple Health's sleep samples, or set them manually. **Important** This app is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Always consult your healthcare provider before changing your treatment.

About

GlucoWrist

Easily log and track blood sugar levels directly from your Apple Watch. View trends, time-in-range, and sync with Apple Health. Offers automatic sensor sync and advanced analytics with a Pro subscription.

Highlights
  • Log glucose readings on Apple Watch
  • View trends and time-in-range
  • Apple Health sync
  • Automatic CGM sensor sync (Pro)
  • Advanced charts and HbA1c estimation (Pro)
  • Custom alerts and data export (Pro)
Features
Read full description

See your blood sugar at a glance — right on your Apple Watch. GlucoWrist is the simplest way to log, track and understand your glucose, without ever pulling out your phone. Living with diabetes means checking your glucose all day long. GlucoWrist turns those scattered numbers into clear trends, so you always know if you’re in range — on your wrist, on your Lock Screen, or in a single tap. WHAT YOU GET FREE - Log glucose readings in seconds (mg/dL or mmol/L) - Dashboard with your latest reading and trend arrow - Last 24 hours of history and time-in-range - Apple Watch complications for any watch face - Full Apple Health (HealthKit) sync - No ads. No account. No tracking. GO PRO — UNLOCK EVERYTHING - Automatic sensor sync — reads the glucose your CGM app (Dexcom, LibreLink…) saves to Apple Health. No Bluetooth pairing - Unlimited history — weeks and months, not just 24 hours - Advanced charts: 7-day, 30-day and 90-day trends - Estimated HbA1c (A1C) to track the big picture - Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets - Custom high/low alerts and reminders - Export your data to PDF for your doctor DESIGNED FOR YOUR WRIST GlucoWrist was built Watch-first. Glance at your current glucose, log a new reading with the Digital Crown, and see your trend — all without your iPhone. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your health data is yours. Everything is stored on your device and in Apple Health. No servers, no ads, no tracking. Your data never leaves your device or HealthKit. — Free: last 24h of history, manual entry, Watch complications. — PRO: $2.99/month, $19.99/year (7-day free trial) or $49.99 lifetime. GlucoWrist is a tracking and logging tool. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Dawn Phenomenon4 screens
GlucoWrist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dawn Phenomenon at none against GlucoWrist's 3. GlucoWrist's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. GlucoWrist sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Dawn Phenomenon asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Dawn Phenomenon versus GlucoWrist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDawn PhenomenonGlucoWrist
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB3 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperRobert Darwin JohnstonLUIS ORLANDO LAZO GONZALEZ

In-app purchases

None

Dawn Phenomenon

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

GlucoWrist

Subscriptions2
  • PRO Monthly$2.991 Month
  • PRO Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • GlucoWrist PRO Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Dawn Phenomenon free?
Dawn Phenomenon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GlucoWrist free?
GlucoWrist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dawn Phenomenon or GlucoWrist have ads?
Neither Dawn Phenomenon nor GlucoWrist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dawn Phenomenon or GlucoWrist?
Dawn Phenomenon ships an update weekly, and GlucoWrist weekly. Most recently, Dawn Phenomenon was updated on October 13, 2026 and GlucoWrist on October 7, 2026.

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