# BlueStar Diabetes vs DiabetesPal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BlueStar Diabetes at none against DiabetesPal's 4. BlueStar Diabetes also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). DiabetesPal's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (74% vs 58%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. DiabetesPal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. BlueStar Diabetes asks for nothing beyond the download.

DiabetesPal holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DiabetesPal has 2K ratings behind it against 125, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of BlueStar Diabetes's written reviews are positive against 74% of DiabetesPal's.

BlueStar Diabetes ships an update every 2 months, DiabetesPal monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BlueStar Diabetes | DiabetesPal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (125 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluestar-diabetes/id700329056/reviews) | **[4.6 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diabetespal/id736631625/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 125 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | 58.0% of reviews | **73.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 119 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [WellDoc, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/480737920) | [Pascal Freiburghaus](https://appshunter.io/developer/736612234) |

## What reviewers say

### BlueStar Diabetes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluestar-diabetes/id700329056)

This app offers daily digital coaching to help individuals manage type 2 diabetes. It provides personalized guidance, connects health data, and supports habit building for better blood glucose management. Users can also share progress with their care team.

**Highlights:** Daily digital coaching, Personalized guidance, Connects medications, nutrition, activity, and health data, Blood glucose management tools, Progress sharing with care team, FDA-cleared medical device

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for managing diabetes
- 👍 Helps lower A1C and weight
- 👍 Provides immediate feedback and explanations
- 👍 Useful for meal planning and tracking
- 👍 Good for record keeping

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🐛 Syncing issues with meters
- 🐛 Inconsistent Bluetooth connectivity
- 🐛 Annoying and repetitive permission requests
- 🐛 Limited food list for carb counting

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to sync One Touch Verio Reflect meters
- App crashes when using recent foods for logging
- App crashes upon opening
- Bluetooth sync errors
- App crashes during sign-up process

**Requested features**

- Fix backend software issues causing sync problems
- Improve serving size breakdown for foods
- Allow users to set preferences for notifications/access
- Make app available to general public without insurance
- Enable data sharing with Apple Health


### DiabetesPal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diabetespal/id736631625)

Manage your diabetes effectively with this comprehensive health tracking and analysis tool. Log blood glucose, insulin, medications, and more, with powerful visualizations and reports. Integrates with Apple Health and compatible devices for seamless data management.

**Highlights:** Blood glucose tracking, Insulin and medication logging, Ketone and HbA1c monitoring, Weight and height tracking, Carbohydrate intake logging, Physical activity tracking, Blood pressure and pulse monitoring, Data analysis and visualizations, Apple Health integration, Device data import

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Cloud Sync | $3.99 | one-time |
| Standard License | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 📊 Excellent data tracking and reporting
- 🤝 Great customer support
- ⌚ Useful Apple Watch integration
- 🔍 Helpful A1C and average glucose estimates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (app freezing, data duplication, incorrect estimates)
- 💰 Paid version required after 100 entries
- 📱 Small text and hard to read interface
- 🔌 Syncing and connectivity issues
- 🚫 Limited free version functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App freezing and crashing
- Duplicate or triplicate data entries
- Incorrect A1C and average glucose estimates
- Syncing and connectivity problems

**Requested features**

- More flexible data entry and editing
- Expanded data tracking (e.g., oxygen levels, physical activity)
- Integration with other health apps and devices
- Detailed tutorial or user guide


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BlueStar Diabetes free?

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

### Is DiabetesPal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BlueStar Diabetes or DiabetesPal?

DiabetesPal is rated higher. BlueStar Diabetes averages 4.2 out of 5 from 125 ratings, while DiabetesPal averages 4.6 from 2K ratings.

### Do BlueStar Diabetes or DiabetesPal have ads?

Neither BlueStar Diabetes nor DiabetesPal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BlueStar Diabetes or DiabetesPal?

BlueStar Diabetes ships an update every 2 months, and DiabetesPal monthly. Most recently, BlueStar Diabetes was updated on October 15, 2026 and DiabetesPal on October 16, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*