# Gulps vs Hydration Tracker

The clearest difference is ads: Gulps at none against Hydration Tracker's shown. Gulps also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gulps sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Hydration Tracker sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Gulps against 4.6 for Hydration Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 143 and 218 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Gulps's written reviews are positive against 70% of Hydration Tracker's.

Gulps ships an update every 6 weeks, Hydration Tracker every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gulps | Hydration Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (143 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gulps/id979057304/reviews)** | [4.6 (218 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hydration-tracker-water-pal/id1301879657/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 143 | **218** |
| Positive reviews | **78.2% of reviews** | 69.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 36 MB | 131 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fancy Pixel S.r.l.](https://appshunter.io/developer/756861070) | [Loyal Health & Fitness, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088263310) |

## What reviewers say

### Gulps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gulps/id979057304)

Easily monitor your daily hydration with this intuitive application. Set personal goals, log your usual portion sizes, and track your progress directly within the app or via a convenient notification center widget. It seamlessly integrates with your health data.

**Highlights:** Track daily water intake, Set custom goals, Log usual portion sizes, Notification center widget, Health app integration, Customizable reminders

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Glass Half Full tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Full Glass tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous tip | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- ⏰ Effective reminder notifications for hydration
- ⌚ Seamless Apple Watch integration
- 🎯 Customizable water intake goals
- 📊 Clean visual progress tracking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Daily water intake fails to reset properly
- 🐛 Watch app sync issues with iPhone app
- 🐛 Notification typo ('Time tro drink water')
- ⌚ Watch complication randomly disables
- 📝 Limited customization for water amounts

**Reported bugs**

- Water intake not resetting at start of new day
- Watch app entries not syncing to iPhone app
- Widget entries not updating in Apple Health
- Watch complication graphic disables randomly
- Siri Shortcut returns 'an error occurred' notification

**Requested features**

- Custom water intake amounts (not just two preset sizes)
- Variable gulp sizes for flexible tracking
- Dark mode theme
- Smart reminders based on current intake progress
- More granular reminder scheduling options


### Hydration Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hydration-tracker-water-pal/id1301879657)

This app helps you monitor your daily water intake to improve health and energy. It calculates your personalized hydration needs based on various factors and sends friendly reminders to ensure you meet your goals. Log different drink types and view your progress graphically.

**Highlights:** Calculate required water intake, Set daily hydration goals, Receive timely alerts, Log drinking times and units, Track multiple drink types, View daily consumption graphs, Motivational freebies and tips

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Trial | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Water Balance Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Trial | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $5.99 | per year |
| Yearly Trial | $9.99 | per year |
| Loyal Pass Monthly WB | $9.99 | per month |
| Loyal Pass Yearly WB | $59.99 | per year |
| LifeTime Access | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💧 Helps increase water intake
- 🔔 Reminders are helpful
- 🏆 Badges and awards are motivating
- 🔗 Links with Apple Health

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Ads are unnecessary
- 💳 App requires payment for features
- 🚫 No easy way to close ads
- 🔢 No decimal option for logging
- 🔄 Units and settings not synced

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- App freezes when logging drinks
- App closes immediately after logging fluid intake
- Cannot see logged information due to freezing
- Ads pop up on app boot

**Requested features**

- Add decimal option for logging drinks
- Allow customization of notification times
- Include soda and yogurt as drink options
- Improve drink and volume choices
- Provide a clear option to remove ads


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gulps free?

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

### Is Hydration Tracker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Gulps or Hydration Tracker?

Gulps is rated higher. Gulps averages 4.7 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while Hydration Tracker averages 4.6 from 218 ratings.

### Do Gulps or Hydration Tracker have ads?

Hydration Tracker shows ads; Gulps does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gulps or Hydration Tracker?

Gulps ships an update every 6 weeks, and Hydration Tracker every 5 weeks. Most recently, Gulps was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hydration Tracker on October 24, 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.*