Best Migraine Tracker Apps in 2026: Privacy-Focused Options

Living with migraines means living with uncertainty. When will the next attack hit? What triggered it? Is your treatment working? A good migraine tracker answers these questions with data, not guesswork.

But not all migraine trackers are created equal—especially when it comes to privacy. Here's what to look for and how the top options compare.

What Makes a Great Migraine Tracker?

Before comparing apps, let's define what matters:

Essential Features

• Quick logging — You need to log during prodrome, not after
• Severity tracking — Capture intensity on a consistent scale
• Trigger correlation — Connect attacks to potential causes
• Pattern detection — Surface insights from your data
• Doctor reports — Export summaries for neurologist visits

Privacy Considerations

• Where is data stored? — On-device vs. cloud servers
• Is AI processing local? — On-device vs. cloud AI
• What trackers are present? — Analytics and advertising SDKs
• Is an account required? — Email login vs. anonymous use

Top Migraine Tracker Apps Compared

Sifa

Best for: Privacy-conscious migraine sufferers

Strengths:

• On-device AI finds trigger patterns without cloud processing
• Custom symptom tracking for aura, prodrome, postdrome phases
• Generates PDF reports for neurologist appointments
• Apple Health integration pulls sleep and activity data
• No account required, no data collection

Considerations:

• Premium features require subscription ($4.99/mo)
• iOS only

Privacy: Excellent — all data stays on device

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Migraine Buddy

Best for: Detailed attack documentation

Strengths:

• Comprehensive logging with many fields
• Large user community
• Weather tracking integration
• Detailed reporting

Considerations:

• Requires account creation
• Data stored on company servers
• Free tier has ads

Privacy: Moderate — cloud-based with account required

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Bearable

Best for: Tracking migraines alongside other symptoms

Strengths:

• Highly customizable factors to track
• Correlation insights
• Mood and wellness tracking included

Considerations:

• Mozilla found Facebook trackers in the app
• Cloud-based AI processing
• 24-hour free trial only

Privacy: Poor — third-party trackers detected

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Apple Health (Built-in)

Best for: Basic tracking with maximum privacy

Strengths:

• Pre-installed on every iPhone
• Excellent privacy (on-device only)
• Integrates with other health data

Considerations:

• Limited to 39 predefined symptoms
• No migraine-specific features
• No pattern detection or AI insights

Privacy: Excellent — fully on-device

Key Features for Migraine Tracking

Tracking the Full Attack Cycle

Migraines have phases. Your tracker should capture:

Prodrome (hours to days before)

• Mood changes
• Food cravings
• Neck stiffness
• Increased urination

Aura (if applicable)

• Visual disturbances
• Sensory changes
• Speech difficulty
• Duration

Attack Phase

• Pain location and quality
• Intensity (1-10)
• Associated symptoms (nausea, light sensitivity)
• Duration

Postdrome

• Fatigue
• Cognitive fog
• Mood changes

Identifying Triggers

Common migraine triggers to track:

• Sleep — Too little, too much, or irregular
• Stress — Work, relationships, major events
• Food — Alcohol, caffeine, aged cheese, MSG
• Environment — Weather changes, bright lights, strong smells
• Hormones — Menstrual cycle phases
• Physical — Skipped meals, dehydration, intense exercise

Measuring Treatment Effectiveness

Track your treatments systematically:

• Medication name and dosage
• Time taken relative to attack onset
• Relief level achieved
• Time to relief
• Side effects experienced

Using AI to Find Patterns

The human brain struggles to correlate multiple variables over time. This is where AI shines.

Modern on-device AI can analyze months of data to surface insights like:

• "Migraines are 3x more likely within 48 hours of sleeping less than 6 hours"
• "Attacks correlate with barometric pressure drops"
• "Your rescue medication is most effective when taken within 30 minutes of onset"

The key is choosing AI that processes your data locally. Cloud AI means your migraine history—including any mental health correlations—gets sent to external servers.

Preparing for Neurologist Visits

Your tracking data becomes powerful in medical appointments:

What Neurologists Want to Know

• Attack frequency (monthly average)
• Typical duration
• Severity distribution
• Identified triggers
• Treatment response rates
• Disability days

Creating Effective Reports

A good migraine tracker generates PDF reports including:

• Attack calendar view
• Frequency trends over time
• Trigger correlation analysis
• Medication effectiveness summary

Our Recommendation

For most migraine sufferers, privacy should be non-negotiable. Your migraine patterns can reveal information about stress, mental health, menstrual cycles, and lifestyle that you may not want shared with advertisers or data brokers.

Choose a tracker that:

1. Stores data on your device only
2. Uses on-device AI for pattern detection
3. Doesn't require account creation
4. Generates exportable reports for doctors

Your migraine data should help you—not help companies build a profile on you.