Hello everyone,
New to this forum and tudiabetes 
I’m in the market for an app to help me better manage my diabetes, at a minimum I was my BG levels tracked to show to my doctor, but food and and exercise would be great too. Why did you choose the app your using, what do you love/hate about it? TIA!!!
I’ve been using Glooko for the last 4 months due to my first visit to my new Endo.
Upon my first visit, his receptionist asked for my meter (my PDM, as I am an OmniPod user). She proceeded to upload all my readings for at least a month onto MD’s system. She also uploaded it to my I phone.
I do like Glooko, but admit to not having checked out other apps. I like that you are able to see trends and graphs and statistics.
What I don’t like is that post-visit I have to use my Mac to upload my data. Android users and others have the easier time of it.
Not techno-savvy, this is all I know.
Hi! So glad you found TuDiabetes. It’s an amazing place here with lots of love, support, and great open discussion for many topics just like this one.
I work at mySugr, so my opinion is totally biased. 
But I’m also happy to answer any questions you have if you decide you want to give it a try.
One of the great pieces of advice I heard recently was from Adam Brown at diaTribe (another great place for good information). He uses the acronym TRY.
T for test it out. download it and give it a try, see if it feels good to you or not
R for read reviews. See what others are saying. You can learn a lot about the app and the company by doing this. If there aren’t many reviews available, try looking for a toggle switch between “this version” and “all versions” - the reviews are reset each time an update is released.
Y for Your diabetes. We’re all different, which is a beautiful thing. So if whatever you’re using doesn’t stick for you, don’t worry about it. Give something else a try.
I hope this helps a little! There are many great apps out there, which can feel overwhelming, but it’s a much better problem to have than if there were only 1, right?
Take care!
MySugr is the best IMHO !!
Hi muncapher - welcome to tudiabetes!
All of the apps you named are great, so it’s hard to go wrong! My best advice is to try out as many as you can and see which one feels best to you. I’m obviously a big One Drop fan — I actually started using it back in March 2015 and loved it so much that I just had to join the One Drop team!
I’d be happy to walk you through One Drop and answer any questions for you. What most people (including myself) love is how easy it is to log everything:
If you decide to try out One Drop, I’d love to hear what you think!
All the best,
Rachel
Can you use mySugr with the dexCom ?
mySugr will synchronize Dexcom info via Apple Health (if you’re using an iPhone) and show your CGM trace on the graph. There’s a three-hour delay, so you can’t see realtime Dexcom information yet. Only Dexcom apps have access to the realtime readings. Everything else is limited to the three-hour delay. Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like (not my image - my A1c isn’t that good… 
).
I have to admit that I have only tried mySugr but I love it. That little diabetes monster is just so cute! I have Type 2, diet and exercise controlled. The app helps me log not only my glucose readings but also my carb intake. I love the reminders because I’m usually (ok most of the time) forgetting to test two hours after I eat. I’m a busy mom and a teacher, so I have my mind on other things. I recently switched form Android to iPhone. The nice added feature about the iPhone app is using the importer app. It uses the camera to read my meter and import it into the logbook. I can also create reports to be emailed. I don’t even know half of the features since I don’t use insulin or a CGM.
Everyone here gave great advice. Try them out! The mySugr logbook has a free and paid pro version (I pay for pro). I tried the free version before I invested in pro, which has more features. I don’t know which one is best since I’ve only tried this one. I tried it and loved earning points for my entries to tame the monster. It’s fun and that motivates me. Good luck!
Are you wanting to track or manage? I do not use a pump so I like RapidCalc because I use it to calculate my insulin doses and keep track of when I took my shots. I love this app!
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, I’m going to test each one out and see which one works best for me!
I’ve been using MySugr for almost a year. I liked it so much I bought the paid version. It tracks everything that I need include food and exercise as well as if I’m ill, stressed, sick, etc. I like the photo option in the paid version for my picture of my meals. If I’m guessing with a carb count I have something to refer to if I get it wrong and figure out how to be more right in the future when eating out. It also has a guesstimate of what your A1C is.
A lot depends on (1) your mobile platform, (2) your computer platform, and (3) what you’re looking to manage.
The number of available diabetes apps (logging, management, etc.) is much greater for iOS (iPhone, iPad) than for Android, and G-d forbid you should be using Windows Phone! Even there, a number of iOS apps require the constant cellular connection of an iPhone and will not work on an iPad
Not all mobile apps export data so they can be printed or managed on a computer. Of those, some export in a “standard” format (XML or PDF) so they can be viewed and printed (the XML varies so much from device to device and app to app that it’s hardly able to be manipulated to show what is important to you). Of those, not all apps export to both PCs and Macs (and G-d forbid you’re running Linux).
Most diabetes apps don’t manage food beyond carbs (one should also be looking at calories, protein consumption, saturated fat consumption, and a selection of micronutrients including sodium). Most diabetes apps don’t manage blood pressure (needed for many type 2s). Most diabetes apps believe PWD only eat three meals a day and snacks, and always in the same period every day. If you do shift work, have a different meal schedule on your days off, or have a “grazing” rather than “meal-based” diet, you need something that doesn’t pigeonhole all your food into “meal” settings.
For me, this means that OnTrack for Diabetes is pretty much my only available choice, even though I have to enter everything manually and I can’t see the input from both my glucometer and my sphygmomanometer at the same time. I’ve played around with the desktop version of Microsoft HealthVault, but it takes even more gyrations to see the same sorts of information.
I feel MySugr is on a league of its own, with a user experience that is intuitive and a fun fee that has cracked the code of “making diabetes suck less.”
Re: bolus calculators, I am VERY wary of almost all, since they are NOT FDA-cleared except for the AccuChek app, which only works (the insulin soaking portion) if you have a prescription (code) for it. Other apps that do dosing recommendations, while well intentioned, have been developed with very limited testing that has largely been limited to small groups, so I am hesitant to rely on them for my insulin dosing decisions.
You are smart to be careful with dosing apps. But, like any tool, when carefully programmed they can really help with daily management. The RapidCalc app has been a lifesaver for me since I struggle to remember whether I’ve given myself a shot, how much insulin I took, what my ratios should be at various times of the day, etc. I don’t use the app willy-nilly, though. I carefully input the information and update it as necessary to account for changes in my insulin needs. With that attention, I’ve found the app to be very reliable for me.
I just read that Glooko and Diasend are working together. I just started in the Omnipod and get the Glooko app but haven’t tried it out yet. I know that Glooko will communicate with Dexcom as well.
Do any of these apps let me track insulin on board?
I’m on MDI and it would be useful if I could program in a % per hour after bolus, so that it tracked that for me. Right now I do the math myself and enter it in the notes section. I don’t need it to tell me how much to bolus, just remind me how much I still have in my system.
Some meters have built in bolus-calculators. one is the Accu-Chek Connect, but you have to get a doctor’s prescription to unlock it. Calculating IOB is part of the app.
I am currently using this meter because it automatically syncs (very quickly and reliably!) to my phone and mySugr. It would also sync to the Roche app which I have not downloaded because I use a pump.
mySugr has a bolus calculator, but it is only approved in Europe at this time. These things need to go through the FDA because they don’t want us to kill ourselves. LOL.
You can also Google Bolus Calculator or meters with Bolus Calculator and get some more ideas. Integrated Diabetes Services (Gary Scheiner) has an excel file for a bolus calculator that also contains an IOB calculator.
Oooh, I like that spreadsheet! 
Interesting that his IOB says that it’s all gone after 3+ hours. That jives more with my own experience with Novolog.
I’ve used all of this with the exception of OneDrop so I can’t offer any comments on that one. My absolute favorite, in the #1 spot, is MySugr! The interface is sleek, modern and engaging it actually makes me WANT to log my data just to hear my little monster (Igor) scream.
Glooko is a close second but I find that logging data in the app is a bit more of a clunky experience when compared to MySugr. I do however, love Glooko’s web-based reports. In terms of reports, I’d give Glooko a clear edge over MySugr.
Diasend was the first that I used and is probably the most thorough in terms of the information available. To my knowledge, it’s not a good fit for daily logging. The interface is a currently a bit dated when compared to its competitors, but I still tend to use Diasend when preparing reports for my quarterly excursion to the endo. I’m very interested in seeing what will come of this Glooko + Diasend marriage!
Hoping to get around to trying OneDrop soon. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.
