Best health app? What to look for in one app for your whole health

Search for a health app and you'll find thousands. There's one for steps, one for sleep, one for counting calories, another for period tracking, and a folder of PDFs from your last blood test somewhere in your email. Each might be fine on its own. Together, they rarely tell you much about how you're actually going.

Here is what to look for in a health app, the questions worth asking before you commit, and how the Thrive Health Band and the Thrive by Optihealth app bring your health together in one place.

Why one app beats five

Your body doesn't work in separate compartments. A few short nights can show up in your mood, your appetite, your training and your resting heart rate. A new medication can change your sleep. A stressful month at work can sit behind a run of headaches.

When each of those lives in a different app, you're left to join the dots yourself, usually from memory, usually in a GP waiting room. One app that holds the threads together can show what tends to go together for you, and save you repeating your story every time.

What to look for in a health app

Use these checks when you compare apps:

It covers more than one thing. Sleep, heart, activity, mood, food, medications and blood tests all matter. An app that only does one will soon need company.
It knows what's normal for you. Averages for "adults your age" are a starting point. Your own usual range is far more useful, because a change from your normal is what's worth noticing.
It explains, not just counts. Numbers without context can create worry. Look for plain-English explanations of what's changed and what might be behind it.
It's easy to keep up. Automatic tracking where possible, and quick taps for the rest.
It helps with GP visits. Your history, trends and records should be ready to show, inside the app, when you need them.
Privacy is clear. You should know where your data is stored, and you should decide who sees it.
It's built for Australia. Local support, local pricing, and data kept onshore make a difference.

Questions to ask before you choose

What does it track automatically, and what do I need to log?
Does it learn my usual, or compare me with everyone else?
Can I keep blood tests and other records in the same place?
Can I share selected information with my GP, physio or a family member, and stop sharing when I want?
Will it still be useful in six months, or is it a single-purpose tool?

How Thrive brings it together

The Thrive Health Band is a light, screen-free band that tracks sleep, heart rate, HRV, temperature and activity through the day and night. The battery lasts up to 14 days, so it stays on your wrist rather than on the charger. It also gives an estimate of how your blood pressure is trending over time, which is a trend to talk through with your GP rather than a cuff reading. Body composition is a manual reading you take with the electrode on the Band when you want one.

The Thrive by Optihealth app then adds what only you can tell it, in the same place:

Daily Check-In for mood, stress, energy, sleep quality and lifestyle factors such as coffee, alcohol, travel or a heavy training day
Food Fit and meal logging, including barcode scanning and meal plans
Medications & Supplements, with phone reminders at the times you set
Health records, where you can scan or upload blood tests and other health records, with lab values pulled out for you to check
Women's health tools, including cycle tracking and perimenopause support with a Clinician Summary you can share with your GP

Thrive learns what is usual for you right across your health, from sleep, heart and activity to mood, gut health, body composition, temperature, nutrition and more. That personal normal sits behind Today's Vitality, a daily view built from Sleep and Recovery, Heart and Nervous System, Today's Load and Mind and Mood, and behind your Health Fingerprint, which shows how your body tends to respond over time.

Thrive also gives recovery insights, including an estimate of how long until you're back to your usual, such as "you need 5 hours rest".

When you want to understand something, Ask Thrive answers everyday questions using your own data, such as:

"Why have I felt more tired this week?"
"Has my sleep changed since I started my new medication?"
"What should I bring up at my GP appointment on Friday?"

Your trends, history and records are all in the app when you see your GP, so there's nothing to piece together beforehand. For more on that, see getting ready for a GP appointment with Ask Thrive and keeping blood test results in one place.

If you would like someone else to see selected information, Thrive Loops lets you share selected information with a participating trainer, health professional or someone you trust. You decide what to share and with whom, and you can change or revoke access at any time.

Thrive isn't a diagnosis, and it doesn't replace your GP. It's an Australian-owned health system, with your data stored in Sydney, and you can also see everything on a bigger screen in My Health on the web.

Before you buy

You'll need a compatible iPhone or Android phone, because the Thrive app is on the Apple App Store and Google Play, in Australia and eight other countries. The app stores are only for downloading the app, though; they aren't where you buy the Band or a Plan. You can buy at thrivehealthband.com, or at a participating World Gym Australia location or health and wellness clinic.

The Thrive Health Band is A$660 for the first year under the launch offer. That includes the Band, which is yours to keep, and 12 months of the Thrive by Optihealth app, My Health on the web, Health Fingerprint, Ask Thrive, Thrive Loops and your data, paid once upfront. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Free Australia-wide shipping during the launch offer (usually A$14.99).

Nothing renews automatically. After your first year, you can get a new band plus 12 more months for A$660, or keep your band and renew the Thrive Connected Plan for A$240 a year, or A$29 a month with no lock-in.

You're also covered by a 12-month Thrive Care Warranty, and consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law always apply. See Returns if something is wrong with your purchase.

Common questions

Is there one app that tracks everything?

No app tracks literally everything, but Thrive brings sleep, heart, activity, mood, food, medications, blood tests and health records together, so you're not switching between apps.

Does Thrive sync with Apple Health?

No. Thrive keeps your health in its own app and in My Health on the web, with your data stored in Sydney.

Do I need the Band to use the app?

Thrive is designed around the Band, which gives the app your sleep, heart and activity data automatically. Your first year of the app comes with the Band.

For more answers, see Questions.