IBS apps do very different jobs. Some are reference guides that tell you how much FODMAP a food contains, some are diaries that look for links between what you eat and how you feel, and some deliver a psychological treatment. Which one is best depends on what you're trying to do right now, and many people end up using two.
About this comparison: IBS Clue is our app. Everything we say about the other apps comes from their US App Store listings and from published studies, checked on October 31, 2026. Prices and features change, so check the listing before you pay.
Which IBS app is best for what?
| What you want to do | Apps to look at (US App Store price) |
|---|---|
| Check whether a food is low FODMAP | Monash FODMAP Diet[1] ($7.99 one-time) FODMAP Friendly[2] (free) |
| Scan packaged foods in a shop | Spoonful[3] (free; unlimited scans paid) Fig[4] (free; Fig+ paid) |
| Find your own trigger foods | mySymptoms[5] (7-day trial, then subscription) Bowelle[6] (free; premium optional) Bearable[7] (free; premium optional) |
| Analyze a mixed meal from a photo | IBS Clue, our app (free; Pro optional; coming soon) |
| Gut-directed hypnotherapy | Nerva[9] (7-day trial, then paid) The Calm Gut[10] (subscription) |
General chatbots can explain IBS, but they don't keep a structured diary for you; see whether ChatGPT can help with IBS.
What's the best app for looking up low-FODMAP foods?
Monash University developed the low-FODMAP diet, and the Monash FODMAP Diet app comes from the same research team. Its food guide rates hundreds of foods with a traffic-light system, it lists branded products Monash has certified as low FODMAP, and its diary guides you through reintroduction. On the US App Store it costs a one-time $7.99, with no in-app purchases.[1]
FODMAP Friendly, a certification program for low-FODMAP products, has a free app listing hundreds of laboratory-tested foods, each with a pass or fail rating and a maximum serving, plus a recipe maker that helps with FODMAP stacking.[2]
In a shop, barcode scanners are quicker. Spoonful gives a green, yellow or red result for a product's FODMAP content and says its ratings are reviewed by Monash-trained dietitians; unlimited scanning costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year.[3] Fig checks products against more than 2,800 diets and restrictions, including low FODMAP, which helps if you also avoid gluten or an allergen; its paid tier, Fig+, adds unlimited scans and restaurants.[4]
These apps answer "is this food low FODMAP?" for single foods and products. For a restaurant dish or home cooking, see whether an app can tell from a photo.
What's the best app for finding your IBS triggers?
A food list can't tell you which foods trigger your symptoms. For that you need a food and symptom diary kept for several weeks and, during the low-FODMAP diet, a structured reintroduction.
- mySymptoms logs food, drink, symptoms, sleep, stress and stool type, then shows which foods and ingredients are associated with your symptoms, with a confidence level for each result. It asks for 28 days of logging first. After a 7-day free trial it costs $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.[5]
- Bowelle is a simpler diary for food, symptoms, stress, water and bowel movements, with charts and an export you can share with your doctor or dietitian. It's free, with an optional premium tier.[6]
- Bearable is a general symptom tracker that looks for links between your symptoms and sleep, food, stress, medication and your cycle, which suits you if IBS is one of several conditions you track.[7]
- IBS Clue (our app) logs a meal from a photo or a description, estimates its level of each of the six FODMAP groups, ranks the groups most likely to be your triggers, and guides reintroduction one group at a time. Its levels are estimates, not lab measurements, and it hasn't been tested in a published study.
Diary data can reveal real patterns. In 9,710 mySymptoms diaries, coffee, alcohol and artificial sweeteners were linked with gut symptoms, sweeteners up to three days after eating; the study was run partly by the app's developer.[16] In 21,462 users of a UK low-FODMAP app, the share reporting bloating fell from 55% to 44% after restriction, and the foods most often tested during reintroduction (wheat bread, onion, garlic, milk and wheat pasta) each triggered symptoms in 35% to 41% of the people who tried them.[15]
Cara Care, once a popular IBS tracker, hasn't been updated on the US App Store since October 2020.[8]
What's the best app for IBS hypnotherapy?
Gut-directed hypnotherapy works on the gut-brain connection rather than on food. UK guidelines recommend it, like IBS-specific CBT, when symptoms persist despite first-line treatment,[17] and apps make it far easier to get than a therapist trained in it.
- Nerva delivers daily 15-minute sessions and was built by Simone Peters, a gut-brain researcher.[9] In a randomized trial of 240 adults at Monash University, 81% of people on Nerva's hypnotherapy program had a clinically meaningful drop in their IBS symptom score, compared with 63% on a similar digital program without hypnotherapy, and 71% versus 35% had at least 30% less pain.[11] After a 7-day free trial it's paid; plans on the US App Store run from $99 to $199.[9]
- The Calm Gut offers more than 250 audio sessions of gut-directed hypnotherapy, CBT, breathing and relaxation, created by a psychotherapist who specializes in gut-directed hypnotherapy.[10] We found no published trial of the app itself.
Finishing the program matters. In an earlier review of Nerva users, only 9% of the 2,843 people who started completed all 42 sessions; of those who finished and reported outcomes, 64% had at least 30% less pain.[12] And not every app has worked in trials. Regulora, a US prescription hypnotherapy app, did no better than a muscle-relaxation app on its main measure, pain in the month after treatment, though it did better during treatment.[13] A CBT app, Zemedy, improved symptoms more than an education and relaxation app,[14] but we couldn't find it on the US App Store.
How should I choose an IBS app?
- Where its FODMAP data comes from. Lab-tested data and AI estimates are both useful, but you should know which one you're looking at.
- Whether it supports reintroduction. The low-FODMAP diet is meant to be short-term, and an app that only lists foods to avoid can keep you restricting longer than you need to.
- Whether you can export your diary for your doctor or dietitian. Guidelines recommend that a trained dietitian supervise the low-FODMAP diet.[17]
- Privacy. Food and bowel diaries are health data. Check whether you need an account, where your data is stored and whether it's shared.
- When it was last updated. The App Store shows this, and an app that hasn't been updated in years may not work well on a new phone.
- Evidence. A published trial of the app itself is rare; among the App Store apps here, only Nerva has a randomized trial.
When should I see a doctor instead?
No app can diagnose IBS. See a doctor if you haven't been diagnosed, and promptly if you have warning signs: blood in your stool, unintentional weight loss, anemia, fever, symptoms that wake you at night, symptoms that started after about age 50, or a family history of bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease. If you have or have had an eating disorder, talk to your doctor before starting a restrictive diet or a food-tracking app. Not sure where you stand? Start with Do I have IBS?