Alternatives
Products that do what Showcase does
building a medical-grade period tracker
- 1
- 2
- 3IM
Hey HN, after the app I actually used to track my period wanted me to log in and save my data in the cloud, I decided to write my own. Most apps in this area are based on a subscription model and display far too much information anyway. For me, a simple calendar is enough where I can add a few notes if necessary. So that is the result of my work - a simple design and the data is only saved on the smartphone.
2024 · play.google.com
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
I've been running Simpluna, a period-tracking app, for six years. It's a company based in Tokyo, Japan, but development and operations are basically a one-person effort. The app is built with React Native (Expo). The defining trait of the app is that it's simple, with no unnecessary features. Recording periods, calculating predictions, and sending notifications — that's the core of it. This space is dominated by big players (Flo, Clue, and in Japan, Luna Luna). Building something similar would have been hopeless, so I made the things those apps don't have my selling point. Optional features…
Aug 2026 · simpluna.app
- 16
- 17
- 18
The private period tracker that grows with every cycle
13d ago · simply-track.com
- 19
- 20
- 21IB
There’s something quietly unsettling about how normal it's become to hand over our most personal data to apps that barely deserve our trust. My wife once showed me a notification she got from her period tracking app. At first, it seemed like a simple reminder. But then came the ads. Not long after, she started getting eerily specific suggestions on other platforms. Things she hadn’t searched for. Things that felt too close. Somewhere, her cycle had been turned into a data point. That bothered me more than I can explain. These apps promise helpful insights. But in return, they take so much.…
2025
- 22
- 23IS
i built a heart rate zone training app for runners. ios + apple watch. custom zones, real-time haptics, post-run graphs. all the “smart” stuff you’d expect. but i never talked to a single runner before building it. not even myself lol. started as a thesis → kept building → added features → added a paywall (€4/month!) → launched it → and yeah… no one cared. zero feedback. zero users. just code in the void. i recently made the whole thing free. not trying to “sell” anything now — just seeing if it’s actually useful, and listening this time. curious how others handle this. ever build…
2025 · basamasa.github.io
- 24
Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Refine with a description →