I built a privacy-first period tracker but it seems nobody cares
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.…
In plain words
Faye is a period tracking application designed to prioritize user privacy by avoiding data collection and sale practices common in mainstream tracking apps. It is built for people who want menstrual cycle insights without their health information being shared with third parties or monetized through ads and tracking. The app distinguishes itself by operating without the surveillance business model that typical period trackers employ, offering tracking functionality while keeping personal data private.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
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. Your private health data, your habits, your patterns. And they sell or share it with third parties. Some even charge ridiculous monthly fees, only to flood the app with ads and tracking scripts. That moment was the beginning of something for me. I built Faye because I couldn’t stop thinking about how wrong this all felt. Faye is a free menstrual cycle tracker built from the ground up with one thing in mind: you stay in control. Your data stays on your device. No accounts, no cloud sync, no background trackers. No ads, ever. You can export or delete your data whenever you want. No begging, no hoops. There’s a password lock option. There’s a discreet mode that makes the app look like a work productivity tool, just in case. It’s completely free, with no hidden costs. It’s not just an app. It’s a quiet protest against how the system works. But here’s the part I didn’t expect. I shared it with a few people. Some friends. Some folks in tech. Some in health circles. Almost nobody responded. Not about the privacy. Not about the features. Not even about the idea. Some tried it, sure. But it was quiet. Too quiet. And I started to wonder… Did I build something only we needed? Is this just a personal itch I scratched, or are there people out there who also want this…really want this? People who care deeply about their data staying theirs - people tired of apps that exploit vulnerability for profit. I sat with that silence longer than I expected. It made me question everything. How we talk about privacy, who we build for, and whether anyone notices when something doesn’t try to sell them something. Because when you strip away the dark patterns and the dopamine loops, there’s no reward system left. No notifications engineered to pull you back in. Just a quiet little app, trying to do the right thing. And maybe that’s the problem. Or maybe that’s the point. I still don’t know. I don’t know if I built something only we needed. I don’t know if people really want privacy. I don’t know if “doing the right thing” is enough to make something last. What I do know is that I couldn’t unsee what I saw. I couldn’t forget that feeling, that jolt, when I realized how casually something so personal was being harvested and sold. So I built the thing I couldn’t find. I put it out there. And I’m sharing this, not as a launch or a pitch. Just as a note from someone who built something they believe in, and is now standing in the quiet, hoping it might matter to someone else too. If that’s you, I’d really love to know. Even just a quick reply telling me you get it would mean a lot. And if you think someone else in your life might care; a friend, a sister, a partner… maybe share Faye with them. It’s not a 100-million-dollar idea. But it’s honest. And built with care. https://faye.health/period-tracker
Does the same job
all alternatives →- IMI made a privacy friendly and simple app to track my menstruation2024 · play.google.com · ▲732
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.
Zorya - Pregnancy TrackerJun 2026 · getzorya.app · ▲52Private pregnancy tracker. No cloud, no accounts.
Simply Track: Period & Cycle Tracker12d ago · simply-track.com · ▲2The private period tracker that grows with every cycle
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