Preglife - Pregnancy Tracker

Review by eFreeware

Preglife is a pregnancy tracker for Android, published by the developer of the same name. It is free to download, supported by ads, and has no in-app purchases. The app has been installed more than a million times and holds a 4.5 average from 38,891 ratings, with the first release dating back to September 2011.

What makes it worth considering is the breadth of what sits behind one free download. Instead of a single tracker screen, the developer has assembled a weekly calendar, a library of articles, podcasts, a birth course and several practical tools, and describes the written material as reviewed by specialists. For anyone who wants their pregnancy information gathered in one place rather than spread across bookmarks and group chats, that combination is the main draw.

A weekly calendar at the center

The core of the app is a week-by-week pregnancy calendar. You follow your baby's growth and development as the weeks pass, and each update includes a size comparison to a fruit or vegetable. It is a simple device, but it gives the calendar a rhythm: there is always a next milestone to look at rather than a static due date countdown.

Milestone reminders and a to-do list accompany the calendar. That is the part I would expect to matter most in the middle stretch, when appointments, decisions and paperwork start to pile up. The developer also includes a contraction timer for when labor begins, so the same app can be open during the final hours rather than a separate stopwatch.

A vaccination tracker rounds out the pregnancy tools, covering current vaccine recommendations and information about free vaccines. Taken together, these features point to an app designed to be opened regularly across the whole term, not just in the first excited weeks.

Reading, listening and a free birth course

The information side is where Preglife puts much of its weight. Articles cover pregnancy health, nutrition, vaccines and related topics, and the developer says the content is verified by specialists so that what you read is accurate and current. There are also longer guides on subjects such as breastfeeding, car seats, insurance and vaccinations, which reach past the birth itself into the practical preparations that follow.

For people who prefer listening, the app hosts three podcasts with advice on childbirth and parenting. That gives you a choice of formats depending on whether you want to read on a break or listen while doing something else.

The birth course costs nothing and comes in Swedish and English. A structured course included at no cost is unusual enough to be a real argument for trying the app, particularly for first-time parents who want an introduction to what labor involves.

Movement, meditation and the partner side

Mumfulness is the app's wellbeing component: fitness routines, yoga and meditation classes designed by experts for pregnancy and early parenthood. The emphasis is on staying active safely rather than training hard, which fits the stage of life the app is built around. If you already have a fitness routine, this is a supplement to it; if you are starting from scratch, it offers a guided way in.

A partner area offers shared tips and activities for couples. I like that this is a first-class part of the app rather than an afterthought, because the non-carrying partner often has the least idea what to do with themselves during a pregnancy.

One thing to know is that the community side lives elsewhere. Preglife Connect is a separate app from the same developer, where parents meet, share experiences and ask questions. If conversation with other expectant parents is what you are after, that is a second download.

What it asks of you, and what to weigh

Preglife is free and carries ads, and there are no in-app purchases to consider. That combination is straightforward: you are not paying for the articles, the course or the tools. How much that bothers you will depend on how much time you spend reading in the app rather than dipping in for the weekly update.

The app is also broad by design, which means it rewards regular use. A weekly calendar, a checklist, podcasts and a course are all things you work through over months, not in a single sitting. Someone who wants only a contraction timer will find a lot of other material around it.

Recent updates brought performance improvements and bug fixes. The birth course is offered in Swedish and English.

Best suited to first-time parents

The people I would point toward Preglife are expectant parents who want a single, free source of information and tools running from the first trimester through to early parenthood. It reads as especially useful for first pregnancies, where the weekly calendar, the checklist and the birth course all have the most to teach.

It also suits couples who want the partner involved in a structured way, since the partner section gives that person their own material rather than leaving them to hover at the edges. And anyone who prefers listening to reading will get something out of the three podcasts.

Because the content is described as specialist-reviewed, it may appeal to readers who want their pregnancy information to come from a curated source rather than an open forum. That is a reasonable preference, and it is the kind of thing this app is built to serve.

A free companion for the whole term

Preglife covers a lot of ground for a free download: weekly development updates, a to-do checklist, a contraction timer, a vaccination tracker, articles and guides, three podcasts, a birth course in two languages, and a fitness and meditation section. Add the partner material and it is a fuller package than the category usually offers at no cost.

The trade-offs are the ones the app states plainly. It is ad-supported, and the community element sits in a separate app. The breadth that makes it useful also means it is best approached as something you return to week after week rather than open once.

If you are expecting a child and want one place to follow the pregnancy, keep track of what needs doing and read up on what comes next, this is an easy app to try. It is particularly well matched to first-time parents and to couples who want to go through it together. You can download it from Google Play at no charge.

What's new in version 10.0.16

This version includes performance improvements, making the app faster and more responsive. Various bugs and issues are also taken care of.