Pacing Apps for ME/CFS and Long COVID: How They Compare
Updated October 26, 2026
Short answer: It depends on the job. A live over-exertion alert needs a worn heart-rate sensor, like Visible's band. A morning check can use your phone camera, in Visible's free app or Welltory. A day-by-day log works without hardware: Bearable, Elara or The Good Tracker, where you just say how you feel.
The NICE guideline for ME/CFS describes post-exertional malaise as part of the condition 8. A pacing setup usually covers one of three jobs: an alert in the moment, a morning check against your own recent days, or a log you can look back on a day or two later.
How do pacing apps compare?
Competitor details are as of Oct 26, 2026, taken from each company's own site or app store listing, and each is sourced to a URL in the Sources section below. Features change, so check each company's site before you choose.
| The Good Tracker | Visible | Welltory | Bearable | Elara | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Spoken daily log 1 | Heart-rate pacing 4 | HRV and heart-rate spot readings 6 | Symptom, mood and habit tracking 7 | Pacing diary 9 |
| Hardware needed | None 1 | Phone camera; band for live alerts 45 | Phone camera, or a chest strap, Apple Watch or Samsung Watch 6 | None 7 | None; can import watch data 9 |
| Live over-exertion alerts | Not offered | With the paid band 4 | Not offered 6 | Not stated 7 | Not stated 9 |
| Energy and exertion | Energy, fatigue, PEM and sleep 0–10; crash or flare flag 2 | Daily exertion logging 4 | Tags and notes on what happened 6 | Energy and fatigue levels 7 | Energy, activity and PEM tracking 9 |
| Voice logging | Yes 1 | Not stated 4 | Tag notes by voice or text 6 | Not stated 7 | Not stated 9 |
| Doctor output | Doctor summaries 1 | Health report and export 4 | CSV export from the web app 6 | Data export 7 | Reports 9 |
| Platforms | Web app now; iOS planned 1 | iPhone, Android 45 | iPhone, Android 610 | iOS, Android 711 | iOS, Android 912 |
| Plans | GT is free to use today. | See official site for access details 45 | See official site for access details 6 | See official site for access details 7 | Currently free 12 |
What does a pacing app need to do?
In these apps, pacing means recording activity next to the energy you log. An app may send an alert in the moment, give you a morning reading to compare with your recent days, or keep a log so you can see what tended to line up with harder days. Most apps lean on one of these. Our pacing guide explains the energy envelope idea 3.
Do I need a wearable to pace?
Only for live alerts. Visible's band sends pacing notifications while you're active 4. A morning reading can come from your phone camera in Visible's free app or Welltory 46. A log needs nothing extra. Bearable, Elara and The Good Tracker all work without a device 179.
Can a pacing app tell me a crash is coming?
We didn't find any of these apps saying a log can tell you a harder day is coming. Welltory's own comparison says it isn't aware of an algorithm that does that for one person 6. What a log can show is what tended to line up with a harder day. How to track PEM walks through that.
Where does The Good Tracker fit?
GT is the log. You just say how you feel, and it fills in energy, fatigue, PEM and sleep on 0–10 scales, with food and meds on the same day 12. You can mark crash or flare days and look back at what came before. GT doesn't do heart-rate pacing or live alerts, and it runs in your phone's browser until the iOS app arrives. The spoon budget tool is one way to plan a day.
Who should choose which?
Visible may suit you if: you want live heart-rate alerts and will wear a band (band features are US and UK only 4).
Welltory may suit you if: you want a morning HRV reading with your phone or a watch you already have.
Bearable may suit you if: you want to track many factors with graphs, tapping rather than talking.
Elara may suit you if: you want a free pacing diary app that brings in watch data, on iOS or Android now.
The Good Tracker may suit you if: typing is hard and you want symptoms, food and meds in one spoken log. It isn't the right fit if you need wearable heart-rate pacing.
Prefer talking to filling in a diary? Try a voice log in GT.
FAQ
What is a pacing app?
A pacing app records activity and energy. Some measure heart rate, some take a morning reading and some are logs you look back on. None of them replaces advice from a clinician who knows you.
Is there a free pacing app?
Yes. Elara says it's currently free to use, Visible's app is free with a band service, and Welltory and Bearable have free versions. GT is free to use today.
Does The Good Tracker do heart-rate pacing?
No. GT doesn't read heart rate or wearable data today. It's a daily log you can speak into, with energy, fatigue and PEM scales and a crash or flare flag.
Can I use more than one pacing app?
Yes. Some people pair a heart-rate tool with a daily log. GT doesn't connect to the other apps here today, so they would run side by side.
Visible, Welltory, Bearable, Elara Health, Apple Watch, Samsung and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. The Good Tracker is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Sources and notes (competitor facts as of Oct 26, 2026)
- The Good Tracker homepage: https://www.thegoodtracker.com/
- The Good Tracker ME/CFS page (energy, fatigue, PEM and sleep scales; crash or flare flag): https://www.thegoodtracker.com/me-cfs-symptom-tracker
- The Good Tracker pacing guide: https://www.thegoodtracker.com/guides/pacing-energy-envelope-tracker
- Visible App Store listing: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/visible-pacing-for-illness/id1624474919
- Visible website (band and membership; Visible Band 2.0 made by Polar): https://www.makevisible.com/
- Welltory, "Best pacing apps for ME/CFS and Long COVID compared" (Welltory's own site, updated Oct 26, 2026): https://welltory.com/blog/best-pacing-apps
- Bearable website and FAQ: https://bearable.app/
- NICE guideline NG206, ME/CFS: diagnosis and management (2021): https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206
- Elara Health App Store listing: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/elara-health-fatigue-pacing/id6596760769
- Welltory Google Play listing: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.welltory.client.android
- Bearable Google Play listing: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bearable
- Elara Health website ("Free to use on iOS and Android"): https://www.elarahealth.org/
"Not stated" means we didn't find it on the official source. Welltory facts come from Welltory's own published comparison; it is also a competitor, so check its site. Prices are left out on purpose.