Comparison
Flo vs Stardust 2026: Comparació de Privadesa, Funcions i Preu
Our verdict
Flo was caught sharing data with Google and Meta. Stardust marketed privacy after Roe v. Wade but was found by Privacy International to send data to servers and use third-party de-identification. Neither delivers the privacy it promises. PinkyBloom needs no account, has no ads, and never sells your data.
Flo vs Stardust vs PinkyBloom
| Feature | Flo | Stardust | PinkyBloom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$49.99/yr premium | Free | Free |
| Users | 440M+ | Millions (post-Dobbs surge) | Growing |
| Data storage | Cloud (Flo servers) | Cloud (de-identified via Rownd) | Stored on your phone |
| Privacy track record | Class action settled 2025; Flo paid $8M | Voluntary law enforcement cooperation | Never sold, no ads; partner sharing end-to-end encrypted |
| AI assistant | Cloud-based chatbot | Built-in AI assistant (Pinky) | |
| Voice logging | |||
| Mood forecasts | |||
| Astrology features | Astrology-themed insights | ||
| Account required | Email required | Google account required | No account needed |
| Safety Mode | Anonymous Mode (still cloud) | ||
| Doctor visit reports | |||
| Ads | Ads in free tier | No ads | No ads ever |
Overview
Flo i Stardust ocupen extrems oposats de l'espectre dels rastrejadors de període en la posició de marca. Flo és el líder del mercat establert — 440 milions d'usuaris, funcions completes i un enfocament de plataforma de salut corporativa. Stardust és el desafiador de privadesa post-Dobbs — una aplicació més petita que va augmentar en descàrregues després de la decisió del Tribunal Suprem comercialitzant-se com un rastrejador de període amb prioritat en la privadesa i amb coneixements temàtics d'astrologia.
Flo ofereix profunditat: chatbot d'IA, més de 70 símptomes, fòrums comunitaris, mode de gravidessa i contingut de més de 120 experts mèdics. Stardust ofereix diferenciació: coneixements del cicle barrejat amb astrologia i missatges de privadesa que van ressonar amb usuaris que de sobte estaven preocupats per les seves dades menstruals.
La ironia és que cap de les dues aplicacions ofereix privadesa. Les afirmacions de privadesa de Stardust no van sobreviure a la investigació independent. Per als usuaris que es preocupen per la privadesa de les dades reproductives — especialment en un paisatge post-Dobbs — cap de les dues aplicacions proporciona protecció arquitectònica.
Privacy comparison
The privacy comparison between Flo and Stardust is a case study in two different kinds of failure.
Flo's data sharing is documented in an FTC complaint and a federal class action. Menstrual data went to Google, Meta, and analytics firms. Flo paid $8M to settle in 2025, admitting nothing. A California jury found Meta liable for eavesdropping. Flo did the thing everyone fears a period tracker will do.
Stardust positioned itself as the antidote to Flo's failures. After the Dobbs decision, it marketed privacy and surged in downloads. But in June 2022, Vice/Motherboard discovered Stardust's privacy policy stated it would cooperate with law enforcement "whether or not legally required" — meaning voluntary handover of menstrual data to police. Stardust changed the wording only after press inquiry.
Then in May 2025, Privacy International revealed deeper issues: Stardust sends data to servers and relies on Rownd, a third-party de-identification service. A Google account is required, linking your menstrual data to Google's identity ecosystem. De-identification is a process, not a guarantee — academic research shows menstrual data can be re-identified with few data points.
PinkyBloom needs no account and never sells your data. Your cycle log is stored on your phone, with no third-party de-identification services. Safety Mode swaps neutral data into what she shares with a partner.
Features and intelligence
Flo's feature set dwarfs Stardust's. AI chatbot, 70+ symptoms, community forums, pregnancy mode, and thousands of articles. Flo is a comprehensive health platform.
Stardust's main differentiator is astrology-themed cycle insights — connecting your cycle to astrological concepts. The tracking itself is basic: cycle predictions and symptom logging. For users who enjoy the astrology angle, it's engaging. For users who want health intelligence, it's limited.
PinkyBloom provides genuine AI intelligence. Pinky, the built-in AI assistant, handles health conversations, voice logging captures symptoms naturally, mood forecasts predict emotional patterns, and doctor visit reports create professional summaries. It's the substance that both Flo's chatbot and Stardust's astrology insights point toward.
Pricing comparison
Flo charges ~$49.99/year for premium; its free tier has ads. Stardust is free with no ads.
Both apps store data in the cloud. Flo monetizes through subscriptions and (historically) advertising partnerships. Stardust's monetization model is less clear, but the Google account requirement and server-side data processing suggest data plays a role.
PinkyBloom is free. No ads, no Google account linkage. The total cost is $0.
There's a better option
Flo betrayed user trust with documented data sharing. Stardust promised privacy but relies on servers and third-party de-identification. PinkyBloom has no accounts to identify you, no ads, and never sells your data. Safety Mode replaces her shared status with neutral data, which neither app offers.
