PinkyBloom vs Glow: Private by Default, Not as an Afterthought

Glow's privacy track record includes one of the largest health data breaches in the period-tracking industry. In February 2024, TechCrunch reported that a vulnerability exposed the personal health data of 25 million Glow users. This wasn't a theoretical risk — real users had their intimate health information exposed.

By default, Glow stores all user data on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud servers. The app does offer an opt-in "Offline Data Protection" mode, but this feature's existence is itself an admission: Glow knows cloud storage is a privacy risk and built an escape hatch. The problem is that most users never change default settings. Research consistently shows that fewer than 5% of users modify privacy defaults. This means the vast majority of Glow's 25 million users have their data on AWS.

PinkyBloom inverts this model entirely. Privacy isn't an opt-in mode — it's the only mode. Your data is stored exclusively on your iPhone, protected by Apple's Secure Enclave and Face ID. There are no cloud servers to breach, no default settings to change, and no escape hatches needed because the architecture itself is the protection.

Glow offers a solid set of tracking features — period predictions, ovulation tracking, BBT charting, and fertility sign monitoring. The community forums provide peer support. However, Glow's intelligence layer is primarily statistical, relying on pattern matching rather than AI-powered analysis.

PinkyBloom's on-device AI represents a generational leap in cycle tracking intelligence. The conversational AI assistant understands natural language queries about your health. Voice logging lets you describe symptoms hands-free, and the AI extracts structured data automatically. AI mood forecasts predict emotional patterns days in advance based on your cycle, sleep, and activity data.

The doctor visit report generator is a capability no competitor — including Glow — currently offers. PinkyBloom creates professional, comprehensive health summaries that you can share with your healthcare provider, making appointments more productive. All of this intelligence runs locally on your iPhone's Neural Engine, with no cloud processing required.

Switching from Glow to PinkyBloom is straightforward. Open Glow's calendar view, take a screenshot, and use PinkyBloom's Screenshot Import feature. The OCR engine extracts your cycle history, including period dates, ovulation markers, and fertility data.

If you've been using Glow's community forums, note that PinkyBloom doesn't include public community features — by design. Community forums require cloud-based accounts and public-facing health data, which conflicts with zero-knowledge architecture. PinkyBloom's encrypted partner sharing provides private, one-to-one sharing instead.

Given Glow's data breach history, switching is particularly worthwhile. After importing your data to PinkyBloom, consider deleting your Glow account. If you were using Glow's default cloud mode (which most users are), your health data has been sitting on AWS servers — removing it reduces your exposure.

Glow's pricing varies by plan — quarterly and yearly premium options are available, with the free tier including ads. The exact cost depends on when you subscribe and which promotions are active. Regardless of the specific price, you're paying for an app that had a breach affecting 25 million users.

PinkyBloom is completely free with no premium tier. Every feature — AI assistant, voice logging, mood forecasts, doctor reports, encrypted partner sharing, home screen widgets, and health vault — is included for every user. There are no ads and no subscription walls.

The value comparison is stark: PinkyBloom offers more features, stronger privacy (with no breach history), and better AI — all for free. Glow charges for premium features while storing your data on AWS by default and requiring you to opt in to basic privacy protections. When privacy should be the baseline, not an upgrade, the choice is clear.