Ankylosing spondylitis apps compared: which tracker fits how you live
Four iPhone apps people with AS or axSpA actually use, compared on what each one does, costs and stores. Written by HAVYT’s founder — read it knowing that — with every claim about another app taken from its own listing on 16 September 2026.
There is no best ankylosing spondylitis app, because the apps are trying to do different things. One is a private BASDAI and medication log with no account. One covers a dozen rheumatic conditions with clinical scores and PDF reports. One is the standards body’s own calculator. HAVYT is the one that puts symptoms, sleep, nutrition, medication and training in the same record, and adapts training to the day. Which of those you want is the whole question.
The short version
HAVYT — People with AS or axSpA who also train, and want symptoms, sleep, nutrition, medication and training in one record with reports for appointments.
AS Log: Ankylosing Spondylitis — People with AS who want a focused, private, on-device BASDAI and medication log with no account and no subscription.
Hurtl: Pain & Symptom Tracker — People with a rheumatic condition — RA, PsA, axSpA/AS, lupus, fibromyalgia, OA — who want symptom, medication and lab tracking with clinical scores and PDF reports.
ASAS App — Anyone who wants to calculate ASDAS and BASDAI and read ASAS’s own material on classification, assessment and treatment — clinicians as much as patients.
Side by side
Marks are taken from each app’s App Store listing or website on 16 September 2026; where a feature depends on a paid tier it is marked partly, with the reason in the notes. Prices are the US App Store’s.
Feature and pricing comparison. ● yes · ◐ partly or paid tier · — not listed.
Criterion
HAVYT
AS Log
Hurtl
ASAS App
Platform
iPhone; web
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, Vision
iPhone
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision
Price model
Free + AI credits
Free + optional tips
Free + subscription
Free
Daily symptom tracking (pain, stiffness, fatigue)
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Pain and stiffness recorded separatelyAS Log and Hurtl record BASDAI components, which separate the two; HAVYT also does so in its daily check-in outside the BASDAI.
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BASDAIHurtl’s clinical scores are part of the Hurtl+ subscription. ASAS App calculates but does not track over time.
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Other clinical scoresHurtl+: RAPID3, DAPSA, WOMAC, fibromyalgia. ASAS App: ASDAS.
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Flare trackingAS Log lists notes and tags rather than a dedicated flare feature.
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Body map for pain locationHurtl lists joint-involvement tracking.
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Medication tracking
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Medication remindersHAVYT has reminders for supplements and custom reminders; medication-specific adherence tracking is not a listed feature.
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Lab / test results
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Training plans and workout logging
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Adapts training to the day’s symptoms
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Nutrition and hydration
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Sleep and recovery signals
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Apple HealthHAVYT reads sleep, heart rate, HRV, steps and more, and can write HAVYT-created entries back if you allow it. AS Log reads daily steps.
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Report or export for cliniciansHAVYT: Doctor Reports. AS Log: JSON export. Hurtl: PDF reports with Hurtl+.
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Works without an account
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Data storage
Cloud (account)
On device + iCloud
Device; optional cloud sync
n/a
Advertising
None
None
None
None
Each app in detail
HAVYT
Daniel Golaszewski · iPhone (also runs on iPad and Apple silicon Macs); web app · Free core app; optional in-app purchases for AI credits ($0.99–$44.99)
Who it suits. People with AS or axSpA who also train, and want symptoms, sleep, nutrition, medication and training in one record with reports for appointments.
Strengths
Daily check-in records stiffness and pain as separate signals, by body region, with fatigue, sleep, energy and mood.
BASDAI inside the app, charted over time next to the daily signals it is made of.
Training is a first-class feature — plans, workout logging, mobility sessions — and adapts to the day’s check-in; a scaled-down session still counts.
Simple food notes and hydration, medication, and Apple Health import (sleep, HRV, resting heart rate, steps and more) with optional write-back of HAVYT-created entries.
Doctor Reports: a structured summary of any date range, honest about gaps.
Pattern detection across your own history, hedged as associations, never causes.
Trade-offs
An account is required and health data is stored in HAVYT’s cloud database (Supabase), as described in the Privacy Policy — not on-device only.
Broader than a pure AS diary: if you only want BASDAI and medication, some of the app is not for you.
The AI coach (Emelie) uses paid credits; core tracking does not.
Lewis Moss · iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon), Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch · Free; optional “Support development” tips ($4.99, $9.99, $17.99)
Who it suits. People with AS who want a focused, private, on-device BASDAI and medication log with no account and no subscription.
Strengths
BASDAI tracking with charts, including voice input on iOS 26 and later.
Medication logging and reminders, test-result logging, notes with tags, and a body map for pain location.
Data stays on device: the listing states the developer collects no data. iCloud sync, automatic backups to Files, JSON export, widgets, Shortcuts and app lock.
Free, with no subscription.
Trade-offs
AS-specific by design: no training, nutrition or sleep tracking, and Apple Health integration is limited to daily steps.
No formatted report for clinicians listed; export is JSON.
On-device-only storage means your data is only as backed up as your iCloud and Files settings.
Distributed by Design Ltd · iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) · Free; Hurtl+ subscription $9.99/month or $49.99/year
Who it suits. People with a rheumatic condition — RA, PsA, axSpA/AS, lupus, fibromyalgia, OA — who want symptom, medication and lab tracking with clinical scores and PDF reports.
Strengths
Covers several rheumatic conditions in one app, with joint-involvement tracking and lab results.
Clinical scores beyond BASDAI — RAPID3, DAPSA, WOMAC and a fibromyalgia assessment (Hurtl+).
Medication logging with reminders and adherence, a journal, flare tracking, and PDF reports for healthcare providers (Hurtl+).
Works without creating an account; optional sign-in for backup and sync.
Trade-offs
Scores, reports and trend charts sit behind the Hurtl+ subscription.
No training, nutrition or recovery tracking; not built around exercise.
Stichting Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) · iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon), Apple Vision · Free
Who it suits. Anyone who wants to calculate ASDAS and BASDAI and read ASAS’s own material on classification, assessment and treatment — clinicians as much as patients.
Strengths
Calculators for ASDAS and BASDAI from the society that maintains the assessment standards.
Educational content on classification, diagnosis, outcome measures and treatment of spondyloarthritis.
Free, from a non-commercial source.
Trade-offs
A reference and calculator, not a diary: it is not designed to record daily symptoms, medication or flares over time.
If you want the smallest, most private tool — BASDAI, medication, notes, nothing leaving the phone — AS Log is built for exactly that, and it is free.
If AS is one of several rheumatic conditions you manage, or you want RAPID3, DAPSA or WOMAC alongside BASDAI and a PDF for your clinician, Hurtl covers more ground; budget for Hurtl+.
If you want to calculate ASDAS or BASDAI once and read the standards body’s material, the ASAS App is the reference.
If you train, and want your symptoms understood next to sleep, nutrition, medication and training — with a plan that scales to the day and a report for appointments — that combination is what HAVYT is for. The trade-off is an account and cloud storage, described in the Privacy Policy.
HAVYT uses only the storage this site needs to work. Analytics is optional, stays off until you allow it, and you can change your mind at any time. Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy
