Veya vs Natural Cycles
These apps do different jobs. Natural Cycles is an FDA-cleared method of birth control. Veya is a tracker and diary that is not a method of contraception.
Natural Cycles uses your temperature, from a basal thermometer or a compatible wearable, to work out your fertility status. In the US it was granted marketing authorisation by the FDA in 2018 as software for contraception, and in the EU its birth control and plan pregnancy modes are CE-marked medical device software.1,2,3
Veya can’t do that job and doesn’t try to. If you want an app to help prevent pregnancy, Natural Cycles is designed for that and Veya isn’t. If you want to keep track of your cycle, symptoms, a pregnancy or perimenopause, read on for how the two differ.
At a glance
- The FDA granted Natural Cycles a De Novo request in August 2018 as a Class II “software application for contraception”, for women 18 and older.2
- Natural Cycles says it is 93% effective with typical use and 98% with perfect use.1
- You need an account with an active subscription, plus a basal thermometer or a compatible wearable.4,1
- It has five modes: birth control, plan pregnancy, follow pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause.5
- Natural Cycles does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.1
Side by side
| Feature | Veya | Natural Cycles |
|---|---|---|
| Price and free tier | Free Every feature, for everyone, with no premium tier. Optional pay-what-you-want support through the app stores unlocks nothing. | Paid subscription A free download, but using it needs an active subscription. The US App Store lists $21.99 a month or $149.99 a year; prices vary by country. You also need a thermometer or a compatible wearable. 4,6,1 |
| Ads | No ads No ads and no analytics. | Health data isn’t used for targeted ads Its policy says it doesn’t sell or share fertility, period, sexual activity, medical condition, symptom or pregnancy data for targeted advertising. Its App Store label lists contact info as used to track you, for third-party advertising. 7,6 |
| Account needed | Not needed A Google or Apple sign-in is used only if you choose cloud backup. | Required “To use Natural Cycles, you need an account with an active subscription.” 4 |
| Where your data is kept | On your phone A local database on your phone. Cloud backup, partner sharing and the community run only if you turn them on. | Natural Cycles’ servers Stored on its servers, within the EEA as much as possible, with encryption and pseudonymisation. An optional Go Anonymous mode separates your identity from your fertility data. 8,7,9 |
| Selling and sharing data, per their policy | Doesn’t sell data No ads, no analytics and no data sales, as set out in Veya’s privacy policy. | Says it never sells personal data Its US notice says it may sell sensitive personal data, explaining that identifiers and metadata shared with advertising partners can count as a sale under some state laws, and that it doesn’t sell or share fertility, period, symptom or pregnancy data. 7 |
| Export your data | Yes Everything as a JSON file you can restore on another phone without an account, plus a CSV for spreadsheets. | On request You can ask Natural Cycles to export your data. NC° Perimenopause includes a PDF report of your last six cycles. 8,7,10 |
| Delete your data | Yes An option to delete everything, in the app. | Yes In the app: menu, My account, Delete account. Deletion is permanent. 11 |
| Languages | 8 English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Hindi. | 4 on the US App Store English, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. Its help centre has user manuals in more languages. 6,12 |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android Coming soon; not yet in the app stores. | iPhone and Android Plus a companion Apple Watch app for viewing, and temperature from the NC° Band, Oura, Apple Watch, Garmin or WHOOP. 6,13,14,1 |
| Pregnancy, after a birth, perimenopause | Yes, all three Modes for trying to conceive, pregnancy, after a birth and perimenopause, which you can switch between. | Yes, all three NC° Follow Pregnancy, NC° Postpartum and NC° Perimenopause, which the FDA summary describes as general wellness functions. 5 |
| Contraception | Not contraception Veya isn’t a method of contraception and isn’t a medical device. Its dates are estimates. | FDA-cleared birth control Authorised for use as birth control in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU/EEA, Australia, Singapore, Brazil and South Korea; elsewhere it is for fertility monitoring only. 2,6,3 |
| Offline use | Yes Entries are saved to your phone, so logging doesn’t need a connection. | Logging, yes You can log offline and it syncs later, but your fertility status can’t be calculated until you’re back online. 15,1 |
Veya is pre-launch, so everything in its column is planned for launch. See the feature availability table and the privacy policy for what is built so far.
What Natural Cycles does well
- It is FDA-cleared birth control without hormones, which is something no general period tracker offers.2,6
- It uses your own temperature trend to detect ovulation, rather than calendar assumptions.6
- It works with many temperature sources: a basal thermometer, the NC° Band, Oura, Apple Watch, Garmin and WHOOP.1
- Privacy options including Go Anonymous, which separates your identity from your fertility data, and Face ID login on iPhone.9
- Natural Cycles says 30 studies have been published about it.16
- Partner View lets you share your fertility status with a partner on their own phone.17
Where Veya is different
- Veya is not contraception and won’t tell you when you can or can’t get pregnant. Its fertile window is an estimate, shown with how confident it is.
- Every feature is free, with no subscription, and you don’t need a thermometer or a wearable.
- No account: your entries stay in a local database on your phone.
- Eight languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Hindi.
- A full export of everything, as a JSON file you can restore without an account, plus a CSV.
Which should you choose?
If you want an app to help prevent pregnancy
Natural Cycles is designed for that and Veya isn’t. Talk to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist about which method suits you.2
If you’re trying to conceive and want to use your temperature
Natural Cycles’ plan pregnancy mode is built around temperature data. Veya lets you log basal temperature and ovulation tests, without a subscription.5,6
If you want to keep a diary without paying or measuring every morning
Veya is free and works from what you choose to log.
If you need a language other than English, Portuguese, Spanish or Swedish
Veya plans eight languages at launch.6
Questions
Is Veya a free alternative to Natural Cycles?
Not for contraception. Natural Cycles is FDA-cleared software for contraception; Veya is a tracker and diary and isn’t a method of contraception. For tracking your cycle, symptoms or a pregnancy, Veya is free.2
How effective is Natural Cycles?
Natural Cycles says it is 93% effective with typical use, meaning 7 women out of 100 get pregnant in a year of use, and 98% effective with perfect use. It doesn’t protect against sexually transmitted infections.1
Do I need a thermometer for Natural Cycles?
Yes, or a compatible wearable. Natural Cycles lists an oral basal thermometer, its NC° Band, Oura Ring, Apple Watch, Garmin wearables and WHOOP.1
Sources
Every statement about Natural Cycles on this page comes from the pages below, read on the date shown. We quote the wording we relied on.
- Natural Cycles instructions for use (US) (Natural Cycles)
Natural Cycles is 93% effective under typical use, which means that 7 women out of 100 get pregnant during 1 year of use.
if you never have unprotected intercourse on red days, Natural Cycles is 98% effective, which means that 2 women out of 100 get pregnant during 1 year of use.
2. A thermometer, an NC° Band, an Oura Ring, an Apple Watch, a Garmin Wearable, or a WHOOP
Natural Cycles does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
To get started you will need an oral basal thermometer.
You can still log data while offline, but the app cannot calculate your fertility status.
- De Novo DEN170052: Natural Cycles (decision letter) (US Food and Drug Administration)
Natural Cycles is a stand-alone software application, intended for women 18 years and older, to monitor their fertility. Natural Cycles can be used for preventing a pregnancy (contraception) or planning a pregnancy (conception).
Regulation Name: Software application for contraception Regulatory Class: Class II Product Code: PYT
Re: DEN170052 Trade/Device Name: Natural Cycles
- Natural Cycles instructions for use (EU) (Natural Cycles)
We declare that this product meets all applicable requirements of the Regulation (EU) 2017/745 for medical devices (MDR) and bears the mark CE0123.
NC° Birth Control and NC° Plan Pregnancy are Medical Device Software modes under Regulation (EU) 2017/745 for medical devices (MDR).
- What do I need to use Natural Cycles? (Natural Cycles Help Center)
To use Natural Cycles, you need an account with an active subscription.
- 510(k) K253694: Natural Cycles (US Food and Drug Administration)
Natural Cycles is available in five modes: Contraception (NC° Birth Control), Conception (NC° Plan Pregnancy), Pregnancy (NC° Follow Pregnancy), Postpartum (NC° Postpartum), and Perimenopause (NC° Perimenopause).
NC° Follow Pregnancy, NC° Postpartum, and N C° Perimenopause are general wellness functions.
- Natural Cycles: Birth Control, US App Store listing (Apple App Store)
In-App Purchases Yes Monthly $21.99 Annual $149.99
The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies: Contact Info
Third-Party Advertising Contact Info Email Address
Languages English and 3 more English, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Requires iOS 16.7 or later.
Natural Cycles is authorized for use as birth control in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU/EEA, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, and South Korea. Outside these regions, the app is intended for fertility monitoring only.
NC° Birth Control is a non-hormonal contraception with no side effects.
Unlike period trackers, our algorithm uses personalized temperature trends data to detect ovulation.
- Natural Cycles privacy policy (Natural Cycles)
We do not sell or share any of the following for the purpose of targeted advertising (such as Custom and Lookalike Audiences): any fertility status data, period data, sexual activity data, medical condition data, or logged symptom or pregnancy data.
such as firewalls, encrypted storage, pseudonymization, regular software updates, security scans, access control, audit logging and review of admin actions as well as external penetration tests
Natural Cycles never sells your Personal Data
NOTICE: We may sell your sensitive personal data.
Consumer Health Data that may be Sold are identifiers and metadata (such as commercial information concerning your interest in Natural Cycles, geolocation data, as well as internet or other similar network activity).
For clarity, we do not Sell or Share any fertility status data, period data, sexual activity data, medical condition data, or logged symptom or pregnancy data.
request a copy of your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and that we transfer your personal data to another controller.
- How does Natural Cycles protect my data? (Natural Cycles Help Center)
Sensitive data provided by you is stored on our servers.
We choose to store sensitive data within the EEA (European Economic Area) as much as possible. However, data can be transferred outside of the EEA
you may ask us to delete your data at any time in accordance with our Privacy Policy or export it for you.
- NC° Secure (Natural Cycles)
It separates your identity from your fertility data, so no one, not even us at Natural Cycles, can link your NC° data to you.
you can turn on Face ID when logging in to the app on an iOS device
- How NC° Perimenopause works (Natural Cycles Help Center)
an exportable PDF that provides a comprehensive overview of your cycle health for your last six cycles.
- How to delete your Natural Cycles account (Natural Cycles Help Center)
opening your Natural Cycles app and clicking on the top menu > My account > Delete account .
Deleting your account is permanent. Your account and any logged data cannot be restored once it has been deleted.
- Instructions for use (Natural Cycles Help Center)
App languages English (US) - User manual English (EU, CA, AUS, SG) - User manual Svenska - Användarmanual
- Natural Cycles, Google Play listing (US) (Google Play)
Natural Cycles - Birth Control NaturalCycles AG
- How to use the NC° Apple Watch app (Natural Cycles Help Center)
Please note that at the moment, it’s not possible to add any data through the NC° Apple Watch app.
- Can I use the app offline? (Natural Cycles Help Center)
You can add data to the Natural Cycles app while your device does not have an internet connection (offline).
- Natural Cycles home page (Natural Cycles)
30 studies published
- How to share your fertility status using the Partner View (Natural Cycles Help Center)
NC° Partner View is a feature that gives you the power to share your fertility data – and other optional information – with your partner