- iOS and Android
- Free, with in-app purchases
- iPhone and Android
- Free, with in-app purchases
- iPhone and Android
- Free
10 Best Allergy Apps: Your Secret Weapon Against Allergies
Allergies are irritating at best and life-threatening at worse. And regardless of whether they’re environmental or food-related, the scariest thing about allergies is that they can attack at any time, anywhere.
This is why allergy apps serve such an important purpose: they’re like having a field guide, medical dictionary, cookbook, and first-response resource in your pocket wherever you go.
Though one of the best ways of avoiding symptoms is by avoiding allergens altogether, that’s not always easy. So to be safe, it’s wise for anyone with allergies to consider an app that will tell them what to avoid, how to avoid it, or what to do if symptoms appear.
From apps that give you the daily pollen index to ones that scan ingredient labels for you, here’s a look at 10 mobile apps that utilize the latest tech to provide you with preventative, alternative, or responsive information that can ease symptoms, and maybe even save your life.
Our Top 10 Best Allergy Apps in 2024:
- Zyrtec AllergyCast - Best app for tracking the day's pollen index
- WebMD Allergy - Best for researching symptoms
- Allergy Alert - Best for daily allergy forecasts
- AllergyEats - Best for finding allergy-friendly restaurants
- Substitutions - Best for eliminating allergens from your diet
- Allergy Force - Best for scanning ingredient labels at the grocery store
- ZocDoc - Best for scheduling doctor's appointments
- Yummly - Best for finding allergy-friendly recipes
- Spokin - Best for allergy-related news, tips, and community resources
- First Aid by American Red Cross - Best for emergency first-aid information
1. Zyrtec AllergyCast
- Provides real-time environmental updates from 40,000 zip codes
- Helpful wellness tips for allergy sufferers
Apps like Zyrtec AllergyCast take the guesswork out of allergies. Zyrtec AllergyCast is a free iPhone and Android app created by the allergy and cold medication provider, Zyrtec.
The app helps you avoid allergies by tracking the daily pollen index and informing you when it’s high. It analyzes 40,000 zip codes to give you real-time and relevant updates, as well as showing hourly and 10-day weather and allergy forecasts.
2. WebMD Allergy
- Personalized allergy forecast
- In-app journal lets you log daily symptoms and track your reactions
WebMD Allergy app has tons of information on indoor, outdoor, and food allergies, and lists treatment options. A cool feature is the app’s journal feature, where you can log your symptoms daily to keep track of your health.
3. Allergy Alert
- Visual alerts tell you what allergens are in the air that day
- Index of detailed plant descriptions and photos
If you’re someone who suffers from seasonal or environmental allergies, chances are you don’t have time every morning to read a detailed report before you step out the door. Allergy Alert is a free app, provided by Pollen.com, that offers visual changes on your screen to let you know immediately whether trees, grass, or ragweed are the culprits outside.
That said, Allergy Alert does provide more detailed information for those who need it, including plant descriptions and photographs, 5-day weather and allergy forecasts, and your own personal allergy diary.
4. Allergy Eats
- Database of more than 850,000 allergy-friendlyrestaurants nationwide
- View menus, user reviews, and ingredient information
Riskier allergies, like food related ones, can include nut, dairy, or fish allergies; and can be life-threatening in many cases. As anybody with high-risk food allergies knows, it’s extremely important to avoid the specific food at all costs.
This is particularly challenging when eating out at restaurants because you aren’t in control of what’s going into your dish. For this, you should check out the AllergyEats app. The peer-based feedback app came out in 2010 and lets you see restaurant menus, ingredient information, and reviews posted by other users.
5. Substitutions
- Database of nearly 1,500 food substitutions
- Covers food allergies, sensitivities, and other dietary restrictions
Substitutions, which is only available for iPhone, helps you find substitutes to an ingredient in a recipe you are allergic to. Get suggestions for ingredients in place of fish, gluten, nuts, alcohol, and dairy.
6. Allergy Force
- Scan barcodes to quick-search ingredient lists
- Guide to hidden allergies and alternative ingredient names
Allergy Force, available on Androids and iPhones, is loaded with helpful allergen information including FDA food-recall alerts, EpiPen expiration reminders, and a hidden allergen list that documents the alternative names allergens may be listed under.
However, it’s the allergen scanner that may most come in handy on a day-to-day basis: simply scan the barcode of packaged food with your phone and it will cross-check the ingredients to make sure there’s nothing harmful in its contents.
7. ZocDoc
- Find an allergist near you within minutes
- Book appointments through the app
Like all medical conditions, it’s recommended to not only keep up with your symptoms and reactions, but check in with a doctor to ensure they’re not getting worse. We like ZocDoc. It’s a helpful app for finding doctors, in this case allergists.
You can find a doctor near you, see what insurance they accept, and book appointments straight from the app.
8. Yummly
- More than 2 million recipes from top food blogs like Allrecipes and Food52
- Filter by ingredient, dietary needs, preferences, cuisine, and more
If you’re more cautious and try to avoid restaurants altogether, Yummly and Substitutions can become your best friends.
Yummly is available for iPhone and Android, and helps you collect recipes from different websites according to your preferences. So if you are only interested in fish-free recipes, just type it in, search, and voila!
9. Spokin
- Follow users with similar food allergies
- Create a personalized news feed of information relevant to your allergies
Like other food-allergy apps, Spokin offers recipes, hidden-allergen lists, brand recommendations, and more. But what makes it unique is the community feature.
You can follow other users with similar allergies and curate a personalized news feed that will aggregate relevant news, articles, food updates, and restaurants and hotel reviews from those who share the same allergies as you.
10. First Aid by American Red Cross
- Free on iOS and Android
- Detailed information on medical emergencies
First Aid by American Red Cross is a free app available for iPhone and Android. The app provides you with walkthroughs, explanations, videos, and instructions on scenarios that may require first aid. This is particularly useful in the case of anaphylactic shock.
What is Pollen?
In a nutshell, pollen is the powdery substance that fertilizes female reproductive parts in plants. It's produced by the male sex organs (stamens) of flowers, and when it comes into contact with the female part (pistil), it can create a seed. Pollen is also eaten by some animals, including bees and other pollinators, who use it as a source of food.
Why is Pollen a Problem?
For people with allergies, pollen can be a real problem. The tiny grains can cause sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes, and in some cases can lead to more serious health problems like asthma. Pollen is also a major contributor to hay fever, which is a condition that affects the nose and throat.
Can you Avoid Pollen?
Using a pollen forecast app, you can track the pollen levels in your area. This way, you can avoid spending time outdoors when there's a lot of pollen in the air. If you know that pollen is high near where you live or work, even if it's sunny and beautiful, don't go outside during peak pollen hours (generally between 6 AM and noon). For the best pollen forecast apps check out Zyrtec AllergyCast and WebMD Allergy.
Allergy Apps Can Help You Live Life to the Fullest
Allergies are rough. From kids, to teens, to adults, they affect a large portion of the population. Use the resources that are out there and arm yourself against both seasonal irritants, and more life-threatening allergies. There are incredible apps out there for people suffering from allergies, so make sure you’re always prepared.
