There’s no question that drinking water is important. It provides us precious hydration that helps our blood flow easier, heart rates stay lower, blood pressure stays lower, and our irritability stays down!
The benefits of drinking more water are far and away some of the easiest life changes you can make….you just need to remember to drink water!
Today we wanted to give you something different...a review of some water apps that we’ve tested and used. We’ll give you some of the pro’s and cons of different apps out there and let you decide if using an app is worth it for you!
We looked at 3 of the higher rated apps in the google store that came up after typing in “water app”. Keep in mind that we did not purchase any of the apps as they are all free. They did come with some frustrating ads which I’ll explain as we go through this!
Water time
Link to google play: Water time
Link to apple store: Water Time
General view:
First one we tried out was called “Water time pro”. This water app main screen sports a cute little water droplet next to a glass of water. The default size is 7 oz cup ,which can be changed by simply swiping to the left while on the main screen.
When you download this app it will ask you for your body weight and gender. This helps to give you a baseline for how much water you should be drinking. My total came out to 75 oz per day (I weigh about 195).
You also have the ability to choose to measure water in milliliters or ounces. I chose ounces since my yeti bottle measures in ounces.
To log your water all you need to do is click on the water glass and you will automatically fill up a bar that maxes out on your daily goal (75 for me).
Pros
Sets goal based on weight
Increases water amount when you select if you worked out that day (adds 20 oz)
Able to select other types of drinks (coffee, tea, soda, juice)
Can create a unique drink (26 oz Yeti bottle for me!)
Able to select reminders for every 15 minute up to every 2 hours (based on what you prefer)
Cons
Goal amount of water seems a bit low for what I should be getting in (closer to 90-100 oz a day)
Filled with Ads that are frustrating (yes this goes away if you pay, but this ads are seriously taking up your full screen with no escape option till after it runs its course)
No special sound effect to be unique from your other phone reminders
Final judgment and score
I’m not a fan of ads being put in your face all the time, even interrupting me while I was filling out how much water I had a few minutes prior. The lack of unique reminders was also a turn off for me since I didn’t know if I was supposed to drink water or answer an email.
IF you are looking for an app that allows you to track coffee, tea, juice and soda this app seamlessly implements these types of drinks into your total hydration each day. This is one of its strongest abilities!
I give this app 3 cute water droplets out of 5!
Plant Nanny 2
Link to google play: Plant Nanny 2
Link to apple store: Plant Nanny 2
General view:
Who doesn’t like to grow a cute little plant with their daily water intake?
This app immediately stood out as one of the most polished and best looking apps we tried. A relaxing melody plays while your little seed of a plant is smiling back at you.
Just like the Water Time app, this one asks for your weight, gender and exercise activity. This one gave me 116 ounces for each day, which I thought was much more realistic than the 75 from Water time.
I’m a huge fan of games so I appreciate the gamification of this one. You have seeds and clovers that you collect when you reach different achievements. You “level up” as you consistently hit water goals each day. There are also quests that you unlock as you complete different events such as “having your first drink”, or “growing your first plant”.
I really appreciate the work that went into designing all the different plants you can eventually earn after you grow your own plant.
Of course there are options to use real money for different colored pots for your plant, but unlike Water Time, the ads aren’t in your face.
Pros
Aesthetically pleasing
Relaxed tunes to listen to while you browse your water intake
Quests, achievements, and unlocks to make a game out of your water intake
Can choose between 7 oz or 20 oz and simply hold to water your plant
Can input custom time to remind you ie. daily at 12 PM
Cons
No options to track anything but water
Sometimes accidentally add water when trying to escape the app without being able to subtract water (poor placement of water input)
Aside from custom Reminder, you can only have it remind you every 2, 4, or 6 hours.
Reminder sound isn’t customizable and is default to messaging sounds
Lots of currencies, might get confusing and get away from simply tracking water
Final judgment and score
This app is for those who like the fun of completing achievements, unlocking items and building up your army of different plants.
It comes off a little more in depth and complicated than the Water Time app. For some this might be a turn off since there are too many different things to play with when you are simply just trying to track water.
I wish that you could customize the sound that the alert makes for your reminder.
For me though - this is a positive thing and something that would keep me coming back. This app would be especially great for those moms who are trying to get their kids to drink more water!
I give this app 4 smiling seedlings out of 5
Drink water Reminder
Link to google play : Drink Water Reminder
Not found on apple store
General view:
This name doesn’t leave much for the imagination! This is a simple app that does the job of tracking water very well.
Upon downloading and using this app we found that this app was the most simple looking out of all the ones we’ve tried out.
The main screen shows a circle that fills in over time as you add your water intake in. Just like other apps, at first it asked for body weight and gender (No exercise included). For me, at 195 lbs it gave me a goal of 98 ounces. This seems to be right on point for what I would expect my goal to be and the one I normally have on my own.
You are able to choose different size cups ranging from 7, 14, and 17 oz (as well as adding a custom glass). There are no options for different types of drinks.
Pros
Straight and to the point
Simple interface
Unique water sound for reminder
Includes achievements
Has stats tab that includes successful day streak
Cons
Nothing visually stands out
Not as many bells and whistles as other apps
Strictly tracks water only
Final judgment and score
This app really stood out for us because of its simplicity. We really enjoyed the unique reminder tone of a water splash. This made it stand out to us more than the other apps because of its unique notification.
We also appreciate the limited ad barrage which again allowed us to focus more on the water and less on clicking out of annoying pop ups.
When the name of the game is to help you remember to drink water - this one takes the cake!
We give this app a 4.5 water splashes out of 5
Final thoughts
No matter what app you choose or not - drinking water is important to maintaining a healthy body weight, staying energized, and fueling workouts.
You should always be shooting for about half your weight in ounces. If you weigh 150 lbs - 75 oz is a good goal for you on a daily basis.
With help from apps you can make drinking water a priority and take control of one of the strongest and “easiest” changes in your life you can make today!