Looking for a Natural Cycles alternative?
Femora is the alternative if you want broad cycle tracking, not strict daily-BBT contraception.
7-day free trial · $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr · cancel anytime
The 30-second version
- Natural Cycles is $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr - Femora is $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr.
- Natural Cycles is FDA-cleared for contraception. Femora is not. If FDA-cleared birth control is what you need, stay with Natural Cycles.
- Natural Cycles requires daily basal body temperature measurement before getting out of bed. Femora makes BBT optional.
- Femora adds real human expert chat, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, fertility, and medication reminders - Natural Cycles is narrowly focused.
- Both are privacy-aware (Natural Cycles is Swedish/GDPR; Femora is encrypted at rest with zero ad SDKs).
About Natural Cycles: Natural Cycles was founded in 2014 by Elina Berglund (a CERN physicist who worked on the Higgs boson discovery) and is the only FDA-cleared birth control app.
Femora vs Natural Cycles - side by side
No tricks, no asterisks. Updated May 2026.
| Feature | Natural Cycles | Femora |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price 70% cheaper | $9.99/mo | $2.99/mo |
| Yearly price 70% cheaper | $99.99/yr | $29.99/yr |
| Thermometer required | Yes ($45+ separately, or bring your own) | Optional |
| FDA-cleared as contraception This is Natural Cycles' main differentiator | ✅ (yes - only app) | ❌ (not a contraceptive device) |
| Talk to a real human expert | ❌ | ✅ (certified health expert) |
| Period & cycle tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pregnancy week-by-week | Limited (NC° Plan & Track) | ✅ (built in) |
| Postpartum tracking | ❌ | ✅ (dedicated module) |
| Menopause / perimenopause | ❌ | ✅ |
| BBT / OPK / cervical mucus | BBT only (required) | ✅ (all three, optional) |
| Medication reminders | ❌ | ✅ |
| Cycle-aware habit tracker | ❌ | ✅ (habits + routines that adapt to your phase) |
| Encrypted at rest | GDPR-compliant | ✅ (AES-256-GCM) |
| Daily user effort | High - measure BBT before getting up | Low - log what you want |
Prices and features sourced from each app's official site, May 2026. Last verified by Femora team.
Six reasons people switch
Real reasons, not marketing fluff.
1. You don't have to take your temperature every morning
Natural Cycles requires daily basal body temperature measurement before getting out of bed - miss a day and the predictions get fuzzy. Femora makes BBT optional. Log it if you want for fertility insights, skip it if you don't.
2. 70% cheaper
Natural Cycles is $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Femora is $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr. If FDA-cleared contraception isn't your goal, the price difference is hard to ignore.
3. You get a real human expert
Natural Cycles is a pure algorithm. Femora adds a certified health expert you can text in-app - for symptoms, side effects, or general 'is this normal?' questions.
4. Broader than just contraception
Natural Cycles is a focused contraception/conception tool. Femora covers cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, fertility (BBT/OPK/CM/IVF), and medication reminders - for users whose needs change over years.
5. No specialized hardware needed
Natural Cycles ships or recommends a specific thermometer ($45+). Femora works with whatever you already have.
6. Privacy parity
Natural Cycles is Swedish/GDPR-native and well-regarded on privacy. Femora ships AES-256-GCM at-rest encryption and zero third-party ad SDKs in the app. Both are credible.
When you should stick with Natural Cycles
We'd rather you stay with Natural Cycles than churn from Femora a month in. Stick with Natural Cycles if:
- •You specifically want FDA-cleared birth control via cycle tracking - Natural Cycles is the only app that offers this and Femora is not a substitute for it
- •You're disciplined about daily BBT measurement and the algorithm works for you
- •You're using NC for serious TTC (trying to conceive) and trust the FDA-cleared algorithm
- •You don't need pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, or medication features
Built by Dr. Sapna Jadhav, women's health physician
Femora was founded by Dr. Sapna Jadhav - a practicing women's health physician based in Dubai - and a small engineering team. The "real expert chat" isn't marketing copy; it's the foundation of the product. Every clinical guideline, phase tip, and symptom response is shaped by an actual doctor who's spent her career in women's reproductive health.
Women's Health & FemTech
Frequently asked
Can I use Femora as birth control instead of Natural Cycles?
No. Femora is not a contraceptive device and is not FDA-cleared. Natural Cycles is the only period app cleared as contraception. If you're using cycle awareness for birth control, you should not switch to Femora - talk to your healthcare provider first.
Why is Femora so much cheaper than Natural Cycles?
Natural Cycles has clinical trials, FDA submissions, and ongoing regulatory compliance costs - none of which apply to a non-medical-device cycle tracker. Femora's lower price reflects its narrower regulatory scope, not lower quality.
Can I track BBT in Femora?
Yes, BBT logging is supported as part of the fertility toolkit. It's optional - useful if you're TTC, skippable if you're not.
Is Natural Cycles safer than Femora?
Different products. Natural Cycles is regulated as a medical device and has clinical safety data. Femora is a tracking app and makes no medical claims. For non-contraception use cases, both are safe to use.
Can I use both?
Yes - many users do. Natural Cycles for the FDA-cleared contraception layer, Femora for broader cycle, pregnancy, fertility, menopause, and expert chat. But it's two subscriptions.
Can I use Femora on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Native iOS and Android apps. One subscription covers both.
Compare Femora to other period apps
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