Periscope vs Happy Scale: Which iPhone Weight Tracker Fits You?

Periscope vs Happy Scale is a comparison of two apps built on the same idea: your daily weight bounces around, so you should watch the trend rather than the number. Where they differ is in what they put around that trend. Happy Scale goes deep on forecasting. Periscope adds photos and puts the trend on your Home Screen. (If you're still deciding between more than these two, we have weight tracker apps compared side by side.)

Before the details, a disclosure. We make Periscope, and this article was written by the Periscope team. We researched both apps from their App Store listings and official websites in October 2026. We haven't run every feature of Happy Scale through weeks of daily use, so where its listing or site doesn't cover something, we say "Not stated" rather than guess. Prices and ratings are from the US App Store and can change.

Which is better, Periscope or Happy Scale?

For most people starting out with a simple weight tracker, we'd suggest Periscope, because it covers more of what tends to keep you going without asking for money: a smoothed trend line, weekly, monthly and yearly reports with BMI, progress photos you can compare with a slider, and the trend on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. It syncs with Apple Health for smart-scale weigh-ins, and weights and photos stay on your phone.

Choose Happy Scale if you mainly want to know when you'll hit your goal. It predicts future weights, lets you break a big goal into milestones, and has been refined since 2012. It also asks for no account, exports CSV and runs on iPad.

If you're happy with Happy Scale today, there's no strong reason to leave it. The main thing Periscope adds is photos.

How we compared

We checked both apps against the same list:

1. Price on the US App Store in October 2026, and whether anything is paywalled.
2. Account and storage: whether you have to sign up, and where your data lives.
3. Trend line and predictions.
4. Progress photos, widgets and reports.
5. Apple Health, devices and Apple Watch.
6. Track record: release date, rating count and recent updates.

Periscope vs Happy Scale at a glance

The basics:

Features:

Where is Happy Scale better than Periscope?

Happy Scale wins on the things that come with time and focus.

Predictions. Its listing promises "predictions about what you'll weigh in the future if you keep up your current trends", and you can aim at an event date or a string of milestone goals. Periscope shows your rate of change per week and an optional goal line on each report, but it doesn't tell you when you'll get there. If a projected date is what keeps you going, that's a real gap.

Maturity and reputation. Happy Scale was first released in July 2012 and was updated as recently as October 2026. It holds a 4.89 average from 58,067 US ratings as of October 2026, more than any other dedicated weight tracker we've looked at. Periscope launched in 2026. We think it's good, but it hasn't had fourteen years of feedback.

No account. Happy Scale's privacy policy says health data is stored on your device by default, and nothing on its site or listing asks you to create an account. Periscope also keeps weights and photos on your phone, but you sign in with Apple, and our server holds your account details (email or Apple ID, and name).

More devices and a way out. Happy Scale syncs between iPhone and iPad (with optional Dropbox sync) and runs on Apple-silicon Macs. Its release notes also describe CSV export, so your history isn't stuck in the app. Periscope is iPhone only, with no sync, backup or export.

Where is Periscope better than Happy Scale?

Periscope's advantages are about seeing your progress in more ways, for nothing.

Progress photos. You can add up to two photos to any weigh-in, then pick any two entries and drag a slider between them, or press Play to animate the change. An alignment tool lets you drag and pinch each photo to fit a body outline, so shots taken from slightly different distances still line up. Happy Scale's listing and site don't mention photos at all. When the scale stalls for a few weeks, photos often show a change the number hides; our guide to taking progress photos that show change covers how to get consistent shots.

Completely free. No ads, subscription or in-app purchases. Happy Scale's free version is generous and Deluxe is cheap, but it is a paid tier, and the listing and site don't spell out exactly which features sit behind it.

Widgets. Periscope has Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for the trend chart, goal progress, key stats such as your weekly rate, and a monthly summary. We couldn't confirm widgets for Happy Scale from its own listing or site, so it's "Not stated", not "no".

Reports. The Reports tab has weekly, monthly and yearly cards, each with the smoothed trend, rate of change per week, lowest weigh-in, BMI (if you add your height) and your goal line. The BMI is read from your trend weight, so a salty dinner won't tip you into a different category overnight; our BMI calculator shows the healthy range for your height. You can share any card as an image, which is handy if you check in with a friend or a coach.

Older iPhones. Periscope runs on iOS 15.1; Happy Scale needs iOS 16.

How does each app calculate the trend?

Both apps take noisy daily weigh-ins and draw a smoother line through them. If the reasoning behind that is new to you, our explainer on trend weight walks through it.

Happy Scale describes its approach as "moving average progress tracking options", and the trend is front and center. It's the reason most people install it.

Periscope uses a lag-corrected moving average (double exponential smoothing), calculated per day, with missing days filled in by interpolation. One difference to know: Periscope's Home chart shows your raw weigh-ins with your average weekly change and total change. The smoothed line lives in the Reports tab and the widgets. Some people like seeing the raw dots first; if you want the trend to be the first thing you see, put a trend widget on your Home Screen.

Is Happy Scale free, and what does Deluxe cost?

Yes, Happy Scale is free to download and use. Deluxe is $1.99 a month, $11.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime as of October 2026, and tip purchases from $0.99 to $9.99 are also listed. Neither the listing nor the website spells out which features Deluxe unlocks, so check inside the app before paying.

What should you know about Happy Scale?

Best for: daily weighers who want the app to interpret the numbers and forecast a goal date.

What stands out is how much thought has gone into one problem. The trend, the predictions and milestone goals all work toward taking the sting out of a bad weigh-in. It has a BMI calculator that shows the weight ranges for each category. It works alongside other apps through Apple Health (the Health integration is opt-in, in Settings, and per its site isn't available on iPad).

What to know: no progress photos are mentioned, there's no Apple Watch app in its compatibility list, and it doesn't track food. Widgets aren't described on its listing or site.

What should you know about Periscope?

Best for: people who want weight, a smoothed trend and before/after photos in one free app.

Periscope is ours, so read this with that in mind. You log weight in kg or lbs, with an optional note and up to two photos, and you can log more than once a day. Apple Health sync brings in new weigh-ins each time you open the app, so a smart scale feeds straight in. Reminders can be daily, every three days or weekly, counted from your last weigh-in. Face ID lock is built in, and the app is available in eight languages.

What to know: Sign in with Apple is required, and it's iPhone only, with no Apple Watch app, export or backup between devices.

Price as of October 2026: free.

Should you choose Periscope or Happy Scale?

If you want one free app that shows the trend, the report numbers (BMI included) and the photos side by side, pick Periscope. If a forecast date is what gets you on the scale, or you need iPad, export or no account, Happy Scale is the better tool. By the thing you care about most:

• "When will I reach my goal?" Happy Scale.
• "I want to see the change in photos, too." Periscope, for the photos and slider.
• "I don't want to create an account." Happy Scale. Weight Diary and Weigh In also work without one; see our Happy Scale alternatives roundup.
• "I want to pay nothing, ever." Periscope, though Happy Scale's free tier covers the basics.
• "I want my trend on my Home Screen." Periscope.
• "I use an iPad or Mac too." Happy Scale.
• "I need to export my data." Happy Scale, which exports CSV. Weigh In (CSV) and Weight Diary also list export.
• "I want an Apple Watch app." Neither. Monitor Your Weight has one; see our roundup of the best weight tracking apps for iPhone for others.

You can also run both. Turn on Apple Health in each, keep weighing in with Happy Scale, and use Periscope for photos and widgets; it syncs your weights each time you open it.

One more thing that applies to any tracker. Daily weighing and progress photos help many people stay calm about the numbers, but not everyone. If either makes you anxious, or you have a history of disordered eating, it's fine to skip them, and the National Eating Disorders Association has support if you need it.

Sources

1. Happy Scale on the App Store
2. Happy Scale website
3. Happy Scale privacy policy
4. Periscope on the App Store
5. Weight Diary on the App Store
6. Weigh In on the App Store
7. Monitor Your Weight on the App Store