MoonstrateQuestions people ask
Where does my data live?
On your phone, encrypted. If you turn on backup, a copy goes to your own iCloud or Google Drive, encrypted before it leaves your phone. It goes from your phone to your own account, and never to us. There is no account and no server on our side. We never see your entries, so there is nothing to leak, sell, or hand over.
Why is protecting my period data important?
A cycle log says more than when you bleed. Over time it can reveal a pregnancy, a miscarriage, contraception, fertility, and health conditions, often before you have told anyone. Depending on where you live, that information can be used against you by an employer, an insurer, a partner, or a court. And period apps have a poor record with it: some have shared it with advertisers, and some have leaked it in breaches. The safest data is the data that was never collected, which is why Moonstrate keeps yours on your phone and never sees it.
What does this app do to protect my data?
It stays on your phone, encrypted with a key only you hold, behind a secret only you know. There is no account and no server, so nothing exists on our end to breach or hand over. You choose how much protection you want, from a quick PIN to a full lockdown with a decoy. The Security page walks through all of it, including the technical details.
Does it work offline?
Fully. Moonstrate never needs a connection to work. Backup, if you turn it on, talks only to your own cloud.
What platforms is it on?
iPhone and Android. Moonstrate will be on the Apple App Store and Google Play, with the same features on both. Backups go to iCloud on iPhone and Google Drive on Android, and the iCloud spare key is iPhone only.
Can I bring my history from another app?
Yes. Moonstrate reads export files from Clue, Flo, and Apple Health, and merges them into your own history on your phone. Each file is read on your device and discarded afterwards.
Can I export or delete everything?
Both, any time, from inside the app. Export gives you your own data in a file you keep. Delete wipes it from the phone. Because nothing was ever sent to us, there is nothing to ask us to remove.
What if I lose my phone?
Moonstrate has no server to keep a copy of your data, so backup goes to your own iCloud or Google Drive instead. On a new phone, your recovery code always opens it, and depending on your security level there may be other ways in too. How the keys work explains each one. With backup off, the data was only ever on that phone, and it is gone with it. That is the trade you make for nothing existing anywhere else.
Is it really free?
Yes, all of it. There is no premium tier and nothing to unlock. If it helps you, there is a tip jar inside the app. Tipping changes nothing about what you get.
Is it open source?
Yes, under the AGPL-3.0. The full source will be public before launch, so anyone can read the code and confirm that what we say is exactly what it does.
What if I forget my secret?
Moonstrate locks your data behind a secret only you know, and gives you a recovery code when you set it up. Keep it somewhere safe. On iPhone at Strong and Stronger, the iCloud spare key is another way back in. If you lose your secret and your recovery code and have no spare key, your data is gone for good. There is no reset on our end, because we hold nothing that could unlock it.
What are inner seasons?
A friendly lens on how your cycle actually works. Your period is Inner Winter, the days after it are Inner Spring, the stretch around ovulation is Inner Summer, and the run-up to your next period is Inner Autumn. It is a way to notice your own patterns, not astrology.
Does it predict my next period?
Yes, as a range rather than a single date. Bodies aren't clockwork, and a confident "you're due Tuesday" that turns out wrong helps no one. The window is tight when your cycles are regular and wider when they vary, and it comes from your own history, not an average of everyone else's.
What if my cycles are irregular, or I'm on hormonal birth control?
Use Simple mode. The inner seasons assume a cycling body, and hormonal contraception or an irregular pattern can make that lens fit poorly. Simple mode keeps the whole tracker, the calendar, the daily check-in, and the Learn guide, and leaves the seasons out. You can switch either way whenever you like.
Who is Moonstrate for?
Anyone with a cycle. Moonstrate is designed to be inclusive, so the language never assumes who you are. And some features common in other trackers were left out on purpose because they can do harm: there is no weight tracking, no BMI, and no calorie counting anywhere in the app.
Why is it called Moonstrate?
It comes from the word. People once measured months by the moon, counting from one new moon to the next, and "menstruation" was named for that monthly cycle. Tracking your cycle carries on the same tradition: watching something that comes back around, and learning its pattern over time. Moonstrate keeps that history in its name.
Will more languages be available?
Yes. Spanish is in the works now, and we will add other languages as demand for them appears. As funds allow, translations are done by professionals, with volunteers helping keep each language current after that.
Is it medical advice, or a contraceptive?
No. Moonstrate is a companion, not a doctor. It is not built for contraception or fertility planning, and its predictions are ranges drawn from your own history, not clinical guidance. Talk to a clinician about anything that worries you.
Who makes it?
Blanket Fort Labs LLC, an Oregon benefit company. Its stated public benefit is expanding access to private, surveillance-free menstrual and cycle health tools. More about us.