Put a finger over the camera and the flash reads your pulse. 93 apps do it, 90 developers, three in the $250k+ band and twelve more at $50–250k. Twenty-six launched in the last 18 months and hold 18% of the niche's review pace, two of them already at $50–250k. The one star reviews of all twelve leaders share one word, blood pressure, 378 times.
Appaloma readings · Camera pulse with a vitals journal · 2026-08-30
- OpeningOpenOpen when a quarter or more of the niche launched in the last 18 months
- Demand100Revealed by rating velocity across the niche, 0–100
- Crowding36How much of the niche the top apps already hold, 0–100
- Apps9324 researched over $20k a month
- New26launched in the last 18 months, holding 18% of the niche's review pace
- Floor$2.0M+a month, adding the band floors of 93 researched apps
What the niche is
A pulse from the camera, then a journal: heart rate, HRV, a blood pressure log, a blood sugar log, reminders, a PDF for the doctor. The reading takes the phone; the journal keeps the subscription.
It sits inside heart rate and health monitoring, next to blood pressure logs and sleep trackers. Same fingertip trick, forty developers, one price sheet.
Who leads
| App | Since | Ratings | Stars | Prices | Band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Heartify: Heart Health MonitorHEARTIFY HEALTH, INC. | Jan 2021 | 119,041 | 4.7 | $4.99–$79.99 | $250k+ |
| 2 |  iCardiac: Heart Rate & HealthBEGAMOB GLOBAL LIMITED | Oct 2023 | 28,342 | 4.7 | $6.99–$14.9 | $250k+ |
| 3 |  Health Monitor: Sugar & BPShanghai Dacheng Employment Agency | Dec 2024 | 12,835 | 4.2 | $4.99–$79.99 | $250k+ |
| 4 |  Heart Rate Monitor - Pulse BPMZane | May 2017 | 129,795 | 4.6 | $6.99–$59.99 | $50–250k |
| 5 |  Blood Pressure Log, Heart RateNarrativeLab OU | Jul 2021 | 25,616 | 4.3 | $7.99–$59.99 | $50–250k |
| 6 |  Vital: Heart Health&MeditationUnitevo Information | Mar 2023 | 21,223 | 4.6 | $3.99–$39.99 | $50–250k |
| 7 |  Health Scan: Heart & SugarHong Kong Vivid Limited | Mar 2025 | 5,369 | 4.2 | $7.99–$79.99 | $50–250k |
| 8 |  HeartFit - Heart Rate MonitorWESTWEY | Oct 2022 | 4,591 | 4.5 | $4.99–$39.99 | $50–250k |
| 9 |  HeartFit - BP Health TrackerHopenebula Technology CO., Limited | Dec 2024 | 4,209 | 4.6 | $6.99–$29.99 | $50–250k |
| 10 |  Healthy Life-Heart&Diet HealthOceanevo Global | Jan 2023 | 3,475 | 4.6 | $3.99–$39.99 | $50–250k |
| 11 |  Blood pressure-i Heart tracker深圳市喜噜科技有限公司 | Aug 2023 | 3,110 | 4.6 | $4.99–$49.99 | $50–250k |
| 12 |  Daily Health - Healthy RoutineJoysmore | Mar 2024 | 3,090 | 4.5 | $6.99–$49.99 | $50–250k |
Band: our researched estimate of peak monthly revenue, published only for apps we have researched one by one. Every app in the catalog sits above the $5k a month floor.
Heartify, from Heartify Health, launched in January 2021 and holds 119,041 ratings at 1,771 a month. One app, one developer, $250k+ band. Weekly plans at $4.99 and $6.99, premium tiers from $19.99 to $79.99.
iCardiac, from Begamob, launched in October 2023 and holds 28,342 ratings. Its price sheet is weekly only, $6.99 to $14.90. $250k+ band, from a publisher with eight apps in the catalog.
Health Monitor: Sugar & BP launched in December 2024, holds 12,835 ratings, and its review pace runs at 3.2x its own earlier rate, the fastest riser among the leaders. $250k+ band, one developer, one app.
Heart Rate Monitor - Pulse BPM, from Zane, is the oldest, May 2017, and the most rated, 129,795. $50–250k band. Blood Pressure Log from NarrativeLab holds 25,616 ratings at 1.5x its earlier pace.
Three of the fourteen leaders have not shipped an update in over two years. Vital stopped in May 2023, HeartFit in December 2022, Healthy Life in March 2023. All three sit in the $50–250k band. The niche pays apps that nobody maintains.
How they make money
Weekly. Ten of the twelve leaders list a weekly plan, $3.99 to $9.99, iCardiac up to $14.90. Most gate the first reading behind it.
A year at $29.99 to $49.99, in ten of the fourteen leaders. Zane lists $34.99 and $49.99, NarrativeLab $39.99 and $49.99, Daily Health $49.99. Vital, HeartFit and Healthy Life, three apps from three developers, list the same three prices: $3.99 a week, $8.99 a month, $39.99 a year.
A top tier at $79.99 from Heartify, Health Monitor and Health Scan, sold as premium or lifetime.
The angles that get installs
- blood pressure from the camera36 apps
- finger over the camera reads your pulse27 apps
- pulse from the selfie cam18 apps
- heart age from a camera pulse reading3 apps
Thirty-six of 93 listings say the camera reads blood pressure. Twenty-seven say finger over the camera, eighteen say the selfie camera. Heart age runs in three apps, anxiety gauge in two, PDF export for the doctor in two. One app, Health Scan, says the camera reads the numbers off your blood pressure cuff. It launched in March 2025 and sits at $50–250k.
What the one star reviews keep saying
“They won’t even let you start using the app (to see if it’s any good) without first making you subscribe. The attitude tells me all I need to know about this being just a money grab. Also, at 7 bucks/week just to record ”Heartify: Heart Health Monitor, 2024-09-01
“blood pressure” recurs in 12 of the top 12 apps“I put a red cup on my camera It took a few seconds and then It started measuring a heart rate tree even tho it was a cup. I think this app should be deleted cause some people might have gone to the hospital thinking they”Heartify: Heart Health Monitor, 2025-06-30
“heart rate” recurs in 12 of the top 12 apps“They won’t even let you start using the app (to see if it’s any good) without first making you subscribe. The attitude tells me all I need to know about this being just a money grab. Also, at 7 bucks/week just to record ”Heartify: Heart Health Monitor, 2024-09-01
“measure blood” recurs in 11 of the top 12 apps“I’m just so tired of these apps that say they They are going to check my blood sugar and they lie. Nothing on here. Says it will check my blood sugar. So I deleted it right away. This is like the 10th one you should be v”iCardiac: Heart Rate & Health, 2026-05-22
“blood sugar” recurs in 10 of the top 12 apps“I downloaded it because they advertised it as “completely free.” I deleted it when I found out it was $9.99 A WEEK!”iCardiac: Heart Rate & Health, 2026-05-11
“false advertising” recurs in 10 of the top 12 apps“Free trial but you already charged me . I’m not impressed. I work in the medical field and the only thing I’ve heard of is the heart rate”Heartify: Heart Health Monitor, 2024-11-11
“free trial” recurs in 10 of the top 12 apps“I was with my doctor testing this app out along side an Oximeter. Takes about a minute of holding your finger to the camera to get a final reading, while the oximeter is instantaneous. I held my finger there while I watc”Heartify: Heart Health Monitor, 2025-06-27
“doesn't work” recurs in 10 of the top 12 apps
Phrases that recur in one and two star reviews across 12 of the niche's top 12 apps.
Across twelve leaders with pooled reviews, three complaints.
It does not read blood pressure. 378 mentions in all twelve apps, plus "measure blood" 136 times in eleven, "take blood" 43 times in ten, "blood sugar" 328 times in ten. The quotes are from nurses and healthcare workers who tested the claim: the app opens a form and asks you to type in the cuff reading. "False advertising" runs 73 times through ten apps.
The paywall comes before the first reading. "Free trial" 62 times in ten apps, and the loudest quote in the niche: they will not let you start using the app without first making you subscribe, at seven dollars a week to record your BP.
The number is wrong. "Doesn't work" 50 times in ten apps. A red cup on the lens returned a heart rate. An Apple Watch read 86, the app read 103. Held next to an oximeter for a minute, the app disagreed.
What works, from the five star side
"Blood pressure" is also the top five star phrase, 77 mentions in twelve apps, and the quotes say the readings match the cuff and the doctor's office. "Keep track" runs 21 times in eight apps: the log catches people doing too much. "First time" in seven apps, users amazed the camera does it at all. "Muy buena" runs 23 times in seven apps; the Spanish-speaking user is a visible slice of every leader's reviews.
New in the last 18 months
- Heartica: Heart Rate MonitorApr 2025 · 13,061 ratings · $20–50k
- CardiaLink-Heart rate&HealthJun 2025 · 7,941 ratings · $20–50k
- i-Heart: Heart Rate MonitorFeb 2025 · 6,829 ratings · $10–20k
- Health Scan: Heart & SugarMar 2025 · 5,369 ratings · $50–250k
- Heart Beat: Heart Rate MonitorJun 2025 · 3,742 ratings · $20–50k
- QuickPulse: Blood PressureMar 2025 · 2,773 ratings · $10–20k
- Ease - Body & Mental HealthJan 2025 · 2,640 ratings · $50–250k
- Wellthly-Feel Heart RhythmJan 2025 · 2,426 ratings · $20–50k
Twenty-six entrants holding 18% of the pace. Heartica, launched April 2025, already has 13,061 ratings at $20–50k. CardiaLink, June 2025, 7,941 at $20–50k. Health Scan and Ease, both early 2025, already sit at $50–250k. New apps reach the paying bands here inside a year.
The ads confirm the reach. Heartica runs its ad in Turkish, iCardiac in Portuguese, Health Scan in Chinese. Heartify ran "Check your Heart!" for 70 days.
What to copy and what to avoid
From the price sheets and the pooled reviews above.
Copy: the journal. The five star reviews praise the log across eight apps and the cuff comparison across twelve. The reading gets the install, the record keeps the subscription.
Copy: the $29.99 to $49.99 year. Ten of the fourteen leaders list one.
Avoid: claiming blood pressure or blood sugar from the camera. 378 and 328 mentions, in twelve and ten leaders, and the reviewers work in healthcare.
Avoid: the paywall before the first reading. "Free trial" runs through ten of twelve leaders, and the top quote in the niche is about being charged before seeing whether it works.
Our read: 36 of 93 listings promise blood pressure from the camera, and that promise is the entire one star pile. A listing that promises the pulse and the log inherits the installs without the reviews.
Our read: one app reads the cuff with the camera instead of pretending to be one, launched March 2025, already $50–250k. Two apps export a PDF for the doctor. Both angles answer the reviews the leaders keep getting.
FAQ
Is the heart rate monitor app market saturated?
No. 93 apps, 26 of them launched in the last 18 months, Crowding at 36. The newcomers hold 18% of the niche's review pace and two of them reached the $50–250k band within a year. Three of the top fourteen have not been updated since 2023 and still earn.
Which heart rate monitor apps make the most money?
Heartify, iCardiac and Health Monitor: Sugar & BP sit in the $250k+ band as of August 2026. Heart Rate Monitor - Pulse BPM from Zane leads on ratings with 129,795 and sits at $50–250k.
Can a phone camera measure blood pressure?
The apps estimate it from the pulse signal, and their own one star reviews say the number does not match a cuff, 378 mentions across all twelve leaders. The reviewers who tested it side by side were healthcare workers. Every leading app also offers manual entry from a cuff, and one, Health Scan, reads the cuff's screen with the camera.
How do heart rate monitor apps make money?
A weekly plan at $3.99 to $9.99 in ten of twelve leaders, a year at $29.99 to $49.99 in ten of fourteen, and a $79.99 premium or lifetime tier in three.
What should a new heart rate monitor app do differently?
Promise the pulse and the journal, not blood pressure: 378 one star mentions across twelve leaders come from that one claim. Let the first reading happen before the paywall: "free trial" runs through ten of twelve. Export the log for the doctor: two apps do it and the five star reviews praise the record in eight.