Comparison
Postdrome vs N1-Headache
N1-Headache, formerly Curelator, has the strongest research pedigree in the category: individualized trigger statistics backed by peer-reviewed papers. It also has not had a substantive update since early 2023, and by its own documentation it is built for episodic migraine.
Choose Postdrome if
Your migraine is chronic, vestibular, or postdrome-dominant, you want an actively maintained app, and you want your data in your own iCloud.
Choose N1-Headache if
Your migraine is episodic, you want deep individualized trigger and protector statistics with a published research pedigree, and you are comfortable that the app has not been updated since 2023.
| Postdrome | N1-Headache | |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Continuous-symptom timeline | Daily diary plus discrete headache start and stop |
| Postdrome phase | First-class recovery tail | Not modeled as a distinct phase |
| Vestibular / headache-free | Yes, an independent symptom dimension | Not supported |
| Chronic fit | Built for it | Its own FAQ advises chronic users to consult a doctor first |
| Trigger analytics | Pattern insights | Signature individualized N=1 trigger and protector maps |
| Active development | Yes | No substantive update since early 2023 |
| Pricing | $14.99 one-time, free core | $49.99 one-time unlock |
| Where data lives | Your iCloud | Cloud; de-identified data shared for research |
The research pedigree is real
It would be unfair to start anywhere but the strength. N1-Headache, built by Curelator, produces individualized N=1 statistics: maps of your personal triggers and your personal protectors, derived from a daily diary, and backed by genuine peer-reviewed publications. No other consumer app in this category has that research foundation, and the one-time unlock instead of a subscription is a point in its favor.
If your migraine is episodic and your main question is "what actually sets mine off," N1-Headache was built precisely for that question.
Two problems for this cohort
The first problem is age. N1-Headache has not had a substantive update since early 2023. It still works, but it is effectively frozen, and that is worth knowing before you commit years of data to it.
The second is structural, and it comes from N1-Headache itself: its FAQ advises people with chronic migraine to consult their doctor before subscribing, because the statistics need enough headache-free days to find a signal. For someone with 15 or more headache days a month, that is the wrong tool by its own admission. It also does not support vestibular migraine at all, and it does not model the postdrome as a distinct phase.
A trigger engine that needs your headache-free days cannot help the person who barely has any.
Different patients
This is not really a head-to-head; it is two tools for two different patients. N1-Headache is for the episodic migraineur chasing trigger insight. Postdrome is for the chronic, vestibular, or postdrome-dominant migraineur whose disease does not leave the clean, headache-free stretches a trigger engine needs.
Postdrome also keeps your data in your own iCloud rather than sharing de-identified data for research, and it is in active development.
Where N1-Headache wins
- The strongest research pedigree in the category
- Individualized N=1 trigger and protector statistics
- A one-time unlock rather than a subscription
- A strong fit for episodic, trigger-focused tracking
- Peer-reviewed publications behind its method
Where Postdrome wins
- Actively developed, not frozen since 2023
- Built for chronic migraine, not against it
- Headache-free vestibular attacks as first-class data
- The postdrome phase modeled explicitly
- Health data in your own iCloud
Built for the migraine that never gives you a quiet day.
Postdrome models the continuous pattern, the postdrome phase, and vestibular attacks as first-class data. Free pattern insights, a free neurology-ready PDF, one lifetime price, and your health data stays in your iCloud.
Get Postdrome