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What NHS Drink Free Days does well
With Drink Free Days you pledge at least three drink-free days a week and tick them off. It does not ask what you drank on the other days. There is no account and your progress stays on the phone, although the NHS privacy policy still lists device details, IP address and optional analytics, and the App Store privacy label declares identifiers used to track you. It is free and aimed at England.
Launched as part of the UK government's Better Health campaign, the app focuses on helping adults take at least 3 to 4 days off alcohol each week. It requires no login to use, carries no in-app purchases, and provides simple push notification reminders.
Why people look for an alternative
While helpful for casual awareness, the NHS app has several practical limitations:
- No Unit or Calorie Tracking: A day where you drink one half pint of lager looks identical to a day where you drink two bottles of wine. It does not measure total alcohol volume or guideline limits.
- Privacy Label Concerns: Despite being a public health tool, its App Store privacy label explicitly lists "Data Used to Track You" (Device ID / usage metrics), which raises eyebrows for users seeking strict health confidentiality.
- No Apple Ecosystem Integration: There are no Apple Watch complications, no Lock Screen widgets, and no Siri shortcuts to log quickly in pub or social settings.
- England-Only Focus: It strictly reflects the English public health campaign and does not localize for US standard drinks, European measures, or multi-currency spend.
Three alternatives to consider
Modraly is listed last.
Try Dry
The official Dry January app, usable all year
Try Dry is the Dry January app from the charity Alcohol Change UK, and it works all year. Each day you record whether you stayed dry, drank, or drank as planned. It tracks units, calories and money against a baseline you set, awards badges (84 were added in 2025), runs missions and keeps dry streaks. It is entirely free, with no ads, but you have to create an account. Everything is built around UK units and the 14-unit week.
The best free option in the UK if badges and the Dry January framing help you. It will not suit you if you refuse an account, or if you count in French standard drinks rather than UK units.
DrinkControl
A drinking diary, and the closest app to Modraly
DrinkControl converts what you drink into units, calories and money, and sets the total against moderate or low-risk guidelines. It marks dry days and keeps a streak of them. Your data stays on the phone, with no account. Widgets, longer charts, reminders, CSV export and custom drinks are in Premium, sold as a subscription or a one-off lifetime purchase. It has been on iPhone since 2011, is back on Android, and is in English only.
For a unit diary with streaks, or for anything on Android, start here. It is the most direct alternative to Modraly and has been around since 2011.
Modraly
A private drink tracker for people who still drink, set against your country's guideline
Modraly is a private drink tracker for people who still drink. It counts units, spend and calories and shows your week next to the official guideline for your country, in that country's own unit, for fourteen countries and in 22 languages. Your drinks never leave the device: there is no account, no Modraly server, no ads and no tracking, and the only entry on its App Store privacy label is purchases, not linked to you. Logging is free and unlimited; stats and the calendar show the last 7 days, older days stay on the device and are never deleted, and you get two favourites. Premium adds unlimited history, widgets, tonight's count on the Lock Screen, custom date ranges, CSV export and alternative icons, by subscription or as a one-time purchase. It is built for Apple devices: iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with free logging from Siri, Shortcuts, Control Center, the Lock Screen, a long press on the app icon and the watch, plus an App Clip that shows an example week without installing. It has had eleven releases since it launched on 6 September 2026. Modraly has no coaching and no streaks.
Choose Modraly if you still drink, want the number next to your own country's guideline, use Apple devices and want your drinks kept off any server. Choose something else for a programme, a streak or an unlimited free history.
NHS Drink Free Days vs the three alternatives
| Feature | Modraly | NHS Drink Free Days | Try Dry | DrinkControl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracks Units & ABV | Yes (all drinks & measures) | No (dry days only) | Yes (standard pours) | Yes (units & glasses) |
| Streak Pressure | No | Pledged day streaks | Yes: dry streaks, badges, missions | Yes, dry days |
| Account Required | No | No account | Yes | No |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, App Clip. Siri, Shortcuts, Control Center, Lock Screen, widgets. | iPhone, Android | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, Android |
| Price (23 October 2026) | Free to log. Premium £5.99/month, £34.99/year or £59.99 once (UK); 6,99 € / 44,99 € / 69,99 € (France); $7.99 / $49.99 / $79.99 (US). 7-day trial on annual only. | Free (public health) | Free. Funded by the charity Alcohol Change UK. | Free, with Premium at £3.99/month or £11.99/year. Lifetime purchases are listed at £14.99 and £24.99. US: $3.99 / $11.99. |
| App Store Privacy Label | Not linked to you: purchases. | Used to track you: identifiers. Not linked to you: contact details, identifiers, usage data, diagnostics, other data. | Linked to you: contact details. Not linked: health, location, contact details, identifiers, usage data, sensitive information, diagnostics. | Not linked to you: content, identifiers, usage data, diagnostics. |
Free to download. Unlimited drink and unit diary on iPhone & Apple Watch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to NHS Drink Free Days?
If you want a detailed unit, calorie and spend diary without streaks or accounts, Modraly on iPhone and Apple Watch. If you want a free UK charity app with Dry January badges and challenges, Try Dry (by Alcohol Change UK). If you need an Android app, DrinkControl or MyDrinkaware.
Why look for an alternative to NHS Drink Free Days?
NHS Drink Free Days only tracks whether a day was drink-free or not. It does not measure units, alcohol calories, or money spent on drinking days. Furthermore, its App Store privacy label declares identifiers used to track users, and it lacks Apple Watch support or Lock Screen widgets.
Does NHS Drink Free Days count units or calories?
No. The NHS Drink Free Days app is designed around a single behavioural goal: pledging and counting consecutive alcohol-free days each week. It does not calculate ABV, units, pure alcohol grams, or calories.
Is NHS Drink Free Days free?
Yes. NHS Drink Free Days is completely free with no in-app purchases and no subscriptions, funded by public health authorities in England.
Does Modraly track drink-free days like the NHS app?
Yes. In Modraly, any day without logged drinks automatically counts as a drink-free day on your monthly calendar and weekly summary. However, unlike the NHS app, Modraly also measures exact units, spend, and calories on days you do drink, with zero streak anxiety.
