Best Of · Pregnancy
Best Kick Counter Apps: A Guide to Choosing One Safely
A guide to fetal movement / kick counter apps — what they actually do, the features that help, and why any change in your baby's usual movements means calling your midwife immediately, not waiting on an app.
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This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician or doctor about your child.
Sources: WHO, CDC, AAP and NHS guidance. Recommendations differ between countries — for local advice see the NHS or CDC.
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A kick counter app's job is simple on paper: log a movement with one tap, and build a history that shows what's normal for your baby — so you can describe it clearly if something feels different. Rather than ranking brands, this guide explains the types of kick counter apps, what genuinely helps, and — most importantly — what to do with the information they give you. Read alongside our third trimester guide and preparing for labour guide.
Most important: if you notice a reduction or change in your baby's usual pattern of movement, contact your midwife or maternity unit immediately — do not wait, do not "try again later," and don't let an app talk you out of calling. An app is a logbook, not a diagnostic tool. No app can tell you your baby is fine — only a midwife, doctor, or monitoring at a maternity unit can. This page is general information, not medical advice; always follow your own care provider's guidance for your pregnancy.
The 5 types of kick counter apps
Simple tap-to-log
One button per movement. Tap for each kick, roll or flutter you feel — nothing to read, nothing to interpret while you're lying still with your eyes closed.
Session-based counting
Start a session, tap each movement, and the app shows elapsed time and a running count. Useful if your midwife has asked you to time how long it takes to feel a certain number of movements.
Pattern & history tracker
Logs every session over days and weeks so you can see what's normal for your baby — and shows it to you clearly enough to describe to a midwife or doctor on the phone.
Reminder apps
A gentle daily nudge to sit down and pay attention to movement, usually timed for the third trimester. The best ones are calm reminders, not alarms.
All-in-one pregnancy apps
Bundle movement logging inside a wider pregnancy tracker alongside appointments, symptoms and weight. Convenient if you're already using one — just check the logging is one tap deep, not buried in menus.
What to look for (and what to skip)
- One-tap logging you can do without looking. You should be able to log a movement lying on your side with your eyes closed. A big, single button beats a screen full of options every time.
- A history you can actually show your midwife. Timestamps, a simple pattern view, and an easy screenshot or export. This is what turns "I think movement felt different" into something concrete you can describe on a call.
- Reminders that nudge, not alarm. A calm daily prompt is helpful. Push notifications with dramatic warnings are not — they can cause unnecessary panic or, just as bad, false reassurance.
- Works offline. You shouldn't need a signal to log a movement or check your own history.
- Honest about its limits. A good app never tells you your baby is "fine" or that you don't need to call. It logs what you felt — the judgement stays with you and your midwife or doctor.
- Privacy & honest pricing. This is sensitive health data. Look for a clear privacy policy, and avoid anything that paywalls your own movement log.
Red flags: apps that claim to interpret whether your baby is "fine," apps that discourage or delay contacting your provider, a single fixed counting threshold presented as if it's universal medical instruction, movement logs locked behind a paywall, and unclear data handling for sensitive health information.
Where Whispie fits
We build Whispie, so here is the honest version: Whispie does not include a kick counter. During pregnancy, Whispie gives you a calm week-by-week timeline — trimesters, scans and screenings — plus a pocket pediatric coach for general questions, grounded in our editorial library. For movement tracking specifically, try our own free web-based kick counter or a dedicated app, and above all, follow your midwife's guidance. Once your baby arrives, Whispie's focus shifts to what comes next: sleep prediction that learns your baby's rhythm, vaccine reminders, and a family memory journal. Free to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I start feeling my baby move?
According to the NHS, most people first feel their baby move somewhere between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy — often a little earlier if you've been pregnant before. This is a general range, not a deadline; if you're past 24 weeks and haven't felt movement, or you're worried at any point, contact your midwife.
Is there a fixed number of kicks I'm supposed to count every day?
Not as a rule for everyone. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the NHS now advise getting to know your own baby's individual pattern rather than following a rigid "count to ten" chart, and the World Health Organization's 2016 antenatal care guideline states that routine daily fetal movement counting is not recommended for all pregnant women outside research, because trials haven't shown it reduces risk on its own. Some providers do use a specific method — in the US, ACOG describes feeling 10 movements within 2 hours, generally from around 28 weeks, as one option. Follow whatever your own midwife or doctor tells you for your pregnancy.
What should I do if movements feel different or reduced?
Contact your midwife or maternity unit immediately — the same day, straight away, not the next morning. RCOG's guidance is that if you're concerned after 28 weeks, you can lie on your left side and focus on movements for up to 2 hours; if you don't feel 10 or more, call immediately. But you don't need to run that test first if something already feels wrong — call. Don't wait to see if movement picks back up, and don't rely on a home Doppler to reassure yourself; a heartbeat doesn't rule out reduced movement being significant.
Can a kick counter app tell me if my baby is okay?
No. An app is a logbook — it records what you felt so you can describe it accurately. It cannot assess your baby's wellbeing. Only a midwife, doctor, or a monitoring test at a maternity unit can do that.
Are free kick counter apps good enough?
For almost everyone, yes. The job is small: a fast way to log a movement, a clear history, and offline reliability. A free app that does those three things well beats a paid one that gates your own data behind a subscription.
Should I be counting movements throughout the whole pregnancy?
Awareness of movement matters most from the third trimester, which is when RCOG's specific guidance applies. Before then, patterns are less established and less meaningful to track formally. The goal at any stage isn't a perfect daily count — it's noticing your baby's usual pattern and reporting anything that feels different.
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