Both HealthSave and Health Auto Export get your Apple Health data out, but they're built for different people. Health Auto Export wins on raw automation breadth (far more metrics, a Mac app, MQTT, GPX); HealthSave wins on a true on-device/no-cloud posture, a built-in dashboard with trends, a doctor-ready PDF, and one-time pricing. If you want the deepest automation toolbox, Health Auto Export is likely your pick. If you want your data out cleanly, privately, and without a subscription, that's where I built HealthSave to win.
At a glance
| HealthSave | Health Auto Export | |
|---|---|---|
| Metric breadth | Core dashboard and export metrics, 80+ workouts | 150+ metrics |
| Built-in dashboard + trend charts | Yes (7/30/90-day; 30/90 are Pro) | More limited in-app dashboard |
| Doctor-ready PDF report | Yes (Pro) | Not its focus |
| Export formats | CSV, JSON (free); PDF (Pro) | CSV, JSON, and more (e.g. GPX) |
| Mac app | No | Yes |
| MQTT / GPX | No | Yes |
| Self-host sync target | Your own server (Pro) | REST/automations |
| On-device, no-server posture | Yes, developer runs no servers | Cloud/automation features involved |
| Pricing | One-time $24.99, Family Sharing | Subscription-style paywall for export |
Where Health Auto Export is the better choice
I'll say it plainly: for maximum automation breadth, Health Auto Export wins. It adds a Mac app, and supports MQTT and GPX outputs that HealthSave doesn't. If you're building elaborate automation plumbing or you specifically need workout GPS tracks as GPX, it's the more specialized toolbox. Don't buy HealthSave expecting a Mac companion app or MQTT/GPX outputs, that's not the axis I optimized for.
Where HealthSave is the better choice
HealthSave is built around getting your data out cleanly and privately, with the things I personally wanted:
- A genuine on-device, no-server posture. The HealthSave app collects zero data, requires no account, and the developer (me) operates no servers to receive your health data. It leaves your phone only when you export a file or sync to a destination you configure. There's no cloud round-trip by default.
- A real dashboard with trends. Heart rate, resting HR, HRV, steps, sleep, calories, walking distance, SpO2, and weight in one view, with 7/30/90-day trend charts, it's a place to look at your data, not only a pipe.
- A doctor-ready PDF. A formatted, date-ranged PDF report to bring to your doctor (Pro).
- One-time pricing. Pro is $24.99 once, with Family Sharing, no subscription. The category norm is to paywall export behind a recurring fee; I didn't want to charge rent for your own data.
- Self-hoster friendly. Background sync to your own server, a REST API, and Home Assistant, plus an optional open-core companion project with open source protocol and SDK layers.
How to choose
- Pick Health Auto Export if you need a Mac app, MQTT, GPX, or an automation-first workflow.
- Pick HealthSave if you want a clean dashboard, a doctor PDF, a strict on-device/no-cloud posture, a one-time price instead of a subscription, and self-host-friendly export.
Honest limits (HealthSave)
- No Mac app, MQTT, or GPX.
- iOS only, iOS 17+, reads Apple Health (no Android yet).
- PDF, full 30/90-day trends, unlimited history, sync, REST API, and HA are Pro.
- Self-host features have no hosted option, you run the server.
- Accuracy depends on your wearable, as with any app reading HealthKit.
Competitor details (metric counts, Mac app, MQTT, GPX, subscription model) reflect Health Auto Export's publicly stated feature set; verify current specifics on its own listing, as third-party products change.
Related
Get HealthSave
Free to download. Export CSV/JSON for free; unlock PDF, full trends, sync, and the API once with Pro.
Download HealthSave on the App Store