Personal health record apps that keep your data on your own computer
Most personal health record apps keep your records in their cloud. The ones that keep them on your own computer or phone, and what you take on in exchange.
| HealthViewer | Mere Medical | Blood Health Tracker | Hemo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Active | Maintained by one developer | Active | Private beta |
| Runs on | Mac and Windows | Web browser, installable as an app; self-host with Docker | Mac; Windows on a waitlist | Mac (macOS 15.2 or later); no Windows |
| Price | $24.99 once, after a 7-day free trial | Free, open source (MIT) | $12 once | Free during beta; final price not announced |
| Lab PDF import | Yes, plus CSV, FHIR JSON, and MyChart (C-CDA) files | No | Yes, with your own Google Gemini API key; or type results in | Yes, PDFs and photos read by an online AI service, then reviewed by you |
| Patient portal connections | Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), athenahealth, eClinicalWorks (US) | Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), athenahealth, eClinicalWorks (Healow), NextGen, Veradigm, and others | No | No; imports Function, Superpower, and WHOOP exports |
| Where your data lives | Encrypted file on your computer | Your browser; encryption optional | On your computer | On your Mac |
| Account | None | None | None | Sign in with Apple |
Most personal health record apps store your records on the company’s servers. That makes syncing easy, but it means a company holds your full medical history, under its own privacy policy rather than HIPAA, for as long as it stays in business. If you would rather keep your records on your own computer, there are a handful of options. This page covers them. We make HealthViewer, one of the options, so weigh our view of it accordingly.
What “local” means, and what it costs you
A local app stores your records in a file or database on your device, and needs no account with the company. Nobody else holds a copy unless you make one. The trade-offs are real:
- Backups are your job. If the computer dies and you had no backup, the records are gone.
- A forgotten password can be final. Apps that encrypt your data properly cannot reset it for you.
- Syncing is limited. Seeing the same records on your phone takes a cloud folder you choose, or copying files yourself.
- Some features still go online. Connecting a patient portal, or reading a PDF with an AI service, sends data out for that task. Check what each app does.
Desktop apps
HealthViewer runs on Mac and Windows. Everything is stored in one file on your computer, encrypted with your password, with no account and no HealthViewer cloud. It reads lab PDFs on your computer, imports CSV, FHIR, and MyChart files, and connects to Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), athenahealth, and eClinicalWorks portals. It tracks medications, vaccinations, procedures, and vitals alongside your labs. Its AI features are optional and off until you add an API key; when used, they send the relevant data to the AI provider you chose. A free, view-only phone app that opens the same encrypted file is coming. $24.99 once, after a 7-day free trial.
Blood Health Tracker is a $12 Mac app that keeps your reports and results on your computer, with no account. It reads reports with AI through your own Gemini API key, sending page images with personal details covered. It has no portal connections, and Windows is on a waitlist.
Hemo is a Mac app in private beta that stores results on your Mac. It reads PDFs and photos through an online AI service, then has you review them, and it needs Sign in with Apple.
My LabTests is a free Windows app where you type results into fields you set up. It keeps them on your PC, with an optional backup to your own Dropbox.
In your browser, or on a server you run
Mere Medical is free and open source. It runs in a web browser and keeps your records in the browser’s own storage, with encryption if you set a password. You can also run it on your own server with Docker. It connects to many patient portals, including Epic, Oracle Health, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks (Healow), and NextGen. It does not import lab PDFs. One thing to know about browser storage: clearing your browser’s site data can remove it, so export a backup. See HealthViewer vs Mere Medical.
Fasten OnPrem was the best-known self-hosted option, but it removed its portal connections in February 2026 and was archived in July 2026. See Fasten Health alternatives.
On your phone
If “your own device” can be a phone, there are more choices.
- Apple Health keeps Health Records on your iPhone, and Health data synced through iCloud is end-to-end encrypted. It is free, but iPhone and iPad only. See HealthViewer vs Apple Health.
- Carrot Care is an iPhone app that keeps results on the phone, with optional iCloud backup and no account.
- KeepMD stores records encrypted on your device, on iPhone, Android, and the web.
- CommonHealth is a free Android app that keeps health records on the phone.
A phone is a good place to look things up. It is a cramped place to compare years of results, which is where a desktop app fits better.
Which fits
- Mac or Windows, encrypted, with PDF import and portal connections: HealthViewer.
- Mac, the lowest price, and you are comfortable with AI reading your reports: Blood Health Tracker.
- Free and open source, results from portals, and you can manage backups: Mere Medical.
- Windows, free, and you are happy to type results in: My LabTests.
- Your phone is enough: Apple Health on iPhone, CommonHealth on Android.
Whatever you choose, back up the file to somewhere you control, and keep the password in a password manager. For more on the trade-offs between local, cloud, and portal storage, read where should your lab results live?, or download HealthViewer’s free trial.