A supplement stack planner should do more than hold a list of products. A real planner helps you choose what belongs, set the timing, check overlap, run the plan, and decide what changes after the review period.
If you are about to build your own stack, choose the tool based on the decision you need to make next. Product scanners help when the shelf is messy. Nutrition trackers help when your target is nutrient adequacy. Reminder apps help when adherence is the bottleneck. Unfair is built for the stack-as-protocol workflow.
Comparison disclosure
This is an Unfair-owned comparison. We build Unfair, so the evaluation is written from our point of view. Observations were checked against official public sources on May 6, 2026. We avoid claiming that a competitor lacks a feature unless the safer statement is that the feature was not visible in the cited public material.
Methodology
We scored stack planners on the parts of the workflow that matter after the initial setup. A planner that looks clean on day one can still fail if it cannot handle timing changes, skipped doses, and review decisions.
| Criterion | Strong planner behavior | Weak planner behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Stack structure | Groups supplements by goal, phase, and review window | Stores a flat checklist |
| Dose scheduling | Handles timing, cycles, and skipped-dose states | Uses fixed reminders only |
| Safety review | Flags ingredient overlap, stimulant load, and medication cautions where supported | Assumes every product can be combined |
| Evidence context | Separates strong evidence from weak marketing claims | Treats every supplement as equivalent |
| Outcome review | Shows adherence and response side by side | Shows only "taken" history |
| Portability | Exports useful records or writes to health data | Locks history inside the app |
Stack planner comparison
| Tool | Planning strength | Best for | Source-backed notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unfair | Goal-first stacks, dose windows, outcome labels, review decisions | People running N-of-1 supplement protocols | Internal product workflow; comparison claims here are our own |
| SuppCo | Product database, smart schedule, reminders, nutrient totals, stack analysis algorithm | Brand and product quality screening | App Store copy describes 160,000+ supplements, stack building, reminders, nutrient totals, and proprietary stack analysis 1 |
| SuppTrack | Product database, barcode scan, schedules, ingredient totals | Users with many bottled products | Official pages describe 189,000+ products, 6,000+ brands, schedules, reminders, and ingredient-level daily totals 2 3 |
| Cronometer | Nutrition diary, custom nutrient targets, supplement logging | Food plus supplement nutrient accounting | Cronometer says supplements are added like foods and the diary shows micro and macronutrient summaries 4 5 |
| Apple Health Medications | Native schedule, reminders, Watch logging, PDF medication list | Simple vitamin and medication adherence | Apple says Health can track medications, vitamins, and supplements, with schedules, reminders, and U.S. interaction views for listed medications 6 |
| Bearable | Factor and symptom correlation | People tracking symptoms around supplements | Bearable describes medication, supplement, symptom, mood, and factor tracking with correlations 7 8 |
| Spreadsheet | Custom formulas and tables | Power users who want full control | Google and Microsoft document spreadsheet formulas, tables, charts, sorting, and collaboration features 9 10 |
Decision table
| Your main job | Best starting point | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Build a goal-based supplement protocol | Unfair | It starts with goal, dose window, adherence, response, and review |
| Audit brands and products before buying | SuppCo | Its public positioning centers on database breadth and brand quality |
| Scan bottles and aggregate ingredient totals | SuppTrack | Its public positioning centers on barcode scan and ingredient math |
| Count micronutrients from food and pills | Cronometer | It treats supplements as entries in a nutrition diary |
| Track prescription plus vitamin reminders | Apple Health Medications | It is native, free, and strong for reminders and Watch logging |
| Correlate supplements with symptoms | Bearable | It is designed around factors, symptoms, mood, and health journaling |
| Build a personal model from scratch | Spreadsheet | It offers maximum control if you accept manual upkeep |
Why stack planners fail
Most stack planners fail because they confuse inventory with planning. "I own magnesium, creatine, vitamin D, and omega-3" is inventory. "I take these at these windows for this goal, with this review date and these stop conditions" is a plan.
That distinction matters because supplement changes should be narrow. If you add five items at once, the planner may look complete, yet the experiment becomes unreadable. A stack planner should make it easier to start small, hold timing stable, and review one change at a time.
How Unfair fits
Unfair is designed for people who want the supplement plan to become a repeatable loop. You define the goal, choose the ingredients, set dose windows, log adherence, add response labels, and review the stack as a protocol.
That makes Unfair a better fit than generic reminders when the stack is changing over time. It also makes Unfair a different fit from product scanners. Scanners help identify what is in the bottle. Unfair helps decide whether the bottle belongs in the stack and whether the stack changed the outcome you care about.
Practical buying guidance
Use one app as the system of record. Splitting a stack across a barcode scanner, a reminder app, a food diary, and a notes app creates four partial histories. That can work during a short audit, but it gets noisy when you need a review.
| If you use two tools | Make this the primary record | Use the second tool for |
|---|---|---|
| Unfair and Cronometer | Unfair | Nutrient totals from food plus supplements |
| Unfair and Apple Health | Unfair | Native medication reminder backup and clinician-facing medication list |
| Unfair and SuppTrack | Unfair | Bottle lookup and ingredient-total audit |
| Bearable and Unfair | Unfair for stack, Bearable for chronic symptoms | Symptom depth that does not belong in the dose log |
| Spreadsheet and Unfair | Unfair | Custom archival analysis after export |
Sources
This article is for education only and does not replace medical advice. Ask a clinician before changing supplements if you take medication, have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are planning surgery.
SuppCo App Store listing, accessed May 6, 2026. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/suppco-supplement-scanner/id6504838951
↩SuppTrack App Store listing, accessed May 6, 2026. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/supptrack-supplement-scanner/id6502848329
↩SuppTrack methodology page, accessed May 6, 2026. https://supptrack.app/methodology
↩Cronometer Support, "How do I add a supplement to my diary?" accessed May 6, 2026. https://support.cronometer.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000328566-How-do-I-add-a-supplement-to-my-diary
↩Cronometer Support, "Diary Overview," accessed May 6, 2026. https://support.cronometer.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018171731-Diary-Overview
↩Apple Support, "Add and log medications with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch," accessed May 6, 2026. https://support.apple.com/en-us/105064
↩Bearable App Store listing, accessed May 6, 2026. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bearable-symptom-tracker/id1482581097
↩Bearable support, "What are Factors?" accessed May 6, 2026. https://bearable.app/support/tips/what-are-factors/
↩Google Sheets product page, accessed May 6, 2026. https://workspace.google.com/products/sheets/index.html
↩Microsoft Support, "Basic tasks in Excel," accessed May 6, 2026. https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/basic-tasks-in-excel-dc775dd1-fa52-430f-9c3c-d998d1735fca
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