Comparison
A DairyBar alternative with cited guidelines and no account
DairyBar and Milkloft answer the same question, which makes this the most useful comparison on the site: both count stored milk by place rather than as one total. The differences are the ones underneath. Where the expiration dates come from and whether you can change that source, whether the app tells you which bag comes next, whether there is an account behind it, and whether you pay once or on a schedule.
We make Milkloft. This page is our honest read, not a review: check the App Store for today’s facts.
Milkloft does this for you The iPhone app for your stored breast milk. One purchase, no account.In one line
| Milkloft | DairyBar | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built around | Stored milk by place, with a cited use-by date | Stored milk by place, with expiration notifications |
| Pricing model | A free tier, then one purchase, no subscription | Free with in-app purchases: six-month and twelve-month subscription entries and a lifetime one |
| Where your data lives | Your iPhone and your own iCloud, no account | Not described in the listing |
What each one is for
| Milkloft | DairyBar | |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory by place | Yes: 5 free, unlimited with Pro | Yes: up to 10 places |
| Storage types | Fridge, freezer, deep freezer, cooler, room, custom | Cooler, fridge, freezer, deep freeze, freeze-dried |
| Platform | iPhone only | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android |
| Guideline behind the dates | CDC, ABM or NHS, selectable, with the row shown | La Leche League, per the developer’s site |
| Which bag to use first | Yes: thawed, fridge, then oldest frozen | Not described in the listing |
| Return-to-work projection | Yes: the verdict is free, the plan is Pro | Not described in the listing |
| Works offline with no account | Yes, both | Not described in the listing |
| Export your data | CSV and JSON, on the free tier | Not described in the listing |
| Spanish | Yes | The listing lists English |
Stay with DairyBar if…
- Someone in the house is on Android. DairyBar lists an Android version and Milkloft has none.
- You track freeze-dried milk, which DairyBar lists as a storage type and Milkloft does not have.
- Ten named places is the shape of your stash and you are happy with how it counts them.
Switch to Milkloft if…
- You want to know which body published the date on your bag, and to switch between the CDC, the ABM and the NHS yourself.
- You want the app to name the next bag rather than only warn you that something is expiring.
- You would rather pay once than see subscription entries on a listing.
- You want no account at all, and nothing of yours on anyone’s server.
- You are going back to work and want your stash projected against that date, or you want the app in Spanish.
What Milkloft doesn't do
- No Android version and no web app.
- No freeze-dried milk as a storage type.
- No shared caregiver access: there is no server to hold a shared inventory.
- No pumping timer and no pump integration.
- Not on the App Store yet, so the button here joins a waiting list.
Why the source of the date matters
Storage guidelines do not agree. The CDC and the NHS publish different fridge figures, the NHS publishes no room-temperature figure at all, and none of the three publishes a separate number for a deep freezer. An app that shows one date without saying whose it is has quietly made that choice for you.
Milkloft makes the choice visible: you pick the guideline in settings, every estimated date links to the row that produced it, and changing the source recalculates the whole stash. You can read the same tables yourself in our storage chart and check any single bag in the expiration calculator, without the app.
What we checked, and when
Everything above about DairyBar comes from its App Store listing and its own site on September 8, 2026. Rows the listing does not describe are marked as not described, not as missing. Apps change; if a row is wrong today, tell us and we will re-read the listing and update the page.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a DairyBar alternative without a subscription?
Milkloft is a free tier plus one purchase, with no subscription for anything that runs on your phone. DairyBar’s App Store listing shows six-month and twelve-month subscription entries alongside a lifetime one; the listing is the place to check what applies in your country.
Which guideline does each app use for expiration dates?
DairyBar’s site describes its Best By and Use By dates as following La Leche League. Milkloft lets you pick the CDC, ABM Protocol #8 or the NHS, and shows the row of that table behind every estimated date.
Do both track milk by storage location?
Yes, and this is the closest match between them. DairyBar’s listing describes up to ten storage places including a cooler, a deep freeze and freeze-dried milk. Milkloft has five places on the free tier and no limit with Pro, with fridge, freezer, deep freezer, cooler, room temperature and custom types.
Does Milkloft work without an account?
Yes: there is no sign-up at all, and nothing leaves the phone except through your own iCloud. DairyBar’s listing and FAQ do not state whether it works account-free.
Does Milkloft track freeze-dried breast milk?
No. Its storage types are the ones its cited guidelines publish figures for, and none of the CDC, ABM or NHS publishes one for freeze-dried milk. If that is what you are tracking, DairyBar lists it and we do not.
Keep reading
- The best breast milk tracking apps, compared on what you can check
- Milkloft for exclusive pumpers
- Why Milkloft is one purchase, not a subscription
- Breast milk expiration calculator (CDC, ABM & NHS rules)
- Breast milk storage chart (CDC guidelines)
- Is this frozen breast milk still good? Freezer burn, smell, and the date rule
- All guides
Facts about other apps checked on September 8, 2026 in the App Store listing and the developer's own site. Something changed? Tell us: [email protected] App names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify them.