What makes PepLabo a better Shotsy alternative?
Both apps put the injection first, so the difference is scope. Shotsy concentrates on the GLP-1 dose and what follows it. PepLabo also covers what comes before the dose and the routines that are not a single weekly pen. These are the places where that shows.
The routine starts at the vial, not the pen
If your medicine arrives as powder, the first job is arithmetic. PepLabo’s calculator takes the amount in the vial, the water you added and the dose your clinician gave you, and returns the units to draw on an insulin syringe. Save the vial, and every dose you log is taken from it, so the remaining amount is always one glance away.
Shotsy’s listing and website describe dose logging, schedules and titration planning [1][3]. We did not find vial stock, a reconstitution calculator or syringe units there, which leaves that step to a separate tool or a notebook.
Bottom line: PepLabo covers the mixing and the stock, not only the moment of injection.
Peptides and GLP-1 medicines in the same log
Shotsy is open about its focus: semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide and dulaglutide, in branded and compounded forms [1][3]. That is a clear fit for one GLP-1 medicine. Routines often look different, though, with a GLP-1 next to another peptide, or a peptide on its own.
PepLabo treats each of these as its own program, with its own schedule, vial and reminders, all on the same Today screen. The research library sits in the app for reading about the compounds you track, and none of it suggests what to take.
Bottom line: when your log holds more than one kind of compound, PepLabo keeps it in one place.
Cycles and level charts for any compound
Many peptide programs run for a set number of weeks, pause, then start again. PepLabo stores those on and off periods and the weeks off between cycles, so a planned break reads as a break, not as a run of missed doses.
The estimated level chart works from a half-life you enter from your own source, which means it can draw any compound you log. Shotsy’s charts come preset for four GLP-1 molecules [1], which is convenient for those, while PepLabo’s approach stays open to the rest of your routine. Either way, it is a picture of your log, not medical advice.
Bottom line: if your routine has phases, PepLabo records the phases as well as the doses.
Reminders that catch a miss and cross time zones
PepLabo can remind you ahead of a dose, at the time it is due and again if nothing has been logged, so a late dose gets a second nudge. A few hours after a dose it can ask how you feel, which turns side-effect tracking into a short reply rather than a task to remember.
Shotsy offers reminders, countdowns and next-dose notifications [1]. What we did not find in its sources is a way to handle travel. PepLabo’s travel mode (Pro) lets you choose the destination time zone and how to shift the schedule, and your reminders follow.
Bottom line: PepLabo keeps reminders right when your day or your clock changes.
The same privacy on iPhone and Android
PepLabo works without an account on both platforms. Records stay on the phone, and the app contains no analytics, advertising or tracking SDKs. Signing in is only needed for Pep AI, which shows what it will send before your first message and never sends dose amounts.
Shotsy keeps iOS data on the device with private iCloud sync, stores Android data in Google Firebase, and may collect anonymous aggregated data, which you can control in its privacy settings [3]. PepLabo’s trade-off is the opposite one: no cloud sync, and a data file when you change phones.
Bottom line: PepLabo gives every user the same on-device setup, whichever phone they carry.
Meals in seconds, next to the doses
Appetite often changes on these medicines, and a food log is easier to keep when it is quick. PepLabo scans barcodes on the free plan. On Pro, Pep AI estimates a meal from a photo, from what you say or from a restaurant menu, and water sits on the same screen.
Shotsy logs calories, protein and water and can import them from Apple Health [1]. PepLabo Pro reads sleep, recovery and steps from Apple Health, Health Connect or WHOOP, plus HRV and strain from WHOOP, so the wider picture sits next to your doses without manual entry.
Bottom line: PepLabo makes food and recovery part of the same record, with less typing.
Pep, streaks and a Sunday recap
A log only helps when it is complete. PepLabo keeps a logging streak, gives badges for milestones such as a first weigh-in, and every Sunday Pep, the character in the app, sums up your week. Pep also reacts during the day, for example when water is running low.
Progress photos and Cycle Story turn weeks of entries into something you can look back on. On Pro, Pep AI chat can summarise your programs and records, and it never gives dosing advice.
Bottom line: PepLabo puts effort into the daily habit, which is what keeps the record useful.
Where Shotsy is still better
Shotsy is careful work within its scope, and for a routine made only of GLP-1 medicines it has strengths PepLabo does not match:
- Estimated level charts preset for semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide and dulaglutide, with no half-life to enter [1].
- Sync across your Apple devices through private iCloud [1].
- Daily GLP-1 pill tracking on iOS alongside weekly injections [1][3].
- Side-effect logs that can be linked to sites, nutrition or hydration as well as doses [3].
- An App Store listing in 17 languages [1].
Bottom line: PepLabo pulls ahead in another situation: when you prepare your own vials, run peptides or cycles, or want the same account-free setup on every phone.
The price comparison comes down to the free core
PepLabo’s free plan holds the whole injection routine: dose logging, reminders, vials, injection sites, the reconstitution calculator and the research library. PepLabo Pro is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US, with 3 days free on the yearly plan for eligible new subscribers. Pro adds access to Pep AI chat, meal estimates from a photo, voice or restaurant menu, Apple Health, Health Connect and WHOOP data, widgets, travel mode and PDF reports.
Shotsy is free to download and says its core features, including dose and side-effect tracking, weight charts and nutrition logging, cost nothing; it also offers an optional Shotsy+ subscription [3]. We did not find its price in Shotsy’s sources.
Bottom line: both start free, and PepLabo’s free plan already includes vials, reconstitution and site tracking.
Running PepLabo next to Shotsy, or switching
Both apps log injections, so keeping two full dose logs means entering every shot twice. It is simpler to let one app own the dose record. If you stay with Shotsy for your GLP-1, PepLabo’s Calculator tab can still handle the reconstitution math on its own, and nothing has to be logged twice.
If you are moving across, add your current program and vial in PepLabo and log from today. There is no direct import, but Shotsy’s PDF export [3] keeps your earlier history on file for appointments.
Bottom line: let one app own the doses; switch fully when vials, peptides or cycles are part of the routine.
Overall
Shotsy is a solid choice for someone on GLP-1 medicines who wants schedules, side effects, weight and preset level charts in a tidy app. PepLabo is the better choice once the routine grows: powder vials that need mixing, stock to keep an eye on, peptides next to a GLP-1, cycles with breaks and reminders that travel with you. It handles all of that without an account on iPhone and Android, and the core is free.
Trademarks and sources
Shotsy is a trademark of Shotsy Co. PepLabo has no affiliation with Shotsy Co. Everything said here about Shotsy comes from its public App Store listing, Google Play page and website, read on 20 October 2026, and may have changed since. “Not mentioned in the sources we read” means we could not confirm a feature there, not that the app lacks it.
