Trust vs. NurseGrid
NurseGrid is a shift-scheduling app that added basic credential storage in 2024. Trust is a credential wallet. NurseGrid sends one reminder 30 days before a credential expires, delivered to its in-app inbox, and stores your documents in HealthStream's cloud. Trust sends 90/60/30/7-day notifications and keeps everything on your phone.
What each app is actually for
NurseGrid is the best-known nurse scheduling app in the country — shift calendar, swaps, colleague schedule comparison, team messaging. 4.9 stars on 144,000+ App Store ratings, owned by HealthStream since 2020, roughly 670,000 monthly active users. If you want to manage shifts, NurseGrid is good at it, and Trust does not do scheduling at all. In June 2024 NurseGrid added "Portfolio" — storage for licenses, certifications, and vaccine records, with expiration reminders. That's the feature this page compares: a side feature for NurseGrid, the entire product for Trust.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Trust | NurseGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Credential tracking | Shift scheduling |
| Credential storage | Yes — any credential, photo/PDF | Yes — Portfolio, photo/PDF |
| Renewal reminders | 90/60/30/7 days, push notifications | One reminder 30 days out, to the in-app inbox (plus one on expiration day) |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Where data lives | On your phone only | HealthStream's cloud |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Ads | None | Contains advertising (App Store declaration) |
| Audience | RN, EMS, allied health | Nursing |
| Scheduling / shift swaps | No | Yes — its core product |
| Price | Free | Free (employer products paid) |
Reminders compared
This is the difference that costs people shifts. NurseGrid's reminder, per its own June 2024 announcement, is a single notice 30 days before expiration delivered to the NurseGrid Inbox inside the app — you see it when you open the app — with one follow-up on expiration day. No configurable lead times, no renewal workflow. Thirty days is not enough runway for every credential: a California RN renewal wants CE finished before the window opens; an NREMT recert application can be submitted starting October 1 for a March 31 deadline. Trust sends push notifications at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days, so the first alert arrives while there's still time to schedule a class, not just pay a fee.
Where your data lives
NurseGrid requires an account, and data lives on HealthStream's servers under HealthStream's privacy policy (updated April 8, 2026). That policy permits sharing personal information with HealthStream affiliates, allows subscribing employers to submit and receive information at their direction, and reserves the right to disclose de-identified data to non-affiliated entities "without restriction." The App Store privacy label declares data linked to identity — email, name, phone, device ID — used for analytics and the developer's advertising or marketing. None of that is hidden, and none of it is unusual for a free cloud app; it's a different model. Trust has no account, no server, and no database — credentials stay on the device behind Face ID, and nothing leaves the phone unless you share a PDF yourself. There is no data to sell, share, or breach.
Who each app is for
- You work shifts and want swaps, a team calendar, and messaging: NurseGrid. Trust doesn't compete there.
- You carry credentials that expire — RN license, BLS/ACLS/PALS, NREMT, CCRN, ARRT — and a lapse costs you work: Trust. Paramedics in Trust average five and a half credentials; NurseGrid is built for nurses.
- Both problems: use both. They coexist fine. Keep your schedule in NurseGrid and your licenses in Trust.
Frequently asked questions
- Does NurseGrid track licenses and certifications?
- Yes — since June 2024, Portfolio stores licenses, certifications, and vaccine records and sends one reminder 30 days before expiration to the in-app inbox. Articles saying NurseGrid has no credential tracking are out of date.
- Is NurseGrid free?
- Yes for individual nurses, and it contains advertising per its App Store declaration. Employer products — NurseGrid Manager, $5 per staff member per month — are paid.
- Does Trust do shift scheduling?
- No. Trust tracks credentials and renewal deadlines. If you need scheduling, use a scheduling app.
- Who owns NurseGrid?
- HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM), since March 2020. It operates from HealthStream's Nashville headquarters.
- Can I use Trust without creating an account?
- Yes. There is no account. Credentials are stored on-device, behind Face ID.
- Does Trust work for EMS and allied health?
- Yes — NREMT (EMT/AEMT/Paramedic), state EMS licenses, ARRT, NBRC, PTCB, NBSTSA, AAMA, and nursing credentials, all in one place.
Last verified:
Your license, your phone.
Track every credential with 90/60/30/7-day reminders — no account, no cloud.