I suspect there are not many people here who use Trio but I thought I’d just directly inquire and see if I could make a connection or two. I’m a long-term user of the Loop DIY AID. I’ve been aware of name, “Trio,“ but I haven’t investigated closely since I’m highly satisfied with Loop’s performance and the great quality of life it affords me. The few reviews of Trio I’ve recently read piqued my curiosity.
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Yes, there are but I’ll let them chime in!
I use it interchangeably with Loop while I continue to test Trio. I have good control with both Loop and Trio. Trio uses the same underlying Loopkit as Loop so you will see some of the same look and feel in Trio on a few screens such as pump configuration. Trio is based on FreeAPS, a branch created off of Loop originally. Another offshoot occurred off it and finally Trio was created off of that! The Trio development team rewrote much of the original code to improve performance, useability, and consistentancy. All of the offshoots use the OpenAPS algorithm, a different algorithm for managing insulin dosing than Loop’s algorithm. So if you do transfer to Trio you will likely need to retest your therapy settings.
From my experience, I really like the Trio UI. You can view a full 24 hours of data on the home page and various tabs provide history and status which Loop does not provide. And performance appears to be greatly improved. The home page displays instantly upon switching to Trio. On the other hand, Loop is easier to manage with just a few therapy settings and single home page.
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@Trying - Thanks for the review. I know that my way of eating (low carb, animal based) makes it easier for Loop to perform.
So I could use both Loop and Trio at the same time? I’m reluctant to switch to Trio when Loop is working so well. I am not fully competent managing the tech and usually need a willing volunteer to assist.
Changing therapy settings would not be a difficult problem for me.
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Yes, you can have both installed on the same device and both connected to Dexcom. But you can only have one pump active at the same time. I’m on OmniPod so when I activate it in say Loop, I will use the pump simulator in Trio. So it is easy to test Trio while still continuing with Loop. Trio also has the same browser build process as Loop (same developers too) so getting it installed should already be familiar to you.
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Thanks, @Eric.
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@Terry While @Trying is correct, you can have both installed on your phone (I have both current apps on my phone as back-ups to each other), but only one can be active at a time, not both, nor is there reason to. They serve the same function: take CGM data, your inputs, and the previous algorithm results to tell your pump what to do with the end goal being to achieve your desired BG level. While many of the same folks are involved in writing documentation and recommending developments, I don’t believe the actual primary programmers are the same. I’ve used both Loop and Trio; my recommendation is if Loop is working well for you, stick with it until you want or need to try something else in hopes of improving your results. It may be Loop is the best choice for you. It’s also possible Trio may work better for you as it has many more settings for adjustment. The caveat is that all those settings take time and effort to learn and adjust. Many people have started on Loop, tried Trio, and returned to Loop for its greater simplicity and effectiveness. Others have tried Trio and stuck with it because they achieved better control by finding the right settings. I hate to say “it depends”, but its accurate. Because I have both installed on my phone, I monitor advances in both. Loop has far superior documentation (thanks Marion Barker and many others for years of updates and improvements), but Trio development, like Loop, is on-going and may catch up with Loop’s documentation advantage. Both can be built using Xcode or a browser build method (the first time can take a while or be a bit of pain, after that it’s like autopilot). Both allow/require user input for bolus (some Trio users have needs/settings that allow no inputs, I have not). Both automatically determine basal doses based on user settings and their algorithms. Both allow for corrections. The algorithms, though, vary significantly. After you’ve used Loop a while and are very familiar and comfortable with it, it may be worth trying Trio to access functions it has that Loop does not. It depends on you. If you want to explore more, I recommend joining the LoopZulipChat group (https://loop.zulipchat.com) and the Discord group for Trio or their respective Facebook groups. Monitoring them for awhile should be helpful. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me openly, via PM, or engage on the groups mentioned, there are mentors on the groups.
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Thank you for this comment. Like I said in the original post, I am satisfied with the results Loop is giving me. I use the “temp basal only” setting and do not need the more aggressive automatic bolus setting. I don’t mind pre-blousing for better performance. In fact, I find that if my pre-meal glucose is at < 90 (5.0) then a pre-bolus time of 0 minutes is preferable.
I’ve been converting the protein and fat content of my meals into a “carbohydrate equivalent” to calculate meal doses for many years now. I count 50% of protein grams and 10% of fat grams as carb equivalents and add them to the carb content to feed into Loop as it calculates my dose. This works for me as low carb guides my way of eating and is not universal!
I’m glad that there are other systems out there and that people with diabetes are experimenting with them. That spirit led to the cumulative accomplishments of the #WeAreNotWaiting movement that produced Loop and APS in the first place.
I followed with interest the hack diabetes event in Vancouver, BC last weekend. Here’s a quick summary:
The #hackdiabetes25 in-person hackathon took place in Vancouver, BC, on November 15-16, 2025, and was part of a larger event organized by The Nightscout Foundation and DiabetesMine. The event brought together developers to work on improving open-source, do-it-yourself (DIY) diabetes technology, with virtual sessions held beforehand to brainstorm and prepare.
What it was: A hackathon focused on developing open-source, DIY diabetes technology.
Organizers: The Nightscout Foundation and DiabetesMine partnered to host the event.
When: The in-person hackathon was held on November 15-16, 2025, following a virtual session on November 7.
Where: Vancouver, BC.
Who: Developers, particularly those interested in DIY diabetes technology, were the primary participants.
I talked with someone who was in the room and she described the high energy and imagination from young developers from all over the world!
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I’ve been using Trio since May (and was on iAPS for a while before that), but I’ve never tried Loop so I can’t directly compare: I typically only bolus/announce carbs for breakfast (and even that is only probably 75% of the time), and I’m getting about 85% TIR at present with a moderately high carb diet. Once your settings are dialed in Trio can be incredibly hands-off if you want it to be, but from what I gather that’s very different to the way one usually operates with Loop so it may or may not be appealing to everyone.
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A “hands-off” approach that doesn’t require announcing carbs before eating does seem appealing to me. I have been so regimented for so long with the habit of dosing before meals, I don’t even see it as a heavy burden. Maybe I’d characterize it more as a mild nuisance. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to try it and see how it feels.
Thanks for the report, @glitzabetes!
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