by IDS Director of Exercise Physiology, Teen/Young Adult Specialist, Kathryn Gentile Alvarez
Why I’m So Happy Using TRIO and How Open-Source Diabetes Tools Empower My Daily Management
As both a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) and someone living with type 1 diabetes, I’ve spent years navigating the ever-evolving world of diabetes tech both for myself and for the clients I support. Over time, I’ve tested just about every platform you can think of.
These days, I’ve found a groove using Trio, a powerful, open-source diabetes management app that fits beautifully into my day-to-day care.
Here are two big takeaways that I want to share:
Like Loop(which I mostly used prior to Trio for years), Trio is built by people who live with diabetes, and that shows in every detail.
The interface is designed for real-world use. I can easily see glucose trends, insulin delivery, activity logs, and stats all in one place. This kind of integration is what makes it so valuable in real-time decision-making. My favorite thing is that I can customize everything to my specific needs as an individual, and I’m not locked into just having adjustments over-simplified by one factor, such as total daily dose.
One thing to be transparent about: Trio has some powerful features that can make some people feel overwhelmed or confused.
I enjoy exploring those deeper tools, but even for me, I’ve still been finding out I misunderstood some of the different aspects of the functionality. For each setting, there is a question mark that users can click on for a description of what that particular feature/setting does.
For someone new to open-source or managing T1D on their own, there can definitely be a learning curve. This isn’t a commercial plug-and-play app—it’s open-source, which means more flexibility, but sometimes less polish in how things are explained or surfaced.
That said, the trio community is welcoming and constantly improving things. And once you understand the system, it can absolutely transform how you interpret and act on your diabetes data.
Final Thoughts
Managing type 1 diabetes means being both a scientist and an artist, constantly adjusting, observing, and learning from your own body.
Open-source tools like Trio and Nightscout support that process beautifully. Trio keeps me grounded in day-to-day patterns. Nightscout gives me the power to analyze and fine-tune over time.
Plus, they’re built on something I believe in: transparency, user control, and community-driven innovation. As someone living with T1D and working in this space, that’s exactly the kind of support system I want both for myself and for the people I work with.
Back to July 2025 NewsletterSign Up For The IDS Monthly Newsletter!
