There are more genuinely free ways to track CPD than most doctors realise. The question is rarely cost — it is which part of the job each one actually does.
Below is a straight account of the free options, what each covers, and where the cost sits when it is not the price.
First, a distinction that saves confusion
Three different jobs get lumped together under "CPD tracker":
- Logging — recording what you read or attended, with reflection.
- Portfolio — assembling everything into the appraisal submission your appraiser signs off.
- Sourcing — finding the learning material in the first place.
Most tools do one or two of these well. Free tools usually do the first. Paid appraisal platforms do the second. Nothing free does the third, because sourcing is the part that costs someone money to produce.
Knowing which job you are trying to solve makes the choice obvious.
The free options
BMJ Portfolio — free, any source
Launched by BMJ Group in 2026, this records CPD from any source in one place, alongside BMJ Learning and Learner+. It is a credible general-purpose home for a log, and it is not tied to a single college.
Covers: logging, reflection, organisation across the year. Doesn't cover: it is not your appraisal submission platform, so evidence still has to move across. Best for: doctors who want a free, source-agnostic log that is not locked to one membership.
Your Royal College diary — free with membership
Most colleges include a CPD diary. RCGP members get theirs at no extra cost, along with a substantial library of free CPD content. The RCP, RCS and others run equivalent schemes.
Covers: logging, with prompts aligned to your own college's scheme — which is a real advantage at appraisal. Doesn't cover: it is only free if you already pay membership. RCGP fees for 2026–27 run from £162 to £645 depending on earnings; BMA standard membership is £46.25 a month. Free at the margin, not free. Best for: anyone already holding membership. If you are paying the fee, use what it includes.
NHS appraisal platforms — free because your employer pays
SARD, PReP, L2P and trust-specific systems, plus MARS in Wales. Provided through your employer or deanery.
Covers: the appraisal submission itself — the job the free logging tools do not do. Doesn't cover: they are generally built for the annual cycle rather than for weekly logging, and most require manual entry. Best for: everyone, because you will be submitting through one of these anyway. Worth knowing which before you choose a logging tool.
GP Tools — free for NHS GPs
A free appraisal and revalidation portfolio for NHS GPs, GMC and NHS compliant, with patient survey and MSF feedback included at no extra cost.
Covers: portfolio and the feedback instruments, which are usually the expensive extras. Doesn't cover: GPs only. Best for: NHS GPs who want a full portfolio without a subscription.
FourteenFish — free until you submit
Worth including because the pricing is widely misunderstood. You can use the Appraisal Toolkit and only pay when you submit to your appraiser. List price is around £40–50 a year, RCGP members get 30% off, and the RCGP fully funds five years for GPs who gained CCT from 2021 onwards.
Best for: most UK GPs, given it is the default platform and the effective cost is low or nil. We cover the alternatives to it here.
A spreadsheet — free, and better than it sounds
Five columns: date, source, time spent, what you learned, impact on practice. That is the whole structure the GMC asks for.
Covers: logging, completely. Doesn't cover: nothing does it for you. No prompts, no reminders, no export formatting. Best for: doctors between systems, working across sites, or who simply prefer plain files. A scruffy spreadsheet filled in weekly beats an elegant portfolio left empty. We have a template you can paste into it.
Comparison
| Option | Cost | Logging | Full portfolio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMJ Portfolio | Free | Yes | No | Source-agnostic, not college-tied |
| College diary | Free with membership | Yes | Partly | Membership £162–£645 (RCGP, 2026–27) |
| NHS platform | Employer-funded | Basic | Yes | SARD, PReP, L2P, MARS (Wales) |
| GP Tools | Free | Yes | Yes | NHS GPs only; includes MSF and survey |
| FourteenFish | Free until submission | Yes | Yes | ~£40–50/yr, 30% off for RCGP members |
| Spreadsheet | Free | Yes | No | You supply the structure |
Where the real cost is
None of these reduces the amount of reading you have to do. That is the honest gap in the free-tracker question, and it is worth naming.
A tracker records that you read something. It does not help you work out what was worth reading in the first place — which, for most doctors, is where the time actually goes. The logging is five minutes. Working out which of the week's papers matter is the hour.
That is the problem The Monday Clinical Brief exists to solve, and it is a different problem from tracking. We summarise every new paper from the five highest-impact journals in your specialty, weekly, across 31 UK specialties, with the citation and a reflection prompt attached to each. The MCB CPD Tracker is included free with an annual subscription and is built around that weekly rhythm.
If your problem is purely logging, take one of the free options above — genuinely, they are fine, and the spreadsheet is fine. If your problem is that you cannot keep up with the literature in the first place, no tracker will fix it.
Related reading
- How many CPD points do UK doctors need? — the 50-credit figure, and why it is not a GMC requirement
- Does reading count as CPD? — what turns reading into a credit-bearing entry
- Best CPD tools for UK doctors — the wider comparison, including paid options
Prices and scheme details change. Check each provider's current terms before relying on the figures here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a genuinely free CPD tracker for UK doctors?
Yes, several. BMJ Portfolio is free and records CPD from any source. GP Tools is free for NHS GPs. Most Royal Colleges include a CPD diary with membership, and NHS appraisal platforms are provided by your employer or deanery at no personal cost. A spreadsheet is free and, for logging reading, entirely adequate.
Is FourteenFish free?
Partly. You can use the Appraisal Toolkit without paying and only pay at the point you submit your appraisal to your appraiser. RCGP members get 30% off, and the RCGP fully funds it for five years for GPs who gained CCT from 2021 onwards while they remain members.
Do I need a dedicated CPD tool at all?
No. The GMC does not require any particular format — it requires evidence of reflective learning. A five-column spreadsheet filled in weekly satisfies that completely. The tool matters far less than the habit.
What is the catch with free CPD trackers?
Usually one of three things: it is free because you already pay membership elsewhere, it is free but only covers logging rather than the full appraisal submission, or it is free and requires you to supply all the structure yourself. None of those is a problem as long as you know which one you are choosing.
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