Checked September 14, 2026 against each app's own pricing page, help center and store listings
There is no single best MyFitnessPal alternative, because people leave for different reasons. Some want a free barcode scanner again, some want better nutrient data, and some want an app that sets their calories for them. So this page starts with the answer for each need, then shows the evidence: two comparison tables built from each company's own pages, and a picker that ranks the apps for you.
Disclosure: we make Beacon, one of the 11 apps we checked, so Beacon is not ranked or picked below. It stays in the comparison tables, marked as our app, and has its own section, Where Beacon Fits.
The Short Answer: Best Alternative for Each Need
- Free and generous: FatSecret. Its free app keeps the barcode scanner, photo recognition and calorie and macro goals; Premium mainly adds meal plans and water tracking. Runner-up: Cronometer.
- Micronutrients: Cronometer. Up to 84 nutrients on the free plan and 95 with Gold, from a database it describes as more than 1.1 million verified foods, on web, iPhone and Android.
- Adaptive macro coaching: MacroFactor. It compares your weight trend with your calorie intake to estimate your energy burn and adjusts your macro plan every week, for $71.99 a year. Runner-up: Carbon Diet Coach.
- AI photo logging: SnapCalorie. It is built around photo and voice logging, says it measures portions with your phone camera and reports 100+ nutrients, and keeps its core features free. Runner-up if you will pay: MacroFactor.
- Simple weight loss: Lose It!. The free plan builds a personalized calorie budget and weight loss schedule, on phone and web. Its barcode scanner costs extra.
- Privacy: SnapCalorie. The only app here whose App Store privacy label declares neither tracking nor data linked to your identity. MacroFactor, FatSecret and Carbon also declare no tracking.
- Android plus wearables: Cronometer. It syncs with Health Connect and Wear OS, lists Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, WHOOP and Dexcom connections, and includes device sync on its free plan.
Find Your Match in 30 Seconds
Answer four quick questions. The picker ranks the apps using the same checked data as the tables below, and every result links to its row so you can see why it made the cut. It leaves out Beacon, because we make it.
Results update as you choose, using the same checked data as the tables below. We make Beacon, so the picker leaves it out. Nothing you pick is stored or sent anywhere.
- What can you spend?
Free onlyUp to $100 a yearPrice is not the deciding factor
- What matters most?
Lose weight with a simple calorie budgetHit exact macros for a cut or bulkTrack vitamins and mineralsLog meals from photosChange habits with coachingConnect food to my wearable and training
- Must-haves (optional, pick any)
Barcode scannerAI photo loggingTargets that adjust automaticallyMicronutrient trackingApple Health or Health Connect syncWeb appNot owned by MyFitnessPalNo tracking on its App Store privacy label
- Your phone (decides which health sync counts)
iPhoneAndroid
Choose a budget or a goal to see your best matches.
The picker needs JavaScript. The short answer above and the two tables below hold the same checked data.
MyFitnessPal Alternatives Compared: Price and What Free Really Includes
Prices are US list prices from each company's pricing page or its App Store listing. When a store shows several prices for the same plan, we give the range rather than guess which one you will see. "Not listed" means we could not find the feature on the pages we checked, not that it does not exist.
| App | Paid plan (US list price) | Barcode scan | AI photo logging | What the free plan really includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyFitnessPal (baseline) | Premium $79.99/yr. Premium+ $99.99/yr or $24.99/mo. The App Store lists monthly Premium at $19.99. | Premium | Premium | Simple food search and logging, with ads. Barcode scan, meal scan, voice logging, custom macro goals and the fasting tracker are Premium. |
| FatSecret | The App Store lists Premium at $10.49 or $14.99/mo, or $38.99 or $59.99/yr | Free | Free | Food diary, barcode scanner, photo recognition, calorie and macro goals, and Health app sync. Premium adds meal plans, extra meal headings and water tracking. |
| Cronometer | Gold $10.99/mo or $59.99/yr | Free | Gold | Barcode scanner, custom macro targets, up to 84 nutrients and device sync, with ads. Photo and voice logging are Gold. |
| MacroFactor | $11.99/mo, $47.99 per 6 months, or $71.99/yr | Yes, paid app | Yes, paid app | No free plan, and MacroFactor says there never will be. 7-day trial, no ads. |
| SnapCalorie | The App Store lists Premium at $19.99/mo or $149/yr | Yes, plan not stated | Free | Core features free with no credit card, per SnapCalorie. It does not publish what the free plan limits. |
| Lose It! | The App Store lists Premium from $9.99 to $79.99, or lifetime at $49.99 or $59.99 | Premium | Premium | Calorie tracking, a personalized calorie budget and weight loss plan, and community support, with ads on Android. |
| Beacon (our app) | $19.99/mo or $119.99/yr | Included | Included | Photo, barcode, voice and search logging with 15 tracked nutrients per food, custom goals, and Apple Health sync. No ads. |
| Carbon Diet Coach | $11.99/mo, $59.99 per 6 months, or $99.99/yr | Yes, paid app | Not listed | No free plan listed on its pricing page. |
| Lifesum | The App Store lists Premium at $99.99 or $119.99/yr, or $29.99 or $39.99 for 3 months | Free | Premium | Traditional tracking: food search, barcode scanner, favorites, quick track and recipes. AI photo, voice and text logging are Premium. |
| Yazio | The App Store lists 12-month Pro at $23.90 or $47.90 | Yes, plan not stated | Pro | Calorie tracker and a barcode scanner that is not on Yazio's Pro feature list, with ads. AI photo tracking and detailed nutrients are Pro. |
| Noom | Noom Weight from $17/mo, billed as a $209 yearly plan | Not listed | Not listed | No free plan published. Paid programs with daily lessons, human coaching and AI support. |
| Cal AI | The App Store lists plans from $2.99 to $29.99, after a 3-day free trial | Yes, plan not stated | Yes, paid app | Food scan results require a subscription, per its App Store listing. |
Food Database, Nutrients, Sync and Platforms
Database sizes and "verified" labels are each company's own claims. The sync column shows whether the app connects to Apple Health on iPhone and Health Connect on Android, and on which plan. The last column links to the exact pages each row was checked against.
| App | Food database (company figure) | Micronutrients | Adaptive targets | Apple Health / Health Connect | Platforms | Checked against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyFitnessPal (baseline) | 18M+ foods | Yes, plan not stated Sodium, fiber and more; custom goals are Premium | Not listed | Connects 40+ trackers and health apps, per its App Store listing | iOS, Android, web, Wear OS | Premium page, Homepage FAQ, App Store, Google Play |
| FatSecret | Customized for US foods and brands; size not stated | Not listed | Not listed | Apple Health: Free Health Connect: Not listed Android listing names Google Fit, Samsung Health and Fitbit for exercise | iOS, Android, Apple Watch | App Store, Google Play |
| Cronometer | 1.1M+ verified foods | Free Up to 84 free, up to 95 with Gold | Not listed | Apple Health: Free Health Connect: Free Also lists Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, WHOOP and Dexcom | Web, iOS, Android | Pricing, Website, App Store, Google Play |
| MacroFactor | 1.36M+ verified entries | Yes, paid app Micronutrient breakdowns; count not stated | Yes, paid app | Apple Health: Yes, paid app Health Connect: Yes, paid app | iOS, Android (no desktop version yet) | Website and FAQ, Integrations help, App Store, Google Play |
| SnapCalorie | 500k+ foods verified against USDA data | Yes, plan not stated 100+ nutrients | Not listed | Apple Health: Yes, plan not stated Health Connect: Not listed | iOS, Android | Website, App Store, Google Play |
| Lose It! | 56M+ items and recipes | Premium Vitamins and minerals are Premium | Not listed | Apple Health: Premium Health Connect: Not listed Premium syncs list HealthKit, Google Fit, Fitbit, Garmin and Withings | iOS, Android, web | App Store, Google Play, Website |
| Beacon (our app) | USDA-backed; 2M+ barcode items | 15 tracked nutrients per food | No | Apple Health: Reads and writes nutrition | iOS, Apple Watch (no web app) | Pricing, App Store |
| Carbon Diet Coach | Powered by FatSecret | Not listed Not advertised; its Apple Health export includes available micronutrients | Yes, paid app | Apple Health: Yes, paid app Health Connect: Yes, paid app Imports weight and body fat; shares your food diary | iOS, Android | Pricing, Integrations help, App Store, Google Play |
| Lifesum | Size not stated | Not listed | Not listed | Apple Health: Yes, plan not stated Health Connect: Yes, plan not stated Exports food, nutrition and water to Apple Health; Samsung Health or Health Connect on Android | iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS | Help center, App Store, Google Play |
| Yazio | 4M+ items | Pro Vitamin and mineral breakdowns are Pro | Not listed | Apple Health: Not listed Health Connect: Not listed Pro syncs Fitbit, Garmin, Polar and Samsung Health | iOS, Android | Pro features, AI tracking help, App Store, Google Play |
| Noom | 1M+ food items | Not listed | Not listed | Apple Health: Yes, paid app Health Connect: Not listed Lists Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin and Withings | iOS, Android | Website, App Store, Google Play |
| Cal AI | Size not stated | Not listed | Not listed | Apple Health: Yes, plan not stated Health Connect: Not listed Apple Health on iPhone, Google Fit on Android | iOS, Android | Website, Acquisition release, App Store, Google Play |
Where the Barcode Scanner Is Still Free
For many people this is the whole question. On their free plans, FatSecret, Cronometer and Lifesum all include barcode scanning, according to their own listings and help pages. Beacon, our app, includes it too, but has no free plan at all. Yazio lists a scanner that is not on Yazio's Pro feature list, but it never says which plan includes it, so treat that as unconfirmed. Lose It! lists its scanner as a Premium feature, which is the same trade you are trying to escape, and MacroFactor and Carbon have no free plan at all.
What Changed at MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is still free to download, and its own FAQ says free members can do a simple food search and track what they eat. What changed is how much of everyday logging now sits behind Premium, and who owns what. The record, from primary sources:
- March 2018: Under Armour, then the owner, disclosed that an unauthorized party had acquired data from about 150 million MyFitnessPal accounts, including usernames, email addresses and hashed passwords.
- December 2020: Under Armour completed the sale of MyFitnessPal to Francisco Partners, for a transaction value of $345 million including potential earn-out payments.
- August 2022: Threads on MyFitnessPal's own community forum filled with free members objecting to the barcode scanner moving to Premium ahead of an October 1 cutoff. The scanner is still listed only in the paid tiers.
- February 2025: MyFitnessPal announced it had acquired the meal planning app Intent and would offer its Meal Planner through Premium+, a tier at $99.99 a year.
- January 2026: MyFitnessPal launched an app inside ChatGPT's Health experience, offering recipe recommendations, macro guidance and weight management support.
- March 2026: MyFitnessPal acquired Cal AI, the photo calorie app, and said Cal AI will continue to operate as a standalone product. The announcement put Cal AI's sales at over $40 million in the previous 12 months.
- Now: MyFitnessPal's App Store listing introduces an AI Coach, which its release notes describe as a feature for Premium and Premium+ members.
MyFitnessPal's Premium page is clear about what the free plan leaves out: barcode scan and meal scan, voice logging and multi-day logging, custom macros and goals, the intermittent fasting tracker, progress reports and the ad-free experience. Premium is $79.99 a year; Premium+ is $99.99 a year or $24.99 a month. Whatever made you leave, check that exact feature in any replacement before you move your routine.
The Alternatives, One by One
FatSecret: A Free Plan That Keeps the Scanner
Pick it if you want MyFitnessPal's everyday loop without paying. FatSecret's free app includes a food diary, a barcode scanner, image recognition so you can log with photos, calorie and macro goals and reports, an exercise diary, a weight tracker and a community, and it syncs food and weight with the Health app on iPhone. Premium adds meal plans from its dietitian, advanced meal planning, six extra meal headings and water tracking, listed on the App Store at $38.99 or $59.99 a year.
Skip it if micronutrients matter to you, because its listings do not describe them. On Android, its listing names Google Fit, Samsung Health and Fitbit for exercise rather than Health Connect.
Cronometer: Best for Micronutrients
Pick it if you care what is in your food, not just the calories. The free plan tracks up to 84 nutrients and includes the barcode scanner, custom macro targets and device sync. Gold, at $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year, raises that to 95 nutrients and adds AI photo and voice logging, a fasting tracker, a recipe importer, a macro scheduler and the Crono Coach AI coach. Cronometer works on the web as well as iPhone and Android, and syncs with Apple Health, Health Connect and Wear OS.
Skip it if ads bother you: the free plan has them, and the ad-free experience is a Gold feature, as is photo logging.
MacroFactor: Best for Adaptive Macro Coaching
Pick it if you want an app to set your calories and macros and keep correcting them. MacroFactor compares your trended weight changes with your calorie intake to back-calculate your energy expenditure, then adjusts your macro plan every week. Logging is quick: AI photo logging, speech-to-text logging, a barcode and nutrition label scanner, and a database it says holds more than 1.36 million verified entries. It syncs with Apple Health and Health Connect, and costs $11.99 a month, $47.99 for six months or $71.99 a year after a 7-day trial.
Skip it if you want free. MacroFactor's FAQ says there is not, and will never be, a free version, and there is no desktop version yet. It also chooses not to use smartwatch or activity tracker data to estimate your energy burn, because it does not think those devices estimate it well.
SnapCalorie: Best for Photo Logging
Pick it if typing food names is why you stopped logging. You photograph a meal or dictate a voice note, and SnapCalorie says its AI identifies the food, measures portions with your phone camera and pulls nutrition from USDA data, reporting calories, macros and 100+ nutrients. It also has a nutrition label scanner and Apple Health sync, and its listing says it was founded by former Google AI researchers who co-founded Google Lens and the Cloud Vision API. Core features are free with no credit card.
Skip it if you want to know the limits up front: SnapCalorie does not publish what its free plan caps, and Premium lists at $19.99 a month or $149 a year on the App Store. Photo estimates are still estimates, so check a few against package labels.
Lose It!: Best for Simple Weight Loss
Pick it if you want a number to stay under and little else. Complete your profile and Lose It! calculates a personalized daily calorie budget and weight loss schedule on the free plan. Its food database holds 56 million items and recipes by its own count, and it works on iPhone, Android and the web.
Skip it if the paywall is why you left MyFitnessPal. Lose It! lists photo meal logging, AI voice logging, the barcode scanner, macro tracking, intermittent fasting and fitness app syncs as Premium features. The App Store lists Premium purchases from $9.99 to $79.99, with a lifetime option at $49.99 or $59.99.
Carbon Diet Coach: Adaptive Macros With Explanations
Pick it if you want a coach's weekly check-in rather than silent adjustments. Carbon's site credits Layne Norton, PhD, and registered dietitian Keith Kraker. You check in each week, the app evaluates your progress and macros to decide whether to adjust, and it explains why it did or did not make a change. It has a barcode scanner and a food database powered by FatSecret, and it pulls weight and body fat from Apple Health or Health Connect.
Skip it if you want photo logging, which it does not list, or a lower price: $11.99 a month, $59.99 for six months or $99.99 a year, with no free plan on its pricing page.
Lifesum: Meal Plans With a Free Scanner
Pick it if you like structure: meal plans, a food rating system and adjustable calorie and macro goals. Lifesum's help center says traditional tracking is available to all users, and it includes food search, the barcode scanner, favorites, quick track and recipes. It exports food, nutrition and water to Apple Health and connects to Samsung Health or Health Connect on Android.
Skip it if you want AI logging for free. Photo, voice and text tracking are a Premium feature, and the App Store lists Premium at $99.99 or $119.99 a year.
Yazio: A Polished Counter With Low Pro Prices
Pick it if you want a clean calorie counter and will pay a little for extras. Its listing highlights a free calorie tracker, a barcode scanner that does not appear on Yazio's Pro feature list, and a database of more than 4 million items. Pro, listed on the App Store at $23.90 or $47.90 for 12 months, adds AI food tracking from photos, detailed vitamin and mineral breakdowns, all fasting plans, activity sync with Fitbit, Garmin, Polar and Samsung Health, and an ad-free experience.
Skip it if you want AI photo logging on a free plan. Yazio's help center says the feature was initially free for all users and is now part of Pro.
Noom: A Program, Not Just a Tracker
Pick it if logging was never the hard part and habits are. Noom Weight pairs food logging with bite-sized daily lessons, human coaching and AI support, and the app advertises AI food logging with more than 1 million foods. It syncs with Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin and Withings.
Skip it if you only want a food diary. Noom Weight starts at $17 a month, based on a $209 annual plan, Noom Med starts at $69 for the first month before medication costs, and its App Store privacy label lists more kinds of data used to track you than any other app here.
Cal AI: Photo Logging, Now Owned by MyFitnessPal
Pick it if you want point-and-shoot logging: snap a photo, scan a barcode or describe your meal. It connects to Apple Health on iPhone and Google Fit on Android.
Skip it if the company is why you are leaving. MyFitnessPal announced on March 2, 2026 that it had acquired Cal AI. Its App Store listing also says food scan results require a subscription, with plans listed from $2.99 to $29.99 after a 3-day free trial.
Where Beacon Fits
Beacon is our app, so weigh this section accordingly. Beacon is an AI health coach for training, recovery, sleep and nutrition that includes food logging. It is not a dedicated calorie counter, and it should not be your pick if a calorie counter is all you want.
What Beacon Premium covers: photo, barcode, voice, description and search food logging with no daily limit, a USDA-backed database with 15 tracked nutrients per food, custom calorie and macro goals, and nutrition that syncs both ways with Apple Health. Every health data connection is included, with no per-device fee on top — direct WHOOP, Oura and Withings connections among them — along with AI coaching and AI-generated workouts, and there are no ads. Beacon Premium is the only plan, at $19.99 a month or $119.99 a year.
Who it suits: people on an iPhone with a wearable who want food logs next to their workouts, sleep and recovery. Beacon sets starting nutrition targets using your workouts and daily steps. While you compare, it can also read the calories, macros, water and weight that MyFitnessPal shares with Apple Health.
Who should not pick Beacon:
- You want a web or desktop diary. Beacon has no web app. Cronometer, Lose It! and MyFitnessPal do.
- You want targets that adjust themselves every week. Beacon does not do that yet. MacroFactor and Carbon do.
- Privacy labels decide it for you. Beacon's App Store label declares some data used to track you. SnapCalorie, MacroFactor, FatSecret and Carbon declare none.
- You only want to count calories. If coaching, workouts and recovery feel like clutter, FatSecret or Lose It! will feel simpler.
- You need the deepest nutrient data for a dietitian. Cronometer tracks up to 95 nutrients and runs a separate professional platform for dietitians and nutritionists.
Limits to know: Beacon is subscription-only, with no free tier, and your calorie and macro targets do not change automatically with your recovery. If your wearable matters, Fitbit and Pixel Watch data has no route into Beacon today, and Garmin reaches Beacon only through what Garmin Connect writes to Apple Health, so Body Battery and Training Readiness are not imported.
How We Checked
On September 14, 2026 we read each app's own pricing page and help center, plus its US App Store and Google Play listings, and recorded what each says about price, free features, sync and platforms. The links sit in each row of the second table and in the sources below. We did not test photo accuracy or database quality ourselves, so database sizes and "verified" labels are the companies' claims, and App Store privacy labels are self-reported by developers. Prices differ by country, store and promotion. Beacon's row uses the same public listings, and its Where Beacon Fits section was checked on September 15, 2026 against Beacon's help center and integrations page.
Switching to Beacon? Our MyFitnessPal switching guide covers bringing your targets and checking serving sizes. For the ownership history in more depth, read what MyFitnessPal's sales mean for your data, and for a two-app deep dive, see MyFitnessPal vs Cronometer.
FAQ
What is the best MyFitnessPal alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. For a generous free plan, FatSecret keeps the barcode scanner, photo recognition and macro goals free. For micronutrients, Cronometer tracks up to 84 nutrients on its free plan. For adaptive macro coaching, MacroFactor adjusts your targets every week for $71.99 a year. For photo logging, SnapCalorie is built around it. For simple weight loss, Lose It! gives you a free calorie budget. For Android with a wearable, Cronometer syncs with Health Connect and Wear OS. We make Beacon, so we do not rank it.
What is the best free MyFitnessPal alternative?
For plain calorie and macro counting, FatSecret: its free app includes the barcode scanner, photo recognition, calorie and macro goals and Health app sync, and Premium mainly adds meal plans and water tracking. Cronometer is the free pick for nutrient detail, with the scanner and up to 84 nutrients free, though its free plan shows ads. Beacon, which we make, does photo, barcode and voice logging, but it is subscription-only and is not ranked here.
Is there a free MyFitnessPal alternative with a barcode scanner?
Yes. FatSecret, Cronometer and Lifesum include barcode scanning on their free plans, according to their own listings and help pages. Beacon, our app, includes it too, but has no free plan. Yazio lists a scanner that is not on Yazio's Pro feature list but does not say which plan includes it. Lose It! lists its barcode scanner as a Premium feature, as MyFitnessPal does.
How much does MyFitnessPal cost in 2026?
MyFitnessPal's Premium page lists Premium at $79.99 a year and Premium+ at $99.99 a year or $24.99 a month, and its App Store listing shows monthly Premium at $19.99. If you have never had a Premium trial, you can try it free for 7 days. The basic app is still free, with ads.
Is MyFitnessPal still free?
Partly. You can download it, search for foods and log them without paying, with ads. Barcode scan and meal scan, voice logging, custom macros and goals, the intermittent fasting tracker, progress reports and ad-free logging are listed as Premium features on MyFitnessPal's own Premium page.
What is the best free calorie counter app?
If you only want to count calories and macros for free, FatSecret's free plan covers the most everyday basics of the apps we checked, including the barcode scanner and photo recognition. Lose It! is simpler, with a free calorie budget and weight loss plan, but its scanner is Premium. Cronometer is the better free choice if you also want vitamins and minerals.
Which MyFitnessPal alternative is best for macros?
MacroFactor, if you will pay: it adjusts your calorie and macro targets every week from your weight trend and calorie intake, for $71.99 a year. Carbon Diet Coach adjusts macros through weekly check-ins that explain each change, for $99.99 a year. On a free plan, Cronometer lets you set custom macro targets, which MyFitnessPal reserves for Premium.
Does MyFitnessPal own Cal AI?
Yes. MyFitnessPal announced on March 2, 2026 that it had acquired Cal AI and said Cal AI will continue to operate as a standalone product. If the company is why you are leaving MyFitnessPal, switching to Cal AI keeps you with the same owner.
What is the best MyFitnessPal alternative for Android?
Cronometer syncs with Health Connect and Wear OS and lists Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, WHOOP and Dexcom connections, and MacroFactor syncs with Health Connect on its paid plan. Lose It!'s Android listing names Google Fit rather than Health Connect, and only for Premium. Beacon, which we make, logs food by photo, barcode and voice, and reads and writes nutrition through Apple Health.
What changed at MyFitnessPal?
Under Armour disclosed a breach affecting about 150 million accounts in 2018 and sold MyFitnessPal to Francisco Partners in December 2020. The barcode scanner moved to Premium in 2022, a Premium+ tier arrived in 2025 at $99.99 a year, MyFitnessPal launched an app in ChatGPT's Health experience in January 2026, and it acquired Cal AI in March 2026.
Can I bring my MyFitnessPal data to Beacon?
Not as a one-click diary import. Beacon can read the calories, macros, water and weight that MyFitnessPal shares with Apple Health, so leave that sharing on while you compare. Write down your targets and keep a copy of any old history you need.