6 Best MyFitnessPal Alternatives (Free & Paid)

MyFitnessPal is still the best-known calorie counter, but many people are looking for something else. The most common reason: the barcode scanner is no longer free – it’s part of Premium, which costs $79.99 a year in the US after a 7-day trial. Others are tired of ads or of choosing between five different entries for the same food. Here are the best MyFitnessPal alternatives, compared.

The short answer: for most people, NutriSmart is the best all-round replacement. You can log meals from a photo or a barcode, check the ingredients and additives in any product and get a 7-day meal plan. And every feature works on the free plan. If accuracy and vitamins and minerals matter most, choose Cronometer. For a simple free food diary, choose FatSecret. And if you’re happy to pay for smart coaching, choose MacroFactor.

Prices and features checked in October 2026 on each company’s website. Apps change their plans from time to time.

MyFitnessPal alternatives at a glance

App	Free version	Free barcode scanner	Photo logging	Best for
Cronometer	✓	✓	Paid (Gold)	Accuracy, vitamins and minerals
FatSecret	✓	✓	Paid (Premium)	Simple, free calorie and macro tracking
Lose It!	✓	⁠–⁠	Paid (Premium)	Simple weight loss with a calorie budget
MacroFactor	⁠–⁠ (free trial)	⁠–⁠	✓	Serious macro tracking and smart coaching
Cal AI	⁠–⁠ (free trial)	⁠–⁠	✓	Logging meals from photos
NutriSmart	✓ All features	✓	✓	Photo logging, ingredient checker, meal plans – all free

1. NutriSmart – best all-in-one free alternative

NutriSmart does everything you used MyFitnessPal for – and adds what it doesn’t: it looks at what’s in your food, not only how much you eat.

• Count calories from a photo of your plate, or scan a barcode
• Check ingredients: photograph a label and see harmful additives and ultra-processed ingredients explained, with a health score out of 100
• Plan your week: a 7-day meal plan with AI recipes and a shopping list
• Track macros, water, steps and weight in the same app

No features behind a paywall. Every feature – including barcode scanning, photo logging and the ingredient checker – works on the free plan. Scans use scan points: you get one for each short video ad you choose to watch, you can buy a pack, and each friend you invite gives you 7 days of Premium. Premium simply removes the limit.

Choose it if you want photo logging and a barcode scanner without a subscription, or you care about additives and ultra-processed food as much as calories.

2. Cronometer – best for accuracy

Cronometer is the app dietitians and people who love data recommend most. Its database doesn’t rely on user entries. It’s built from over a million foods tested in labs or checked by experts, so the numbers are much more reliable.

• Free: food, exercise and body measurement logging, 80+ nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids), your own targets for macros, vitamins and minerals, the barcode scanner and device syncing
• Gold ($59.99 a year): photo and voice logging, fasting timer, macro scheduler, recipe importer and longer reports
• Downsides: more numbers on every screen than most people need, and a smaller database of restaurant and niche branded foods

Choose it if you want accurate data, track vitamins and minerals, or follow a vegan, keto or medical diet. We compare it in detail in MyFitnessPal vs Cronometer.

3. FatSecret – best simple free option

FatSecret has been around almost as long as MyFitnessPal and keeps the essentials free.

• Free: food diary, macro tracking, barcode scanner, reports, achievements and an active community (FatSecret)
• Premium: photo food recognition (Smart Food Scan), voice or text logging with an assistant, meal planner, dietitian-designed meal plans, water tracker and custom meals
• Downsides: a busier, older-looking design, and the database includes user entries, so check the numbers

Choose it if you want the closest thing to the old, free MyFitnessPal.

4. Lose It! – best for simple weight loss

Lose It! builds everything around one number – your daily calorie budget – with streaks and badges that make it motivating.

• Free (Basic): a personalized weight-loss plan, food and exercise logging and syncing with health apps
• Premium ($79.99 a year after a 7-day free trial): barcode scanner, photo logging, macro, water and sleep tracking, and flexible plans such as fasting, low-carb and high protein
• Downsides: the barcode scanner and macros aren’t free, so on the free plan you’ll search for every food

Choose it if your only goal is losing weight and you want a friendly, simple app. See Lose It vs MyFitnessPal for a full comparison.

5. MacroFactor – best for serious macro tracking

MacroFactor was built by nutrition coaches and is popular with people who lift weights or track macros closely. Its best feature is smart targets: it estimates how many calories you really burn from your weight changes and food logs, and adjusts your targets every week.

• No free version – a 7-day free trial, then a subscription
• Includes: fast logging, a verified food database, barcode and nutrition label scanning, AI photo logging, smart weekly target updates and no ads (MacroFactor)
• Downsides: you have to pay, and it’s more than you need if you just want to count calories casually

Choose it if you’re serious about building muscle and losing fat, and want an app that coaches you, not just a food diary.

6. Cal AI – best for logging from photos

Cal AI is built around one idea: take a photo of your meal and the app estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat.

• No free version – a short free trial, then a subscription
• Includes: photo logging, barcode scanning and progress tracking
• Downsides: photo estimates are fast but less precise than weighing food, and you can’t use it without paying

Choose it if speed matters more to you than precision and you don’t mind a subscription.

How to choose

• You want one free app that does it all (photo logging, barcode scanner, ingredient checker, meal plans): NutriSmart
• You want everything free, including the barcode scanner: NutriSmart, Cronometer or FatSecret
• You want the most accurate numbers: Cronometer
• You want simple weight loss: Lose It! or FatSecret
• You lift weights and track macros closely: MacroFactor
• You want to log meals from photos: NutriSmart or Cal AI
• You also want to know what’s in your food: NutriSmart

Whichever app you choose, the method matters more than the app: set a realistic target, log consistently and weigh foods when you can. Not sure what your target should be? Our free calorie calculator and macro calculator give you a starting point in a minute.

The bottom line

MyFitnessPal is still a solid app, but you no longer have to pay to scan barcodes or log from photos. NutriSmart gives you both – plus an ingredient checker and meal plans – without a subscription. Cronometer is the pick for accuracy and FatSecret for a simple free diary. MacroFactor is worth paying for if you’re serious about macros. Most of these have a free version or trial – try two for a week and keep the one you actually enjoy using.

MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, FatSecret, Lose It!, MacroFactor and Cal AI are trademarks of their respective owners. NutriSmart is not affiliated with them.