MyFitnessPal Alternatives, Picked by Why You Want to Switch

By the DietX team · Updated November 4, 2026 · 6 min read

The best MyFitnessPal alternative depends on why you want to leave. For a free barcode scanner, try Cronometer or YAZIO. For free photo logging, try SnapCalorie; for macro coaching, MacroFactor; and for photo, voice and barcode logging at a lower listed yearly price, DietX, the app we make.

Why people look for a MyFitnessPal alternative

The usual friction points are visible on its own Premium page:

• Logging shortcuts cost extra. The barcode scanner, Meal Scan (photo logging) and Voice Log are all Premium only.
• The price. Premium is listed at $19.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the US App Store, and also at $9.99 and $49.99. Paying $19.99 monthly for a year comes to $239.88.
• Ads. The free plan has them.
• Meal planning sits a level higher. Premium Plus adds meal planning and 1500+ recipes. Its price isn't stated.

What MyFitnessPal still does well

Be fair to it before you move. It has the longest history of the apps here, a far larger user base than a young app like ours, 20.5M+ foods including restaurant dishes, and connections to 40+ trackers and smartwatches. Its free plan does cover food, weight and exercise tracking. And if price is your only complaint, moving from monthly to yearly billing saves $159.89 at those listed prices, with no new app to learn.

There's one more thing to know. On 2 March 2026, MyFitnessPal announced it had bought Cal AI. Cal AI continues as a standalone product, but if your reason for leaving is the company itself, Cal AI won't take you away from it.

MyFitnessPal alternatives at a glance

Find your reason in the left column. "Not stated" means the app's own pages don't settle the point, so check in the app.

The best MyFitnessPal alternative with a free barcode scanner

If barcode scanning is what sent you looking, your shortlist is short. Cronometer includes it on its free plan, along with custom macro and micronutrient targets. YAZIO lists it under its free tracker and needs no signup, and it advertises 4M+ foods.

Which of those to pick comes down to what you do after the scan. Cronometer's strength is lab-verified foods and micronutrient depth, which suits you if you care about more than calories. YAZIO is the lighter start.

Lose It! won't solve this one, since its scanner needs Premium. fatsecret and Lifesum have scanners, but neither states the tier, so test before relying on them. For the rest of what's free, see what each free calorie counter actually includes.

If the price of Premium is the problem

Here are the listed yearly prices on the US App Store, set against MyFitnessPal's $79.99.

Two caveats. MyFitnessPal also lists $49.99, and if that's the yearly price you're shown, every line moves $30.00 in its favor. And several of these apps list more than one price, so what you see at checkout may differ.

Lose It!, fatsecret and Cal AI aren't in the table because what we have for them is a price range, with no yearly plan to compare: Lose It! shows Premium from $9.99 to $79.99, fatsecret shows in-app purchases of $10.49 to $59.99, and Cal AI shows $2.99 to $29.99.

If you're tired of typing every meal

On MyFitnessPal's free plan, photo, voice and barcode logging are all off the table, so typing is what you have. Other apps have built around this.

SnapCalorie is the one to try first if you won't pay. It logs from photos under its free core features, and it has voice notes too. YAZIO, Lifesum and fatsecret also list photo logging without stating the tier.

If you're happy to pay, DietX logs by photo, typed description, voice or barcode, and you can edit any item before saving. It's our own app, so read this with care: it has no free tier, and at 4.5 from 20 ratings it has nothing like MyFitnessPal's track record. What it offers instead is a lower listed yearly price than Premium. We compare the two line by line in DietX vs MyFitnessPal.

Keep in mind that faster doesn't automatically mean more accurate. A 2020 review found less burdensome methods are less accurate, so plan on correcting entries whichever app you use.

If you want more control over nutrients or macros

MyFitnessPal's free plan is a general tracker. Two apps go further in specific directions.

Cronometer suits you if vitamins and minerals matter, with micronutrient targets available on the $0 plan. MacroFactor suits you if you take macro targets seriously and will pay for coaching: it has no free plan, a 7-day trial, and plans at $11.99 a month, $47.99 for 6 months or $71.99 a year on the US App Store. Our macro tracker comparison covers both in more depth.

How to switch without losing your habit

The risk in switching is a gap that turns into stopping altogether. A few things help:

1. Run both for a week. Log the same meals in the old app and the new one, then compare the totals.
2. Save your usual foods. Note your 10 most-logged foods and meals with amounts, so you can rebuild them quickly.
3. Look for an export. Check whether your old data can come with you. We haven't confirmed this for any app, so see the settings in each one.
4. Reset your targets. Don't carry over an old number. Recalculate from your current weight and activity, which is covered in how many calories you need a day.
5. Watch the renewal date. If you're on a paid plan, cancel before it renews, and do it where you subscribed.

If you try all this and find MyFitnessPal still suits you best, that's a perfectly good result. An app you keep using is worth more than a cheaper one you drop. And if tracking itself has started to feel stressful, it's fine to stop: calorie counting isn't for everyone, and the NHS lists where to find help.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. MyFitnessPal: Premium
2. MyFitnessPal on the App Store
3. TechCrunch: MyFitnessPal has acquired Cal AI
4. Cronometer: Gold
5. YAZIO
6. SnapCalorie
7. DietX on the App Store
8. MacroFactor on the App Store
9. Lifesum
10. fatsecret on the App Store
11. Lose It! on the App Store
12. YAZIO on the App Store
13. Lifesum on the App Store
14. Cronometer on the App Store
15. SnapCalorie on the App Store
16. Cal AI on the App Store
17. Review of the validity and feasibility of image-assisted methods for dietary assessment (2020), Int J Obes
18. NHS: Eating disorders

General information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing your diet, especially if you are pregnant, under 18 or have a health condition. If tracking food makes you anxious or you have a history of disordered eating, please skip calorie counting and ask a professional for support.