The Best Calorie Counter Apps of 2024
Written by: BestApp.com App Testing Team - Updated: Apr 09, 2021
If you're looking for a way to track calories and get on top of your nutrition, start with MyFitnessPal. It's our top pick thanks to its easy-to-use interface and huge food library, but if it's not quite what you're looking for, we selected nine other calorie counter apps to help you on your wellness journey.
Top 9 Calorie Counter Apps to Try
- MyFitnessPal — Top Pick
- Cronometer — Best Free Version
- Lose It! — Best for Macro Breakdown
- FatSecret — Best Community Support
- Lifesum — Best for Google Users
- MyNetDiary — Best Versatility
- Fitbit — Best for Activity and Calorie Tracking
- MyPlate Calorie Counter — Best Basic Features
- Nutracheck Calorie Counter+ — Best Barcode Scanner
How We Chose the Best Calorie Counter Apps
When it comes to eating better and losing weight, knowing exactly what you’re eating and how much is critical to understanding where to make changes that will support your wellness goals. This is why we focused on calorie counter apps that were easy to use, had barcode scanners for tracking purposes, and had manual input options for personal recipes or niche foods. We also included some calorie counter apps that go above and beyond by providing personal coaching and fitness logs.
Choose the calorie counter app that’s right for you
So which calorie counter app should you use? The answer is: It depends. When you’re evaluating the apps on this list, consider your goals and lifestyle. Do you eat a lot of processed or packaged foods? Then you’re going to want an app that has a large searchable food database, a barcode scanner, and verified entries. If most of your meals are made from scratch and you love connecting with people, an app with manual input methods and a community support forum might be the best choice. Don’t forget to take into consideration subscription fees and pricing for access to premium features.
Double-check food and nutrition entries
Any time you’re using a calorie counter app to log your food, accuracy is critical. But many of these apps rely on entries from other community members, which can mean portion sizes are off or the macro breakdown isn’t quite right. It’s always a good idea to double-check entries against the nutrition info on the package of the food you’re logging or look for apps like MyFitnessPal that have verified entries in their food databases.
Our Calorie Counter App Reviews
MyFitnessPal — Top Pick
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
MyFitnessPal is the top pick for our list of calorie counter apps because it has the biggest food database, an easy-to-use barcode scanner, and extras such as goal setting and tracking, fitness logging, and tons of community support. It has calorie and macro breakdowns, so you can track the way you want, and it also includes nutritional information such as fiber, sugars, cholesterol, and some vitamins and minerals. You can create your own entries from nutrition labels and favorite recipes or choose from member entries for popular fast-food and restaurant items. MyFitnessPal also connects with almost any fitness device, from Fitbits and Garmin trackers to Apple and Samsung Galaxy watches.
Notable features:
- 90-day free trial
- In-app purchases: $0.99 – $99.99 per item
- Support available: Help center, FAQ
| MyFitnessPal Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Huge food database | The best features are paid |
| Manual-entry options for recipes | Member entries aren’t always accurate |
| Progress reports | |
Cronometer — Best Free Version
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Cronometer has a free basic version you can use for as long as you like that’s sufficient if you’re doing just basic calorie counting. Also, Cronometer makes sure your tracking is accurate because its staff personally verifies that every entry submitted by users is correct, and you can track everything from calories and macros to cholesterol intake and what supplements you’re taking. The premium version of Cronometer includes extra features such as food suggestions, timestamps on diary entries, and priority customer support.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Gold version: $8.99/month or $49.99/year
- Support available: Help center, FAQ
| Cronometer Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Verified food database | Comparatively small food database |
| Reporting capabilities | Ad-free version is paid |
| Syncs with many activity trackers | |
Lose It! — Best for Macro Breakdown
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
If you’re interested in digging into the quality of your food choices and not just the quantity, Calorie Counter by Lose It! is a good choice. It automatically breaks common foods down into carb, protein, and fat content so you can keep an eye on your macros, and it also lets you set personalized macro goals so the app will do the math for you. Additionally, it has a barcode scanner for one-touch food tracking and can give you a general breakdown of macros by analyzing a picture of your plate. Community support is also available with recipes and workout guides, and the personal insights feature lets you get an idea of your eating patterns over time so you can figure out what’s working and what’s not.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- Lose It! Premium: $39.99/year, Lose It! Premium Lifetime Subscription: $189.99
- Support available: Help center, Live chat
| Lose It! Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Focus on quality of nutrition | Exercise library is limited |
FatSecret — Best Community Support
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Calorie Counter by FatSecret makes our list because of its streamlined calorie tracker and its fantastic community support features. Once you have a Premium subscription, you get access to dietitian-created meal plans, and there’s an entire community of other members who interact with each other on a daily basis to provide tips, support, and encouragement. Getting to know people is easy because the app notifies you when you get comments or new followers, and members often share recipes and meal ideas. When it comes to the mechanics of food tracking, FatSecret doesn’t disappoint. It has a barcode scanner for automatic tracking and uses image recognition to help you track foods from pictures.
Notable features:
- No free trial
- In-app purchases: $6.99 – $44.99 per item
- Support available: Contact us form, FAQ
| FatSecret Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Social media-style community support | No free trial |
| Food tracking from scanner and pictures | Premium subscriptions are pricey |
| Goal tracking | |
Lifesum — Best for Google Users
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Lifesum is a calorie and fitness tracker designed specifically to integrate with Google Fit and Samsung S Health, so if you’re already using those apps, it’s a seamless way to import fitness data and track your food, workouts, weight, and body measurements. Lifesum’s food diary is easy to use with both a barcode scanner and a searchable food database, and it breaks down your food choices into macros so you can monitor the quality of your nutrition. There’s an integrated meal planner and plenty of recipes, whether you’re trying the Whole 30 or focusing on being vegan.
Notable features:
- No free trial
- In-app purchases: $3.75 – $52.56 per item
- Support available: FAQ
| Lifesum Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Multiple food tracking options | No personalized coaching |
| Fitness tracking | No free trial |
| Integration with Google Health apps | |
MyNetDiary — Best Versatility
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
With more than 12 million members and counting, MyNetDiary is a solid option when it comes to apps that help you count calories. It’s designed to be simple and intuitive to use, with a clean interface. One of the top features of this app is its versatility. You can go bare bones and use the barcode scanner and tracking features to just keep an eye on overall calories, go more in-depth with macro and nutrient breakdowns, or choose from diet plans that range from low carb to high protein. The app also includes hundreds of verified recipes created by registered dietitians.
Notable features:
- In-app purchases: $5.00 – $59.99 per item
- Support available: Help center, FAQ, Email
| MyNetDiary Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Gives food grades for at-a-glance decision-making | Doesn’t provide info on all nutrients |
| Wide range of meal plan options | |
| Food database updated daily | |
Fitbit — Best for Activity and Calorie Tracking
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Fitbit is known for its activity tracking, but it also lets you track your calories. The barcode scanner and searchable food database are decent, although not as thorough as some of our other picks, and personalized coaching is available for paid members. This app’s best feature is its integration with Fitbit trackers, letting you get an overall picture of your health by tracking your weight, calories in, exercise minutes, steps, and sleep. It also has a social function that lets you pair up with friends for challenges or support.
Notable features:
- 7-day free trial
- In-app purchases: $7.99 – $399.99 per item
- Support available: Help center, Forums
| Fitbit Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Seamless for Fitbit users | Limited database compared to other apps |
| Barcode scanner | Doesn’t work with all activity trackers |
| Social support features | |
MyPlate Calorie Counter — Best Basic Features
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★
Backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, MyPlate Calorie Counter lets you track your food and nutrition without cluttering up the interface with too many bells and whistles. You can set goals for things like “eat more veggies,” and if you’re not sure where to start, the app can pick for you. As you enter your foods for the day, you’ll see real-time progress toward getting enough of each food group so you can adjust your choices as needed. There is also a gamification aspect that lets you earn badges for meeting goals and entering challenges.
Notable features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $9.99 – $44.99 per item
- Support available: FAQ, Email
| MyPlate Calorie Counter Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Food group breakdown | No personalized coaching available |
| Minimalist style | |
| Gamification makes calorie counting fun | |
Nutracheck Calorie Counter+ — Best Barcode Scanner
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Calorie Counter+ lets you keep a detailed food diary as well as monitor your nutrition quality, water intake, and exercise minutes. It has photos of food labels so you can be sure the entry you’re selecting is what you’re actually eating, and the app can keep an icon on your home screen so you always know how many calories you have left for the day. Syncing options work with Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Garmin devices.
Notable features:
- 7-day free trial
- In-app purchases: $1.99 – $39.99 per item
- Support available: FAQ, Email
| Nutracheck Calorie Counter+ Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Food label photos provide better accuracy | No personalized coaching |
| Community forum for support | |
Calorie Counter Apps: Features Summary Table
| Calorie Counter Apps Comparison Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| App | In-App Purchases | Features |
| MyFitnessPal — Top Pick | $0.99 – $99.99 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database ✓ Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| Cronometer — Best Free Version | Gold version: $8.99/month or $49.99/year | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database ✓ Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| Lose it! — Best for Macro Breakdown | Lose It! Premium: $39.99/year, Lose It! Premium Lifetime Subscription: $189.99 | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database X Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| FatSecret — Best Community Support | $6.99 – $44.99 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database ✓ Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| Lifesum — Best for Google Users | $3.75 – $52.56 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database X Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| MyNetDiary — Best Versatility | $5.00 – $59.99 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database ✓ Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| Fitbit — Best for Activity and Calorie Tracking | $7.99 – $399.99 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database ✓ Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| MyPlate Calorie Counter — Best Basic Features | $9.99 – $44.99 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database X Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |
| Nutracheck Calorie Counter+ — Best Barcode Scanner | $1.99 – $39.99 per item | ✓ Barcode scanner ✓ Searchable food database X Personalized coaching ✓ Fitness log |